g the goal of
his intentions, and as he neared the desired end he grew more and more
cautious. He had played one of his strongest cards that night, and he was
content to wait and let matters develop quietly, without any more pushing
from him. The seed would grow, there was no fear of that, and his
position was strong. He could wait quietly for the result.

At the end of half an hour he excused himself upon the plea that he was
still only convalescent, and was unable to bear the fatigue of late
hours. Donna Tullia did not press him to stay, for she wished to be
alone; and when he was gone she sat long at the open piano, pondering
upon what she had done, and even more upon what she had escaped doing. It
was a hideous thought that if Giovanni, in all that long winter, had
asked her to be his wife, she would readily have consented; it was
fearful to think what her position would have been towards Del Ferice,
who would have been able by a mere word to annul her marriage by proving
the previous one at Aquila. People do not trifle with such accusations,
and he certainly knew what he was doing; she would have been bound hand
and foot. Or supposing that Del Ferice had died of the wound he received
in the duel, and his papers had been ransacked by his heirs, whoever
they might be--these attested documents would have become public
property. What a narrow escape Giovanni had had! And she herself, too,
how nearly had she been involved in his ruin! She liked to think that
he had almost offered himself to her; it flattered her, although she now
hated him so cordially. She could not help admiring Del Ferice's
wonderful discretion in so long concealing a piece of scandal that would
have shaken Roman society to its foundations, and she trembled when she
thought what would happen if she herself were ever tempted to reveal what
she had heard. Del Ferice was certainly a man of genius--so quiet, and
yet possessing such weapons; there was some generosity about him too, or
he would have revenged himself for his wound by destroying Giovanni's
reputation. She considered whether she could have kept her counsel so
well in his place. After all, as he had said, the moment for using the
documents had not yet come, for hitherto Giovanni had never proposed to
marry any one. Perhaps this secret wedding in Aquila explained his
celibacy; Del Ferice had perhaps misjudged him in saying that he was
unscrupulous; he had perhaps left his peasant wife, repenting