"
There was a jesuitism in this speech, which did not recommend it or
its speaker to the Contessa Violante. She would have been far better
pleased by a more open reply to the confidence which she had half
offered. She only said in reply:
"I am disposed to think, that such is the case in the matter which
more nearly concerns us both, Signor Ludovico, than anything else.
But--although we knew just now that we had to dance together, it was
you who had to ask me, you know, and not I you. Very little active
power of influencing her own destiny is allowed to a girl; come, we
had better attend now to the business in hand!"
There was nothing more, except such ordinary words between each
other or the others dancing in the same set, as the dance itself led
to, spoken by the Contessa and Ludovico. The former declined all
other invitations to dance, and went home at the earliest moment she
could induce her aunt to do so.
There was much talk going on in all parts of the room as to the
announced coming of the great singer on the morrow. The young men
settled together the last details of their plans for the triumphal
entry of the "Diva;" and the ladies were by no means uninterested in
hearing all that their cavaliers had to tell them on this subject.
Much was said, too, about the qualities of La Lalli both as a singer
and as a woman.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217