y own flower-garden. And in the Colosseum I'd see our
little church here, and even hear the bell."

"Absurd!" said Kate.

"I reckon it was absurd," Betty agreed, though wiping her eyes at the
same time. "And at the Vatican, there among the statues, Kate--do you
know I was always seeing likenesses to you."

"Oh, well--_that_," responded Kate, as if there might be grounds for
associations of that nature. "And Garda Thorne, by this time, I suppose,
is living there _quite_ alone?" she went on, comfortably.

"Oh no; she has a companion, Madame Clementer."

"Clementi," said Lanse; "I know her--an American, Miss Morris. He ran
through all her money."

"Yes, that is the one; the Bogarduses arranged it by letter; they know
her very well."

"She's a cousin of theirs, and a very nice woman; about fifty-five.
Nothing could be more respectable," Lanse went on, glancing with an
amused eye at Aunt Katrina's unwilling face. "You were there some time,
Mrs. Carew; I suppose you saw some men?"

"The population seemed to me to consist principally of men," Betty
answered, naively; "the streets were always crowded with them."

"That's because the Italian women don't knock about. But some of these
men came to see you, I suppose?"

"Oh, you mean gentlemen? Yes, a good many came; but for my part, _I_ was
always gladdest to see Adolfo Torres. _He_ wasn't so foreign."

"Is _he_ there?" said Lanse, with a delighted laugh; "has he followed
her all that distance? Bravo for Adolfo!"

"I don't see where he got the money to go," remarked Aunt Katrina, with
one of her well-bred sniffs.

Betty flushed at this. "Mr. Torres has property, Kate," she said, with
dignity. Then her usual humble sincerity came back to her. "I don't
reckon it's much," she went on. "I've no idea where he stayed, nor
anything about it; but I'm sure, whenever he came to see _us_, he always
looked like a dignified gentleman."

"Naturally," said Lanse. "Because that is what he is. Well, I give him
my vote."

As this conversation was beginning, word was brought to Margaret that
Mr. Winthrop was in the drawing-room, and wished to see her. Celestine
was the messenger.

"Has he come to stay? You and Looth must put the east room in order,
then," said the mistress of the house. "Have you told the others?"

"Yes'm," said Celestine, disappearing.

When Margaret entered the drawing-room, twenty minutes later, Winthrop
was there alone. Celestine had told nobody. Minerva P