Given the fact of becoming Marchesa di
Castelmare, the lady was not disinclined to become so by catching
the nephew instead of the uncle; and small blame to her."
"You do not do the poor woman justice, Manutoli."
"Any way, I do you justice; and I know you well enough, Ludovico
mio, to understand that the generosity of such a girl as this poor
Lalli was, taking that special form, must have been very touching to
you."
"You forget, Manutoli, how little accessible I was to the flattery
of any such preference, with my whole heart full of a very different
person."
"And I was just thinking, to tell you the truth, how the little
scene in the bagarino would have struck that other person if she
could have seen La Bianca giving you to understand, amid her tears,
upon what terms she would consent not to come between you and your
natural inheritance."
"That other person did see us in the bagarino; and that brings me to
the motive which led me to beg you to come to me this evening.
Somehow or other, it has become known to these people here that
Paolina went out of the Porta Nuova at a very early hour this
morning. The fact is, that she simply went to see whether the
scaffolding, which I had had prepared for her copying work there,
was all right, and ready for her to begin her task there; and all
that can be proved, of course.
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