y were, had been scarcely spoken
when the visitor entered the room. He was a tall, handsome man, of about
five-and-thirty, dressed in deep black, and wearing a light blue ribbon
across his white neckcloth. He advanced with all the ease of good
breeding, and taking Lady Lackington's hand, he kissed the tips of her
fingers with the polished grace of a courtier.

After a formal presentation to Lady Grace, he took a seat between the
two ladies.

"I am come on, for _me_, a sad errand, my Lady," said he, in a voice
of peculiar depth and sweetness, in which the very slightest trace of a
foreign accent was detectable--"it is to say good-by!"

"You quite shock me, Monsignore. I always hoped you were here for our
own time."

"I believed and wished it also, my Lady; but I have received a
peremptory order to return to Rome. His Holiness desires to see me at
once. There is some intention, I understand, of naming me as the Nuncio
at Florence. Of course this is a secret as yet." And he turned to each
of the ladies in succession.

"Oh, that would be charming--at least for any one happy enough to
fix their residence there, and my friend Lady Grace is one of the
fortunate."

Monsignore bowed in gratitude to the compliment, but contrived, as he
bent his head, to throw a covert glance at his future neighbour, with
the result of which he did not seem displeased.

"I must of course, then, send you back those interesting books, which I
have only in part read?"

"By no means, my Lady; they are yours, if you will honour me by
accepting them. If the subject did not forbid the epithet, I should call
them trifles."

"Monsignore insists on my reading the 'Controversy,' dear Lady Grace;
but how I am to continue my studies without his guidance------"

"We can correspond, my Lady," quickly broke in the other. "You can
state to me whatever doubts--difficulties, perhaps, were, the better
word--occur to you; I shall be but too happy and too proud to offer you
the solution; and if my Lady Grace Twining would condescend to accept me
in the same capacity--."

She bowed blandly, and he went on.

"There is a little tract here, by the Cardinal Balbi--'Flowers of St.
Joseph' is the title. The style is simple but touching--'the invitation'
scarcely to be resisted."

"I think you told me I should like the Cardinal personally," broke in
Lady Lackington.

"His Eminence is charming, my Lady--such goodness, such gentleness, and
so much of the very