say more, for Angela had bent her head and quietly covered her
eyes with one hand, and in this attitude she sat quite motionless in
her place. The lawyer thought she was going to burst into tears, for
he did not know her.

'That will do, Calvi,' said the Princess calmly. 'You have made it all
very clear, and you may retire for the present. The young lady is
naturally overcome by the bad news, and would rather be alone with me
for a little while, I daresay.'

Signor Calvi rose, made a profound obeisance to the Princess, scarcely
bent his head to Angela, and retired, apparently bowing to the family
chairs as he passed each. The young girl dropped her hand and looked
after him with a sort of dull curiosity; she was the last person in
the world to take offence or to suppose that any one meant to be rude
to her, but it was impossible not to notice the lawyer's behaviour. In
his opinion she was suddenly nobody, and deserved no more notice than
a shop-girl. She understood enough of human nature to be sure that he
counted on the Princess's approval.

The elder woman was watching her with a satisfaction she hardly tried
to conceal. Her small hands were encased in marvellously fitting black
gloves, though black gloves rarely fit so well as others, and were
crossed on her knee over the little leather bag she always carried.
She was leaning back in the great arm-chair, and the mourning she wore
made her faultless complexion look even more brilliant than it was. No
one knew how near forty the Princess might be, for she appeared in the
_Almanach de Gotha_ without a birthday, and only the date of her
marriage was given; but the year was 1884, and people said it was
impossible that she should have been less than seventeen when her
parents had brought her to Rome and had tried to marry her to the
elder of the Chiaromonte family; as twenty years had passed since they
had succeeded in capturing the second son for their daughter, it was
clear that she could not be under thirty-seven. But her complexion was
extraordinary, and though she was a tall woman she had preserved the
figure and grace of a young girl.

Angela did not look directly at her enemy for some seconds after the
lawyer had left the room, closing the door behind him, not loudly but
quite audibly; but she was the first to speak when she was sure that
he was out of hearing.

'You hate me,' she said at last. 'What have I done to you?'

The Princess was not timid, nor very