guffawed at the idea of there being
anything to admire in them. Even now I can't pretend I like them; but I
keep still and pray for light. Isn't that the beginning of polish?"

Tom was taken to make calls. Aurora took upon herself to explain
Florentine society to him.

"There are little stories about most everybody," she said, "so you have
to be pretty careful. If a certain General is present, for instance,
whom I may have a chance to point out to you, you don't want to talk of
_horses_, because his fiery steed bolted with him during an
engagement once and his enemies caricatured him running away. Then if a
certain viscount is present, whom I may have a chance to introduce to
you, you don't want to talk of _ermine_, because that little animal
is a feature in his coat of arms, and his coat of arms along with his
title of nobility, scandal says, came as a reward from a royal personage
for marrying the lady who was his first wife. So you'll have to look
out, Tom, or you may be called upon to fight a duel."

The most splendid dinner that could be planned in council with Clotilde
and the cook was prepared to honor the friend from home. To this were
bidden the Fosses, Aurora's best friends; the Hunts, her next best;
Manlio, whom she wished Tom to see as a truly beautiful specimen of
Italian; and Landini, because she was curious to know what Tom thought
of him.

Aurora had not seen the latter since the night of the _veglione_.
Finding that he had not called during the interval, she had been glad to
hope that his suspected mysterious project for making her his own had
been dropped. That being the case, she was not at all averse to seeing
him. On the contrary.

Charlie Hunt she had not seen since the variety-show. Learning that he
also had not once come during her absence, she thought that this
admitted of some simple explanation which he would give on the night of
the dinner.

Charlie, receiving the invitation, pondered a while before accepting. He
considered himself to have been insulted, rather, by Mrs. Hawthorne.
Still, he could not be absolutely sure. If, anyhow, she did not know
that he knew the black crow to have been none other than herself there
would be nothing in his going to her dinner-party which laid him open to
scorn. And he felt more disposed to go than not. The dinner would be
festive, costly, succulent. Then he desired before breaking with her--if
breach there must be, which would depend upon the subtle