ngs
that brought the colour to her face and the light to her eyes. He
said, for instance, that he was coming to see her that very afternoon;
that in order not to attract attention at the gate of the palace he
would wear civilian's dress, and that he hoped she would not only
receive him, but would send Madame Bernard out of the room for a
little while, so that he might speak to her alone.

The proposal was so delightful and yet so disturbing that Angela
thought it must be wicked and tried to examine her conscience at once;
but it shut up like an oyster taken out of the water and pretended to
be perfectly insensible, turn it and probe it how she would.

So she gave it up; and she did so the more readily because it would be
quite impossible to see Giovanni that afternoon, enchanting as the
prospect would have been. Her aunt the Marchesa had sent word that she
was coming at four o'clock with the lawyer to explain Angela's
position to her, and it was impossible to say how long the two might
stay. Meanwhile she must send word to Giovanni not to come, for it
would not suffice that he should be refused admittance at the gate,
since he might chance to present himself just when the Marchesa drove
up, which would produce a very bad impression. Angela was ashamed to
send her maid with a note to a young officer, and she would not trust
one of the men-servants; she turned for advice to Madame Bernard, who
was her only confidante.

'What am I to do?' she asked when she had explained everything. 'He is
generally at the War Office at this time and he may not even go home
before he comes here. I see no way but to send a note.'

'He would certainly go home to change his clothes,' answered the
practical Frenchwoman; 'but it is not necessary for you to write. I
will telephone to the War Office, and if the Count is there I will
explain everything.'

Angela looked at her doubtfully.

'But then the servant who telephones will know,' she objected.

'The servant? Why? I do not understand. I shall speak myself. No one
will be there to hear.'

'Yourself? My father never could, and I never was shown how to do it.
Are you sure you understand the thing? It is very complicated, I
believe.'

Madame Bernard was not surprised, for she knew the ways of the Palazzo
Chiaromonte; but she smiled and assured the young girl that a
telephone was not really such a dangerous instrument as she had been
led to believe.

'I once tried to make a few stit