She
smiled, half with pleased consciousness and half with self-mockery,
as she did so: then carefully arranged her drapery so as to allow
two slim ankles to be visible just at the point where they crossed
each other in a position which exhibited the curved instep of one
slender foot in a full front view, and the side of the other
negligently thrown across it. The pose was artistically perfect.
Lastly, with one or two dexterous touches and shakes, she so
arranged her wealth of hair as to combine an appearance of the most
perfect negligee with a thoroughly artistic disposition of it,
which, while it displayed to the best advantage the tresses
themselves, served also to heighten the effect of the contours of
neck and bust, which they partly showed and partly concealed.
And then the Diva waited patiently.
She had, as she had said to Gigia, no certain knowledge that he
would come, nor even any very clear reason to believe that he would
do so--that he would come, that is to say, earlier than one o'clock,
at which hour it had been arranged that he should meet Stadione
there. Nevertheless, Bianca had a strong persuasion that he would
come earlier. Despite what she had said to Quinto Lalli of the
circumstances and signs which seemed to indicate that the Marchese
was not a man likely to be exposed to danger from such attacks as
the Diva meditated making on him,--despite the fact that she had
said to herself also all that she had said to her old friend, there
had been something about the Marchese's manner--something in that
last pressure of palm to palm that had set Bianca speculating as to
the meaning of it.
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