hen you leave,
Franco is to go with you. He will return at half-past five for the
Mass."

"Oh dear me!" Uncle Piero exclaimed. "How many difficulties! But after
all, are they or are they not husband and wife?--Well, well," he added,
seeing that his sister was beginning to grow excited, "do just as you
like!"

Instead of the young couple the maid appeared, bringing the cake and the
bottle, and told the engineer that Signorina Luisina begged him to come
out to the terrace for a moment.

"Now that something good is coming at last, you send me outside!" said
the engineer. He jested with his usual serenity of spirit, perhaps
because he did not fully realize his sister's serious condition, perhaps
because of his naturally pacific attitude towards all that was
inevitable.

He went out to the terrace where Luisa and Franco were waiting for him.

"Listen, Uncle," his niece began. "My husband says that his grandmother
will surely discover everything at once; that he will not be able to
remain at Cressogno any longer; that if Mamma were stronger we might all
go to your house at Oria, but, unfortunately, that is not possible as
matters stand at present. So he thinks we might arrange a room here--any
way to get it ready quickly. We had thought of poor Papa's study. What
do you say to this plan?"

"Hm!" ejaculated Uncle Piero, who was slow to take up with new ideas.
"It seems to me a very hasty resolution. You will be incurring expense
and turning the house upside down, for an arrangement which can only be
temporary."

His one idea was to have the whole family at Oria, and this expedient
did not suit him. He feared that if the young people once settled down
at Castello they would remain there. Luisa used every argument to
persuade him that there was no other way, and that neither the outlay
nor the trouble would be great. On leaving home her husband would go
directly to Lugano, and bring back what few pieces of furniture were
absolutely indispensable. Uncle Piero asked if Franco could not take up
his quarters at Oria, remaining there until such a time as she and her
mother could join him. "Oh, Uncle!" Luisa exclaimed. Had she known about
the bell she would have been still more astonished by a similar
proposal. But sometimes this good man had artless ideas of this sort, at
which his sister smiled. Luisa had no difficulty in finding arguments
against his plan for banishing Franco, and she used them with warmth.
"Enough!" said