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To be thus surrounded, flattered more openly than men ever venture to flatter a woman whom they respect, addressed with exaggerated admiration, contemplated with bold and unwavering eyes, had come by many descents to be delightful to the Contessa.
It was in much disrepair, but even so seemed to me very cheap. According to the simple Luccan standard, I am rich. I took that first floor for a year, had it repaired, and engaged two servants. My "padrona" inhabited the ground floor. From time to time she allowed me to visit her there. She was the Contessa Adriano-Rizzoli, the last of her line. She is the Contessa Adriano-Rizzoli-Maltby.
The Contessa unwound herself out of her shawl, and putting her arm caressingly round Lucy, led her back to the drawing-room. "It has something to do with me," she said. "Come and tell me all about it." Lucy had been disconcerted by Lady Randolph's reminder. She was still more disconcerted now. "It is something Aunt Randolph wishes me to do in the spring, when we go to town," she said. "Ah!
I shall call her Bee, for she must be English, don't you know, Countess, none of your Bohem Oh, I don't mean that; none of your foreign ways. They draw a fellow on, but when it's all settled and we're married and that sort of thing, she'll have to be out and out English, don't you know?" "But that is reasonable," said the Contessa, who could when it was necessary reply very distinctly.
"What can it matter?" she said loftily. She was not even very deeply interested in his disposition or mental qualities. Everything else being so suitable, it would have been cowardly to shrink from any minor disadvantage. She silenced the Contessa in the attempt to make the best of him. "All these things are so secondary," the girl said.
Nevertheless, he made an effort at self-control, lurched to his feet, and chattered through clicking teeth: "Come on! I'm ready." "Presently! Presently! There will be men and horses here in a moment." In a lower tone the Colonel urged: "For the love of our Saviour, can you not send the Contessa away? I am afraid she is dying."
"The difficulty," observed the Contessa, "would be to induce the enemy to take your poison quietly. What if the enemy objected?" "I should put it into their water supply," said Kalmon. "Poison the water!" cried the Signora Corbario. "How barbarous!" "Much less barbarous than shedding oceans of blood. Only think they would all go to sleep. That would be all."
She would believe in the Contessa Faraglione no one more firmly when she saw her, and had reasonable proofs of her identity. "Delightful!" she said, abandoning with regret the fruitless pursuit with a fork of the few last serpents that writhed on her plate. "What an addition to our society! We shall all do our best to spoil her, Mr. Wyse. When do you expect her?" "Early in December.
"Yes, my dear. You shall be alone with her." Again she smiled, and he left the nurse with her and went and waited downstairs at the street door, till the Contessa and Aurora should come, in order to take them up to the little apartment. He knew that Marcello must have fallen asleep at once, for he had not rested at all for twenty-four hours, and very little during several days past.
"Perhaps you would go to sleep." "You are not vain of your reading, my dear," she answered with a smile. "No, please go with the others." Then the Contessa offered to stay, and the good Signora had to use a good deal of persuasion to make them all understand that she would much rather be left alone.