DONNA DIANA 
 
DONNA DIANA 
 
DONNA DIANA 
 
 BY 
 
 RICHARD BAGOT 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 'A ROMAN MYSTERY, 5 'CASTING OF NETS,' 
 'THE JUST AND THE UNJUST* 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO, 
 
 91 AND 93 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 
 1902 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
DONNA DIANA 
 
 CHAPTEE I 
 
 IT was ten minutes to twelve on the last night of the year 
 1900. 
 
 Fleecy clouds, now gray,, now edged with brightest silver, 
 drifted across a sky of deepest violet colour, and above 
 them, calm, cold, indifferent, rode the winter moon. 
 
 The piazza of the Capitol was wellnigh deserted. A 
 couple of policemen paced up and down in front of the 
 Capitoline Museums. They had sauntered up to two indi- 
 viduals, the only other occupants of the silent square, 
 and had separated again, murmuring ' Forestieri ! ? to 
 each other, with a shrug of the shoulders. 
 
 Eome was burying another century. 
 
 Some of her people were thronging the basilicas in 
 which the Te Deum was being sung, where the altars were 
 ablaze with candles and the air fragrant with incense, 
 dedicating a new era to the crucified Christ. Others were 
 crowding the restaurants and the wine-shops, sacrificing 
 to human nature, or eating, drinking, and making merry 
 in their own homes surrounded by their families and 
 intimates. 
 
 From below, away beyond the little piazza of the Ara 
 Cceli, rose the confused hum of the town, the rattle of 
 wheels, the distant rumble of electric trams, and the cries 
 of the sellers of hot cakes and roasted chestnuts. 
 
 But in the shadow of the Capitol it was very quiet. 
 
 The great Emperor looked down from his horse upon 
 
 1 
 
 434872 
 
2 LOKNA DIANA 
 
 * , i . . . , . , . . i 
 
 c i < 4 e J 
 
 the 1 'restless "city, and the white moonlight, falling upon 
 his stately figure, glanced upon the scattered patches of 
 gold yet adhering to the bronze. 
 
 The couple which had attracted the attention of the 
 guardie stood beneath the statue gazing up at it. 
 
 ' How indifferent he is ! ' exclaimed the elder of the 
 two men. 
 
 He spoke in low tones, as though fearful of disturbing 
 the stillness, and then he looked round the piazza 
 curiously. 
 
 ' It was good to come here on this night/ he added. e I 
 am glad we came, Lino. But there is something terrible 
 about it, something oppressive. I feel Rome. It grips 
 one/ 
 
 His companion glanced at him. 
 
 'You would have gone to St. Peter's if I had let you 
 alone/ he said. 
 
 * Yes, I should have gone to St. Peter's.' 
 
 Don Michelangelo's eyes flashed in the moonlight. They 
 were typical Roman eyes, large and soft, and the dusky 
 violet of the night sky seemed to be reflected in them. 
 
 ' I should have gone to St. Peter's/ repeated the other ; 
 'but it is better here.' 
 
 At that moment the great bell of the Capitol began 
 to toll. Michelangelo Savelli laid his hand on his com- 
 panion's arm. 
 
 'Let us see another century dawn upon the Forum/ 
 he said; and the two young men crossed the piazza and 
 began to descend the narrow passage leading from the 
 Capitoline Hill. 
 
 At the top of the flight of steps they stopped and leaned 
 over the low parapet. There was a pause in the procession 
 of clouds overhead, and the Forum beneath lay bathed 
 in soft, silvery light, a vista of broken columns and shat- 
 tered temples that stretched away to the Colosseum just 
 discernible through the luminous haze. To the right 
 loomed the sombre mass of the Palatine, cypress-crowned, 
 and between the sullen strokes of the great bell booming 
 
DONNA DIANA 3 
 
 above the mournful cries of owls flitting through the 
 halls of the Caesars fell upon the ears of the two men as 
 they stood in silence looking on the scene at their feet. 
 Suddenly the bell ceased. The clock above them struck 
 the hour, and then the air resounded with the clangour 
 and clash of the church bells of Christian Eome saluting 
 the advent of another Christian century, while the deeper 
 tones of the bell of the Capitol, tolling no longer, but 
 ringing out with quickly-repeated strokes, seemed to domi- 
 nate the rest with a note of warning. 
 
