aces, between orange and lemon-trees with their
undergrowth of jessamine, and entered the belvedere, having by this
progress created a panic indescribable in the community of lizards.

From the belvedere she could command the whole sunlit surface of the
bay, here blue, here silver, here deepening to violet, paling to green,
here dimly, obscurely rose. A fleet of fishing-boats, their coloured
sails decorated with stripes and geometric patterns, or even now and
then with a representation of the owner's patron-saint, was putting out
to sea in single file, between the Capo del Turco and the Capo del
Papa. But Susanna concentrated her attention upon a part of the shore,
perhaps half a mile distant, and half a mile to the east of Vallanza,
where the grey-green of the prevailing olives was broken by the
dark-green of a garden. The garden ran out into the bay a little,
forming a point. Susanna waited and watched, watched and waited, till,
by-and-by, from behind the point, a boat appeared, a launch, and came
swiftly bobbing over the waves towards Isola Nobile. She must have
kept very still during this vigil, for now, when she turned to leave
the belvedere, she saw that at least a hundred lizards had come forth
from their hiding-places, and were staring at her with their twinkling
little pin-heads of eyes. But even as she saw them--zrrrp!--a flash, a
rustle, and there was not a lizard anywhere in sight.

She went back to the colonnade.

"My dear," said Commendatore Fregi, "your cousin is an extremely fine
fellow, and upon my word I am sorry that my mission to him has failed.
I could not hope to find you a better husband."

Whatever the Commendatore's emotion might be, it generally impelled him
to do something to his moustaches. Now he pulled them straight out at
either side.

"Your mission has failed?" asked Susanna. "How do you mean?"

"He cannot marry you," said the Commendatore, with a shake of the head,
a shrug of the shoulders. "He is engaged to a lady in England."

"Ah--I see," said Susanna.

"He is very good-looking," said the Commendatore. "He is his
grandfather come back to life."

"Is he indeed?" said Susanna.

"Yes," affirmed the Commendatore. "He dresses well. He has a good
manner. He is very quiet."

"Englishmen are apt to be quiet," said Susanna.

"He speaks Italian as well as I do," went on the Commendatore. "But he
cannot speak Sampaolese."

"He could easily learn Sampaolese," said