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Updated: June 12, 2025
The princess had, very much against Nina's will, taken her to see the duchess on the day after their own dance. But a serious indisposition had prevented the duchess from receiving not only on that particular day, but for the rest of the winter. Toward the end of March, however, in response to a note, Nina was finally obliged to enter the Palazzo Scorpa.
Then suddenly a deep, oily voice jarred through her wandering thoughts. "You are very pensive!" exclaimed the Duke Scorpa, appearing beside her. Nina started violently, for, besides his unexpected appearance, there was something in this man's personality that always sent a shudder through her.
But if the mine was as valuable as Scorpa declared, it was scarcely compatible with all that was known of his character that out of purely disinterested friendship, he should put such a prize in Sansevero's hands, while he bought up for himself less valuable mines at higher prices.
It seems the wind carried his hat off suddenly, and, as he put his hand out to catch it, he fell and broke his arm. Following this came several other social items, and then the second day's bulletin about the Duke Scorpa, saying that the gravity of his condition remained unchanged. Nina quite refused to be moved to pity by the news of Scorpa's critical state.
For a few minutes the various groups, disposed about the Scorpa drawing-room, conversed in low whispers, but by the time the Sanseveros were well out of earshot the duchess had turned to the whispering groups with a hauteur of expression conveying quite plainly that it was not to be endured that a Sansevero, born American, should imply a criticism of a Duchess Scorpa, born Orsonna.
To add to the complication, the duke was far too ill to be questioned further, and Sansevero was at present injuring the case by making every moment more and more confused statements about his alleged transaction with Scorpa.
Her only anxiety in connection with him was, what would they do to Giovanni, in case Scorpa should die? For how was Giovanni to be got out of the country, when he was said to be delirious in bed! By day she thought, and by night she dreamed, that they were going to cut off his arm. As the excitement was dying down, John Derby returned from Sicily.
She could write the few nouns and do sums quite well enough, though, to make out the bills for her occasional guests, if in doubt she added another figure. Sometimes she had guests ah, but illustrious! The Gran Signore, Sua Eccellenza il Duca di Scorpa that name to be whispered, and yet to be dwelt upon no less a personage than such an exaltedness had come to sleep a night under her humble roof!
Her worry over their inability to pay the debt was increased by the fact that their creditor was the Duke Scorpa.
And yet every word that Scorpa had urged as a reason for the mine's value, was taken literally true. The mine was in close proximity to his own; the surveys, furthermore, showed the "Little Devil" to be the richest in sulphur deposit of any in the region.
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