 And the ruins of Imperial Eome, the sanctuaries of 
 forgotten gods, slept in the moonlight, careless that men 
 yonder in the modern city were dedicating a new age to 
 a new deity. 
 
 ' Buon secolo, Eddie ! ' 
 
 The elder of the two midnight pilgrims to the Capitol 
 started. His thoughts had been travelling far back in 
 the past, or far onward into the future he scarcely knew 
 which. 
 
 He smiled a little at the mixture of Italian and English 
 words, and then grasped his friend's outstretched hand. 
 
 ' A happy New Year, Lino/ he answered in his native 
 English tongue. ' Many happy New Years though it 
 would not be of much use wishing you a century of them, 
 as you did to me just now; but I am much obliged, all 
 the same/ 
 
 Michelangelo Savelli, known to his intimates as Lino, 
 gave an impatient sigh. 
 
 ' That is the pity of it/ he replied, relapsing into Eng- 
 lish, which language he spoke easily and correctly, with 
 a slight accent that lent a peculiar charm to his intona- 
 tion. 'How can any year be happy when each brings a 
 man nearer to his last?' 
 
 Edmund laughed gently. 
 
 ' My dear Lino/ he replied, ' you are young enough not 
 to mind the years passing.' 
 
 ' But I do mind I hate it ! It is unfair. Just as one 
 is learning something of life pouf ! there is an end ! ' 
 
4 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ( Or a beginning ! ' 
 
 The young Eoman shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ' Who knows ! ? he said briefly. ' At any rate/ he added, 
 ' there is an end of this world ! And I like this world, 
 Eddie; it is quite good enough for me. It is quite good 
 enough for most people, if it comes to that. Everybody 
 says, " Adveniat regnum tuum " ; but when they think it 
 is really coming it is another matter altogether! Why, 
 in the earthquake the other day, even the Pope ' 
 
 Vane interrupted him. 
 
 ' Never mind the Pope/ he said ; ' he is a little out of the 
 picture here to-night. Come, Lino, it is chilly. Let us 
 get back into the present. What do you say? Shall we 
 go to Aragno's on our way home and have some coffee to 
 warm us ? ' 
 
 Lino Savelli hesitated a moment. 
 
 ' I think I must go to Palazzo San Rocco/ he said. 
 ( They have gone to Mass, and were to return to supper. 
 I promised I would come in. Why not accompany me, 
 Eddie ?' 
 
 Edmund Vane shook his head. 
 
 * I am not intimate enough with the Princess/ he 
 answered, 'to pay her a visit unasked at this hour. Be- 
 sides, I am not dressed for the purpose/ 
 
 'That is nonsense. I am not dressed, either, and no- 
 body will be in evening clothes. As for not being intimate 
 enough with my aunt, San Eocco why, you are intimate 
 enough with me, and I take you. She will be delighted. 
 Of course you must come ! ' And Lino took his friend's 
 arm and turned down a narrow by-street leading in the 
 direction of the Palazzo San Rocco. 
 
 ' You always manage to get your own way, so I suppose 
 I must come with you/ said Vane, laughing. 
 
 ' Oh, ma questo e bello ! ' exclaimed Lino, bursting forth 
 into Italian. ( I always get my own way, do I ? I did not 
 know it. In fact, you are quite wrong. Perhaps in a new 
 century things will be different. But up to now ' And 
 a quick, significant gesture completed his sentence. 
 
DONNA DIANA 5 
 
 They passed from the dark side-streets into the Corso 
 Vittorio Emanuele, brilliant with electric light, and 
 thronged by crowds returning from the churches and par- 
 ties of noisy revellers on their way from one osteria to 
 another. 
 
 The contrast with the scene they had just left was as 
 unpleasing to Lino Savelli, Eoman though he was, as .to 
 his English friend. They hurried across the broad thor- 
 oughfare and plunged once more into the comparative 
 quiet of the Via dei Cestari, which street would lead them 
 almost directly into the quarter where the Palazzo San 
 Eocco was situated. 
 
 The friendship between Edmund Vane and Michel- 
 angelo Savelli had been of some five years' standing. It 
 had begun under circumstances painful enough, but cal- 
 culated to bring to the surface the best qualities of both 
 young men. Lino Savelli, indeed, when Edmund Vane 
 first saw him, was little more than a boy. Vane remem- 
 bered well their first meeting. He was returning from 
 a shooting expedition in Somaliland, and he and his 
 caravan had been obliged to cross Abyssinian territory. 
 In the course of his eight months' travelling in search 
 of big game the war between Italy and Abyssinia had 
 broken out. The terrible drama of Adowa had been en- 
 acted. Miscalculation at home of the enemy's strength 
 and insufficient organization at the front had borne their 
 inevitable results. 
 
