ning, and with the other convulsively grasped
the dagger with a carved handle which was in his belt, and which,
unwittingly, he drew from the scabbard from time to time. Luigi was
jealous! He felt that, influenced by her ambitions and coquettish
disposition, Teresa might escape him.

"The young peasant girl, at first timid and scared, soon recovered
herself. We have said that Teresa was handsome, but this is not all;
Teresa was endowed with all those wild graces which are so much more
potent than our affected and studied elegancies. She had almost all
the honors of the quadrille, and if she were envious of the Count of
San-Felice's daughter, we will not undertake to say that Carmela was not
jealous of her. And with overpowering compliments her handsome cavalier
led her back to the place whence he had taken her, and where Luigi
awaited her. Twice or thrice during the dance the young girl had glanced
at Luigi, and each time she saw that he was pale and that his features
were agitated, once even the blade of his knife, half drawn from its
sheath, had dazzled her eyes with its sinister glare. Thus, it was
almost tremblingly that she resumed her lover's arm. The quadrille had
been most perfect, and it was evident there was a great demand for a
repetition, Carmela alone objecting to it, but the Count of San-Felice
besought his daughter so earnestly, that she acceded. One of the
cavaliers then hastened to invite Teresa, without whom it was impossible
for the quadrille to be formed, but the young girl had disappeared. The
truth was, that Luigi had not felt the strength to support another such
trial, and, half by persuasion and half by force, he had removed Teresa
toward another part of the garden. Teresa had yielded in spite of
herself, but when she looked at the agitated countenance of the young
man, she understood by his silence and trembling voice that something
strange was passing within him. She herself was not exempt from internal
emotion, and without having done anything wrong, yet fully comprehended
that Luigi was right in reproaching her. Why, she did not know, but yet
she did not the less feel that these reproaches were merited. However,
to Teresa's great astonishment, Luigi remained mute, and not a word
escaped his lips the rest of the evening. When the chill of the night
had driven away the guests from the gardens, and the gates of the villa
were closed on them for the festa in-doors, he took Teresa quite away,
and