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All the caution of the Roman ecclesiastic, the inheritance of centuries spoke in the glance. It was perceived by no one, however, but a certain dark elderly lady, who was sitting restlessly silent beside Miss Manisty. Lucy Foster had noticed her as a new-comer, and believed that her name was Madame Variani.
Madame Variani made a gesture of dissent. Her heavy, handsome face was turned upon him rather sleepily, as though the heat oppressed her. But her slight frown betrayed, to anyone who knew her, alert attention. 'We can, I say! cried the Count, striking his knee. 'Besides, the battle is not ranged as Manisty sees it. There are priests, and priests.
He bent forward, staring at Lucy in a boyish absent-mindedness which was no discourtesy, while his hat slipped further down the back of his curly head. His attitude was all careless good-humour; yet one might have felt a touch of southern passion not far off. 'No; his Italian friends don't mind, said Madame Variani. 'But his English friends should look after him.
Madame Variani stout, clever, middle-aged, and disinterested had a position of her own in Rome. She was the correspondent of a leading French paper; she had many English friends; and she and the Marchesa Fazzoleni, at the Ambassador's right hand, had just been doing wonders for the relief of the Italian sick and wounded after the miserable campaign of Adowa. 'Oh!
'Ah! j'etouffe! cried Madame Variani, throwing herself down by Miss Manisty. 'Give me another cup, chere Madame. Your nephew is too bad. Let him show us another nation born in forty years that has had to make itself in a generation let him show it us! Ah! you English with all your advantages and your proud hearts. Perhaps we too could pick some holes in you!
'I should think he always took his own way, she said, with difficulty. 'Mr. Neal sometimes advises him. The Ambassador's shrewd glance rested upon her for a moment. Then without another word he turned away. 'Reggie! he said, addressing young Brooklyn, 'you seem to be ill-treating Madame Variani. Must I interpose?
The lords in question were the Malatesti of Rimini, the Sforza of Pesaro, the Manfredi of Faenza, the Riarii of Imola and Farli, the Variani of Camerina, the Montefeltri of Urbino, and the Caetani of Sermoneta.
Lucy, startled, looked into the sparkling black eyes brought thus close to her own. 'But I just long' she said, catching her breath 'to hear the other side. 'Ah, and you shall hear it, my dear you shall! cried Madame Variani. 'N'est-ce pas, Madame? she said, addressing Miss Manisty 'We will get rid of all those priests and then we will speak our mind?
I heard so much of her beauty from Madame Variani that I was anxious to see her. Miss Manisty promised to bring her here before they left in June. But apparently the party broke up suddenly, and we saw no more of them. 'Now I think I have told you the chief facts about them. I wonder what makes you ask? I often think of poor Mrs. Burgoyne, and hope she may be happy some day.
The young man stopped reddened and a little abashed by his own eloquence. But Madame Variani murmured still with the same aspect of a shrewd and sleepy cat basking in the sun 'It is the same with all you Anglo-Saxons. The North will never understand the South never! You can't understand our a peu pres.
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