She confessed that, when she had followed the path behind the church
leading to the Pineta, for some little distance, she had changed her
mind, and had turned off by another path, which had brought her back
into the high-road not far from the church; and she said that she
had then walked on till she came near the walls, where she turned
aside to sit down on one of the benches under the trees of the
little promenade; that she had sat there for some time--she did not
know how long; had then gone in to the Cardinal Legate's chapel,
where she had conversed with the Contessa Violante, whom she knew
from having often met her there before; and had at last returned
home at a very much later hour than she had expected, and had found
her friend Signora Orsola Steno uneasy at her prolonged absence.
"And did you mention to the Contessa the shocking fact of the prima
donna's death?" asked Manutoli, suddenly, thinking that he was doing
a very sharp bit of lawyerly business in laying this trap for
Paolina.
"How was it possible that I should do so, when I knew nothing about
it till Ludovico told me several hours later?" answered the girl,
with an unembarrassed easiness and readiness that almost changed
Manutoli's opinion as to the probability of her guilt.
He reminded himself, however, that the same woman, who could be
capable of such a deed might also be expected to have the presence
of mind and readiness necessary for avoiding any such trap as that
which he had laid for her.
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