According to Fortini's view of the matter, the tidings which he had
to bring the Marchese that morning ought to have gone far to
tranquillize and comfort him. Let it be shown that the heir to the
Castelmare name and honours had not committed a terrible crime, and
was not in danger of being convicted of it, and, in his opinion, all
the worst of the evils which had fallen on the Marchese were at an
end. That was the only really irreparable mischief; the city would
have its laugh at the Marchese for his sensibility to the charms of
such a charmer as the singer. But even that would be quenched by the
startling change of the comedy into a tragedy. The Marchese had
shown that he was no wiser than many another man; and it would be
but a nine days' wonder; and as to the mere loss of the woman who
had done all the mischief, the lawyer had no patience with the
mention of it as a loss at all.
Pshaw! The one really important matter was to clear the heir of the
house of all complicity in the crime of murder; and yet the lawyer
had a strong feeling, from what he had already seen of the Marchese,
that the good news of which he was the bearer in that respect would
not give the Marchese all the comfort that it ought to give him.
And the result of the visit to the Palazzo Castelmare, which he paid
immediately after leaving the Marchesino Ludovico in his prison,
perfectly responded to his anticipations in this respect.
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