Don't tell me. How
should they know what a woman will do when she is driven? I know
what women are, and I know what them doctors are; and you may
believe that an old woman, who has been a young one, knows more what
such an one as that Bianca can do, when she has no hope before her,
than all the doctors."
"But it is impossible--physically impossible that she could have
done it."
"Ta, ta, ta, ta! Physic, indeed; what's physic got to do with it? I
should like to physic them that try to throw suspicion on a poor
innocent girl all to make out their own cleverness."
So Signora Orsola victoriously, and to the great increase of her
confidence in her own powers of insight, continued to hold her own
opinion, and it was shared by many other similarly-constituted
minds.
The old Venetian woman had lived a very, quiet life in the strange
city to which fate had brought her, making but few acquaintances,
and holding but little intercourse with those few; but now, under
the terrible misfortune which had happened, she was stirred up to
activity in every way in which activity was possible to her. She
went to the Palazzo Castelmare and endeavoured to see the Marchese
Lamberto in vain. She was told that the Marchese was ill, and could
not see any one.
She went to the Contessa Violante, of whose acquaintanceship with
Paolina she was aware, though she had never before seen her, and,
oddly enough, the Contessa Violante was disposed to share, or to
become a convert to, her own opinion respecting the mode of Bianca's
death.
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