you going?" and Don Clemente, having perhaps noticed a lady
standing in his way, instead of passing her and going down, went to
summon the gardener, who was waiting for him in the darkest corner
of the little opening, where the side of the house meets the hill. He
called "Benedetto!" and then turning to Selva said: "Would you like to
show him the little field?" "At this hour?" Giovanni answered, while his
wife whispered to Noemi: "Some visitors are just leaving, let us stay
here at the Casino until they have passed," shaking her head at her so
emphatically the while, that Signora Dessalle noticed the action, and at
once suspected some mystery.

"Why?" she said. "Are they dangerous?" and slackened her pace. Noemi, on
the other hand, having understood her sister's wish, but not her
secret motive, was over-zealous in seconding her; and clasping her two
companions round the waist, she pushed them towards the Casino. Jeanne
Dessalle was instinctively moved to rebel, and turning upon her,
exclaimed: "What are you doing?" Then she saw Selva coming towards them.
He hastened to greet them, spreading out his arms as if to hide Don
Clemente, who, followed by the gardener, passed rapidly within five
paces of Jeanne, and descended the steep path.

Noemi, who had also turned at her brother-in-law's greeting, ran to
embrace him; Selva in the meantime, feeling gratified that Don Clemente
had avoided a meeting. Selva, releasing himself from Noemi's embrace,
extended his hand to Jeanne, who did not see it, and murmured absently
some incomprehensible words of greeting. At that point Dane, Marinier,
Fare, di Leyni, and Padre Salvati issued from the villa. The Selvas went
to meet them, leaving Noemi and Signora Dessalle to await their return.
The parting compliments lasted some time. Dane wished to pay his
respects to Signora Dessalle, but Maria, not seeing her where she had
left her, supposed that she and Noemi had gone into the house, passing
behind them, so she promised to be the bearer of the professor's
greetings. At last, when the five had started down the hill accompanied
by Giovanni, Maria heard Noemi calling her:

"Maria! Maria!"

A peculiar note in her sister's voice told her something had happened.
She ran back, and found Signora Dessalle seated on a bundle of fagots,
in the corner where the gardener from Santa Scolastica had stood, not
five minutes before, and repeating in a weak voice: "It is nothing,
nothing, nothing! We w