 The silent heroism of the rank and file of the Italian 
 troops, and the gallantry of the majority of their officers, 
 had passed almost unnoticed amidst the wrangling of po- 
 litical parties in Montecitorio and the recriminations of 
 the Italian press. 
 
 Edmund Vane recollected, as though it had been yester- 
 day, the halt on Abyssinian ground and the encampment 
 near a spot where fresh and pure water was to be found. 
 It was September, and the first rains had fallen after the 
 long, hot summer. 
 
 He remembered, too, how, when they were preparing to 
 
6 DONNA DIANA 
 
 .strike their camp and continue their march, the head 
 Somali guide had come to him with the information that 
 a white man was lying ill in a hut some half a mile away ; 
 how he was being tended by an old Copt, who could not 
 understand a word the sick man said. Vane recollected 
 how, led by the guide, he reached the hut, and how, stoop- 
 ing down, he had entered the evil-smelling place. He re- 
 membered that, and how the flies buzzed. 
 
 Stretched on some skins there lay a black, inert mass; 
 and when he bent over and touched this mass, the black- 
 ness seemed to fly up in his face, settle again, and buzz 
 angrily. And then he had raised the white cloth that the 
 old Copt had striven to keep over the sick man's face, and 
 had seen the flies glue themselves to the quivering eye- 
 lids, to the parted lips and drawn nostrils; and he had 
 looked away with a shudder of disgust, of which the next 
 instant he had felt ashamed. 
 
 Very tenderly he removed the loathsome insects, which 
 seemed to struggle and fight to return to their prey. 
 Then the dark-blue eyes had opened and looked at Edmund 
 Vane wearily, and a few incoherent words in Italian came 
 from the parched lips. It was a delicate, high-bred face 
 he looked upon, and, wasted though it was by pain and 
 fever, a singularly attractive one. A glance at a military 
 tunic lying on the floor of the hut showed that the boy 
 was an officer of the Italian cavalry. 
 
 That day Vane moved him to the camp, and by easy 
 stages they bore him to the coast. The remainder of the 
 party continued their homeward journey, but Vane had 
 insisted on remaining with the lad. None but he could 
 speak or understand Italian, and for six long weeks he 
 nursed Lino Savelli, until the fever left him and strength 
 returned. 
 
 Michelangelo Savelli had been one of the prisoners 
 taken on the fatal day of Adowa nearly seven months 
 before, and had been eventually drafted, together with 
 some scores of fellow-captives, to the camp of one of the 
 great Ras, whence he had at last succeeded in making 
 
DONNA DIANA 7 
 
 his escape. Exposure, fatigue, and hunger had brought on 
 enteric fever. Utterly exhausted, he had lain himself 
 down to die, with the terrible fear lest his body might be 
 found by Abyssinians and mutilated as he had seen the 
 corpses of others of his countrymen mutilated. Luckily 
 for him, the old Coptic Christian had found him, and had 
 compassion on him, concealing him from his more savage 
 brethren who likewise professed the name of Christ. 
 
 The cheerful patience and pluck shown by the young 
 Eoman throughout his illness made a great impression 
 upon his English rescuer, as well as his peculiar charm 
 of manner and good looks. 
 
 On Lino Savelli's side was gratitude profound and warm 
 to Edmund Vane for having refused to leave him to die 
 among strangers, and it was not to be wondered at if a 
 strong attachment had grown up between the two. 
 
 ' You have saved my life/ Lino had said to him simply, 
 when he became strong enough to think, and to realize 
 all that Vane had done for him ; ' I shall never forget it 
 never. I know you English think we are capricious and 
 treacherous I have read it in your books. Perhaps we 
 are some of us but not we Eomans of the old Eoman 
 blood. Some day, perhaps, I will repay you my debt.' 
 
 And Edmund Vane had told him to lie still, and not 
 to talk nonsense or, as he expressed it, rot. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE Palazzo San Rocco lay in the quarter of the city 
 known as the Campo Marzio. 
 
