he servant grinned appreciation. "Yes, the signorina is very
_civetta_. I, also, have seen her simpering when the _avvocato_ has
been here, but she soon gets tired of him, and then her face is as God
made it."

Olive dressed herself leisurely when they had left her, and unpacked
her clothes and her little store of books. Her cousins, coming to
fetch her soon after six o'clock, found her ready to go out, but so
absorbed in a guide-book of Siena that she did not hear Maria's knock
at the door.

She had resolved that she would apply art and archaeology as plasters
to the wound life had given her already. She would stay her heart's
hunger with moods and tenses, but not of the verb "_amare_." Learning
and teaching, she might make her mind lord of her emotions.

She came forward rather shyly to meet her cousins. The three together
were somewhat overpowering, flounced and frilled alike, and highly
scented. Maria and Carmela fat, pleasant and profuse; Gemma silent,
with dark resentful eyes and scornful lips that never smiled at other
women.

"You will show me the best things?" Olive said eagerly when they had
all kissed her. "I want to see the Duomo first, and then the Palazzo
Vecchio--but that is only open in the mornings, is it? And this is the
Piazza Tolomei, so the house where Pia lived must be quite near."

Gemma stared, but made no attempt to answer, and Maria looked
confused.

"I am afraid you will find us all very stupid, _cara_," said Carmela,
apologetically. "We only go to the Duomo to pray, and as to museums
and picture-galleries-- And perhaps I had better tell you now, at
once, that we do not want to learn English. We have got you several
lessons through friends, but Maria and Carmela say they will not
fatigue themselves over a foreign language, and I--"

"Oh," began Olive, "I thought--"

Gemma interrupted her. "A thousand thanks," she said rudely. "We are
not school children; we read about Pia dei Tolomei years ago at the
_Scuola Normale_, but we do not consider her an amusing subject of
conversation now."

The rose in Olive's cheeks deepened. "I shall soon learn to know your
likes and dislikes," she said, "and to understand your manners."

"I hope so," answered Gemma as she left the room. Maria hurried after
her, but the younger sister caught at Olive's hand.

"You must not listen to Gemma. Come, we will walk together. Let her go
on; she cannot forgive your nose for being straight."

CHAPTER