s old age; it was long, indeed, since he had taken
a glass of brandy in the morning. He swallowed it quickly, and the
stimulant produced its effect immediately; he readjusted his eyeglass,
and faced Valdarno sternly.

"And now," he said, "that we are at our ease, may I inquire what the
devil you mean by your insinuations about my wife?"

"Oh," replied Valdarno, affecting great indifference, "I only say what
everybody says. There is no offence to the Duchessa."

"I should suppose not, indeed. Go on."

"Do you really care to hear the story?" asked the young man.

"I intend to hear it, and at once," replied Astrardente.

"You will not have to employ force to extract it from me, I can assure
you," said Valdarno, settling himself in his chair, but avoiding the
angry glance of the old man. "Everybody has been repeating it since the
day before yesterday, when it occurred. You were at the Frangipani
ball--you might have seen it all. In the first place, you must know that
there exists another of those beings to whom you extend your merciful
toleration--a certain Giovanni Saracinesca--you may have noticed him?"

"What of him?" asked Astrardente, fiercely.

"Among other things, he is the man who wounded Del Ferice, as I daresay
you have heard. Among other things concerning him, he has done himself
the honour of falling desperately, madly in love with the Duchessa
d'Astrardente, who--"

"What?" cried the old man in a cracked voice, as Valdarno paused.

"Who does you the honour of ignoring his existence on most occasions, but
who was so unfortunate as to recall him to her memory on the night of the
Frangipani ball. We were all sitting in a circle round the Duchessa's
chair that night, when the conversation chanced to turn upon this same
Giovanni Saracinesca, a fire-eating fellow with a bad temper. He had been
away for some days; indeed he was last seen at the Apollo in your box,
when they gave 'Norma'--"

"I remember," interrupted Astrardente. The mention of that evening was
but a random shot. Valdarno had been in the club-box, and had seen
Giovanni when he made his visit to the Astrardente; he had not seen him
again till the Frangipani ball.

"Well, as I was saying, we spoke of Giovanni, and every one had something
to say about his absence. The Duchessa expressed her curiosity, and Del
Ferice, who was with us, proposed calling him--he was at the other end of
the room, you see--that he might answer for himself. So I wen