 Edmund Vane had often been into it on afternoons 
 when the Princess di San Rocco received, and had occa- 
 sionally attended one of the formal evening parties she 
 was in the habit of giving at rare intervals in the course 
 of the winter and spring. This, however, did not imply 
 any special degree of intimacy, and certainly not such as 
 to warrant intrusion into the midst of a family festival 
 on New Year's Night. 
 
 But Lino would listen to no objections, and Vane knew 
 that, as so close a friend of her nephew, the Princess would 
 not be likely to make him feel an unwelcome guest. 
 Moreover, Casa San Rocco interested him, and he was 
 by no means sorry to have an opportunity of catching 
 a glimpse, however passing, of the family life of its 
 members. 
 
 A walk of five minutes or so beyond the Pantheon 
 brought the two to the house. The great doors leading 
 into the court-yard were closed, and Lino Savelli gave 
 them three sharp blows with the heavy iron knocker. The 
 sound reverberated through the silent square, and re- 
 echoed in the quadrangle of the palace. Presently a small 
 panel in the centre of the door slid back, disclosing a grat- 
 ing whence a pair of eyes peered suspiciously, while their 
 owner delivered himself imperiously of the usual Roman 
 challenge ' Chi e?' 
 
 In the same instant, however, recognising Lino, the 
 porter threw open one of the doors. 
 
 * They have returned from church ? ' Lino asked of him. 
 
 ' Si, signorino, they have returned, a quarter of an hour 
 
 8 
 
DONNA DIANA 9 
 
 ago. That is why I had closed the gates. I wish their 
 Excellencies a good year/ 
 
 6 Buon anno, Antonio/ replied Lino, at the same time 
 slipping a few francs into the porter's hand ' and buon 
 secolo ! 9 
 
 The old man shuffled into his lodge, where he blew up a 
 speaking-tube. He had known Lino Savelli since the latter 
 was a baby. 
 
 ' Ma che secolo ! 7 he grumbled as he listened for the 
 answering whistle ; 1 1 shall be lucky if I see a year of it. 
 The remainder will be passed quietly enough at San Lo- 
 renzo. If their Excellencies will go upstairs/ he added, 
 as the windows on the first floor of the court-yard, hitherto 
 in darkness, were suddenly illumined by a glow of electric 
 light. 
 
 A servant stood at an open door on the landing of the 
 great staircase waiting to receive them. From him they 
 learned that the Princess and the rest of the family were 
 at supper, and they followed the man to the dining-room. 
 
 There were about a dozen people standing round a table 
 in the centre of the room, and Edmund Vane saw that 
 it was, as he had anticipated, purely a family gathering. 
 
 Princess San Eocco cut short his apologies for his in- 
 trusion with a few words of welcome that quickly relieved 
 him from all embarrassment. 
 
 f Of course Lino brought you/ she said with a smile, 
 speaking in French. ( He did quite rightly. And you 
 proposed to go to Aragno for your coffee on New Year's 
 Night, too! Fabrizio/ she added, turning to her hus- 
 band, ' did you ever hear of such an idea ? ' 
 
 ' I have heard of such an idea, certainly, Maria/ 'replied 
 the Prince ; i but in this case it was not at all a necessary 
 idea not at all, I can assure Mr. Vane.' 
 
 Edmund Vane bowed. The Principe di San Rocco was 
 a heavy, matter-of-fact man, depressed in manner and 
 expression and somewhat corpulent of figure, but cour- ; 
 teous withal, and of a certain dignity of bearing. 
 
 In the meantime Vane was offering his good wishes to 
 
10 DONNA DIANA 
 
 the daughters of the house with whom he was already 
 acquainted, and the Princess introduced him to the re- 
 mainder of the party, including a middle-aged German 
 lady, at once governess, dame de compagnie, and watch- 
 dog in Casa San Eocco. 
 
 On the supper-table were plates full of sandwiches and 
 bonbons, a few bottles of champagne, and red wine from 
 the San Eocco vineyards. The Princess made room for 
 her foreign guest to stand beside her, and his glass was 
 filled with champagne. It was sweet champagne, of a 
 rich pink in colour, and Edmund, as he wished his hostess 
 a good year and emptied the glass, thought with distinct 
 regret of the cup of black coffee he had proposed to drink 
 at Aragno's. 
 
 As to the Princess, she supped off sandwiches and mar- 
 j-ons glaces, eating them alternatively, with a fine dis- 
 regard for the digestion. 
 
