ter that, what next?"

"To be beautiful."

"And then rich, I suppose?"

"It would be enough if she did not waste money."

"Honest, beautiful, and economical!" exclaimed Beatrice. "He does not
say anything about charm, you see. I think his description is extremely
good and to the point. Bravo, Ruggiero!"

His eyes met hers and gleamed rather fiercely for an instant.

"And how about charm, Ruggiero?" asked Beatrice mischievously.

"I do not speak French, Excellency," he answered.

"You should learn, because charm is a word one cannot say in Italian. I
do not know how to say it in our language."

"Let me talk about flowers to him," said San Miniato. "I will make him
understand. Which do you like better, Ruggiero, camelias or violets?"

"The camelia is a more lordly flower, Excellency, but for me I like the
violets."

"Why?"

"Who knows? They make one think of so many things, Excellency. One would
tire of camelias, but one would never be tired of violets. They have
something--who knows?"

"That is it, Ruggiero," said San Miniato, delighted with the result of
his experiment. "And charm is the same thing in a woman. One is never
tired of it, and yet it is not honesty, nor beauty, nor economy."

"I understand, Excellency--e la femmina--it is the womanly."

"Bravo, Ruggiero!" exclaimed Beatrice again. "You are a man of heart.
And if you found a woman who was honest and beautiful and economical and
'femmina,' as you say, would you love her?"

"Yes, Excellency, very much," answered Ruggiero. But his voice almost
failed him.

"How much? Tell us."

Ruggiero was silent a moment. Then his eyes flashed suddenly as he
looked down at her and his voice came ringing and strong.

"So much that I would pray that Christ and the sea would take her,
rather than that another man should get her! Per Dio!"

There was such a vibration of strong passion in the words that Beatrice
started a little and San Miniato looked up in surprise. Even the
Marchesa vouchsafed the sailor a glance of indolent curiosity. Beatrice
bent over to the Count and spoke in a low tone and in French.

"We must not tease him any more. He is in love and very much in
earnest."

"So am I," answered San Miniato with a half successful attempt to seem
emotional, which might have done well enough if it had not come after
Ruggiero's heartfelt speech.

"You!" laughed Beatrice. "You are never really in earnest. You only
think you are, and that pleases you