grey
hair of the gentle priest appeared.

"We are discussing philosophy, Don Giuseppe," said Luisa when greetings
had been exchanged. "Come here and let us have your valuable opinion."

Don Guiseppe scratched his head, and then turning it slightly towards
the engineer, with the expression of one who desires something for which
he hardly dares to ask, gave utterance to this flower of his
philosophical opinions.

"Wouldn't a little game of primero be better?"

Franco and Uncle Piero, who were only too glad to escape from
Gilardoni's philosophy, sat merrily down to the little table with the
priest.

As soon as he and Luisa were alone, the Professor said softly--

"The Marchesa left yesterday."

Luisa, who had taken Maria upon her lap, pressed her lips to the child's
neck passionately.

"Perhaps," continued Gilardoni, who had never known how to read in the
human heart, or to touch its chords correctly, "perhaps sometime--it is
only three years, yet--perhaps the day may come when she will yield."

Luisa raised her face from Maria's neck. "Perhaps _she_ may yield!" said
she. The Professor did not understand, and giving way to the evil genius
that invariably suggested to him the worst word at the worst moment, he
persisted instead of breaking off. "Perhaps, if she could see Maria!"
Luisa pressed the little girl to her breast, and looked at him so
fiercely that he was confused, and stammered, "I beg your pardon!"
Maria, in this close embrace, raised her eyes to her mother's strange
face, grew very red, pressed her lips tight together, cried two great
tears, and began to sob.

"No, no, dear!" Luisa murmured tenderly to her, "be quiet, be quiet! You
shall never see her, never!"

As soon as the child was comforted the Professor, distressed at the
mistake he had made, at having offended this Luisa, who seemed to him a
superhuman being, wished to explain, to justify himself, but Luisa would
not allow him to speak. "Pardon me, but that will do," said she, rising.
"Let us go and watch the game."

But, as a matter of fact, she did not go near the players. She sent
Maria to amuse herself in the church-grounds with her little nurse,
Veronica, and herself went to carry a piece of pudding to an old
villager who had a voracious appetite and a small voice, with which he
would every day promise his benefactress the same precious recompense,
"Before I die, I will give you a kiss."

Meanwhile the Professor was filled with scru