 After a few minutes Vane was able to observe his sur- 
 roundings at greater leisure. His attention was arrested 
 by the face of a young girl whom he had not before noticed, 
 and to whom he had certainly not been presented. She 
 was laughing and talking with Lino Savelli, and formed 
 the centre of a little group of the younger members of the 
 party, who had withdrawn themselve's from the supper- 
 table to the further end of the room. 
 
 Her beauty was so striking that almost involuntarily 
 Vane's wandering glances returned to fix themselves 
 upon it. 
 
 It did not surprise him that he had not been introduced 
 to her. It was evident that she was scarcely more than 
 seventeen, and he knew how rigid were the rules of eti- 
 quette by which young girls are fenced and hedged about 
 in Eoman society; nevertheless, he would have liked to 
 know who she was. 
 
 The two daughters of the house he knew well enough, 
 for he had repeatedly met them at balls and evening par- 
 ties, at which they followed the Princess about the rooms 
 very types of propriety, with an occasional expression 
 
DONNA DIANA 11 
 
 on their faces suggesting some impatience at being obliged 
 to keep up appearances as jeunes filles. He saw them, 
 too,, on most afternoons, driving with their mother in the 
 San Eocco family carriage, with its handsome horses and 
 coachman and footman in gorgeous though ill-fitting liv- 
 eries, looking listlessly in front of them as the high ba- 
 rouche rumbled down the Corso or round the Villa Bor- 
 ghese. But he had certainly never seen this girl with the 
 small, graceful head of a Greek goddess; with the large, 
 soft brown eyes that reminded him of those of a fawn; 
 with the warm, rich colouring of a youthful Bacchus. 
 
 He had heard much of the beauty of Italian women be- 
 fore he came to Italy, and, like most foreigners, had been 
 considerably disappointed at finding comparatively little 
 of it among the women of the upper class, especially in 
 Eome. Though in the streets beauty in both sexes was 
 common enough, in the Eoman drawing-rooms he had 
 found it somewhat of a rarity. 
 
 But here was beauty indeed beauty that was just 
 emerging from its childish phase into the first bloom of 
 womanhood. 
 
 The sound of Princess San Eocco's voice recalled Vane 
 to a sense of the proprieties. A latent fear lest he might 
 have offended against them was not entirely dispelled by 
 his hostess's remark. 
 
 It was evident that she had observed his distraction, 
 and had followed the direction of his too frequent glances. 
 Possibly, also, she read the look of inquiry in his eyes. 
 
 ' Our young people are amusing themselves/ she said, 
 as the sound of crackers being pulled came from the little 
 group at the end of the dining-room; and then she added, 
 as Vane thought somewhat constrainedly : ' That is my 
 niece, Diana Savelli. She is a handsome child, is she 
 not?' 
 
 ' Handsome, Princess ! She is beautiful ! ' replied 
 Edmund. 
 
 The Princess looked at him a little scrutinizingly. 
 
 c A mere child/ she said rather coldly. ' She is at the 
 
12 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Sacre Cceur, and occasionally is permitted to come to us 
 on some great festival/ 
 
 'But not a sister of Lino's?' hazarded her guest. 
 
 e A cousin. The daughter of a brother of mine who died 
 long ago/ answered Princess San Eocco. 
 
 ' She will be a very beautiful woman/ said Vane. 
 
 Again he became conscious of the Princess's eyes rest- 
 ing upon him questioningly, and he noticed that her tone 
 was colder than ever as, after a slight pause, she replied: 
 
 * Possibly, monsieur. But the world will not see much 
 of the beauty that you are kind enough to say you find in 
 her. Such as it is, it is dedicated to God.' 
 
 Edmund Vane experienced a sudden feeling of revul- 
 sion and pity. A Eoman Catholic himself, the Princess's 
 words, and all that they implied, should not have surprised 
 him so much. He was vaguely conscious of this, and won- 
 dered at the sense of anger which had possessed him as he 
 listened to them. 
 
 At that moment a merry peal of laughter, light and 
 joyous as the note of a bird, reached him, and he saw 
 Donna Diana Savelli snatch the motto of a cracker from 
 one of her cousins and hold it high above her head. 
 
 The Princess smiled. 
 
 ' The child is full of spirits/ she observed, ' but she has 
 the vocation. It is wonderful. To look at her, you would 
 not think that she had fixed her heart upon entering 
 religion. But you, Monsieur Vane, as a Catholic, know 
 that these things are beyond our powers to reason upon.' 
 
