Unquestionably the first feeling which arose in her mind, on seeing
what she had seen from the window of the church, was one of
jealousy. But she combated it vigorously; and if she did not succeed
in altogether conquering it,--that fiend being, by the nature of not
to be vanquished so by one single effort, however valorous--at least
put it to the rout for the present. She had known all along that
Ludovico frequently saw La Bianca. She knew that he would meet her
at the ball; and, doubtless, the object of their expedition this
morning was, as the friar had suggested, to show the stranger the
celebrated Pineta. Having thus, in some measure, tranquillized her
heart, she began to think how lovely the forest must be on that fine
spring morning; how much she, too, should like to see it; how good
an opportunity the present was of doing so. Perhaps, too, there was
some little anticipation of the slight punishment to be inflicted on
her lover, when he should be told that she had visited the Pineta
alone at the very time when he had been in her immediate vicinity
engaged in showing it to another.
And with these thoughts in her head, she made her inquiries, and
started on her way. But before she had walked many steps, other
thoughts began to present themselves to her mind. How did she know
how far they had gone from the farmhouse? Might they not still be in
the immediate neighbourhood of it? Might she not, very probably,
fall in with them? And would not that be exceedingly disagreeable?
Would she not have all the appearance of having followed them
purposely from motives of jealousy? Would not her presence be
unwelcome? Would there not be something of indelicacy even in thus
following one who evidently preferred being with another?
These considerations sufficed to produce the change in her purpose,
and in the direction towards which she turned her steps, that has
been mentioned.
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