"
"Then, my child, you are all the happier. It is a happy day for
you."
Paolina sighed a great sigh, and dropped her eyes to the ground.
"Then I suppose the evil wish was not wholly conquered," said
Violante, looking into her companion's eyes with a grave smile.
"It was this, Signora: I walked out very early this morning to St.
Apollinare in Classe, where I am to make some copies of the Mosaics,
which I hope to begin to-morrow. A scaffolding has been prepared for
me; and I went to see that all was ready."
And then poor little Paolina was tempted to pour out all her heart
and its troubles to her gravely kind and gentle friend. And Violante
spoke such words of comfort as her conscience would allow her to
speak in the matter. And the talk between the two girls ran on; and
the minutes ran on, too. And poor old Orsola Steno, at the end of
her stock of patience at last, had taken the step that has been
narrated.
And thus it had come to pass that Paolina had played the truant, and
that her protracted absence had led to Signor Fortini's momentary
doubt as to the identity of the corpse he had seen brought into the
city.
BOOK V
Who Did the Deed?
CHAPTER I
At the City Gate
Bianca Lalli lay dead at the city gate. Fresh from her triumphs, her
successes, her schemes, her hopes, her frolic, at the full tide of
her fame, and her matchless beauty, the poor Diva was--dead!
How she came by such sudden death there was nothing whatever in her
appearance to tell--scarcely anything to tell that she was dead.
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