 Princess San Rocco paused, and looked at Vane as 
 though expecting him to reply. The words, however, that 
 rose to his lips were such as could not be spoken. He felt 
 that he had already been guilty of an indiscretion in mak- 
 ing any remark concerning a member of Princess San 
 Rocco's family to whom she had not presented him. 
 Further comment could not but be taken as a liberty. 
 
 The Princess was right. He was a Catholic, and as a 
 Catholic it was not for him to question a vocation to a 
 religious life. Moreover, Edmund Vane was perfectly well 
 
DONNA DIANA 13 
 
 aware that, had Donna Diana not been so bewilderingly 
 beautiful, he would have been quite indifferent as to 
 whether or not she had such a vocation. 
 
 He had been brought up to regard conventual life as the 
 highest of all callings. In later years he had come to look 
 upon it rather in the light of a safety-valve for superfluous 
 piety a piety which might prove embarrassing, or even 
 irritating, when pent up within the family circle. 
 
 This latter attitude was probably due to the fact that 
 he had an elder sister who, having quarrelled with an 
 earthly fiance in the days of her engagement, had turned 
 for consolation to a spiritual bridegroom possessed of the 
 golden gift of silence. But that this young human 
 creature, full of life, yet without the knowledge of its 
 joys, unconscious of the power of her beauty, should be 
 condemned or condemn herself to the living death of the 
 cloister was surely a monstrous thing a spurning of God's 
 gift of humanity. 
 
 It was with a sense of relief that Vane saw Lino Savelli 
 separate himself from his cousins and approach him. 
 
 He longed now to get away from the Palazzo San Rocco 
 and back to his own apartment in the modern quarter of 
 Rome an apartment he had sub-rented from a wealthy 
 American widow, the owner of a pronounced twang, a 
 reverential spirit towards even the most spurious of Roman 
 titles, and a pearl necklace, to which and to her cook she 
 owed much of her social success in the Eternal City. 
 
 After a few more minutes passed in conversation Vane 
 bade the Prince and Princess good-night. Lino also took 
 his leave, and accompanied his friend down the gloomy 
 staircase. 
 
 Their way lay together, as Lino also inhabited the higher 
 quarter of the town. Lighting their cigars, they walked 
 through the network of narrow streets between the Palazzo 
 San Rocco and the Corso and crossed the Piazza Colonna, 
 still crowded with loiterers and noisy with the tongues of 
 many nations. 
 
 ' What a beautiful girl your cousin is, Lino ! ? said Vane 
 
14 DONNA DIANA 
 
 suddenly, when they had gained the comparative quiet of 
 the Via Tritone. 
 
 ' Diana, I suppose you mean ? Yes, she is beautiful ! ' 
 responded Lino briefly. ' It is a great waste/ he added, 
 stopping to relight his cigar. 
 
 ' A great waste surely not ! 9 
 
 ' Surely yes, Eddie ! No man will be the better for it 
 neither will she herself, poor child ! ' 
 
 Vane kept silence. He rather wished to learn Lino's 
 views on his cousin's destiny, and did not think it neces- 
 sary to tell him what he had gathered from the Princess. 
 
 ' They keep her in the Sacre Coeur,' he continued ' you 
 know, at the Trinita dei Monti and when she leaves it 
 she is going to be a nun. We are a strange race, we 
 Latins ! ' 
 
 ' I have a sister who is a nun,' observed Vane ; ' but she 
 is not like Donna Diana,' he added, with a little smile. 
 ' The Church is the same in all countries ; it must have 
 its devotees.' 
 
 'And its victims,' rejoined Lino. 
 
 Edmund looked at him quickly. He knew that this 
 young Roman, born of a family attached to the traditions 
 of Papal Eome, the nephew of a Cardinal, was practically 
 an unbeliever in the claims of the Church to which he 
 nominally belonged. That such a thing should be had per- 
 plexed, and even pained, him when he had first come to 
 Rome. In the early days of his friendship with Lino 
 these subjects had never been mentioned between them. 
 It was only when their friendship had become closer and 
 more intimate that he had realized the tranquil indiffer- 
 ence towards the dogmatic religion of his country which 
 seemed to be a part of Lino Savelli's nature. 
 
 He had not been long in Rome, however, before discov- 
 ering that Lino, except in the honesty of his scepticism, 
 was no great exception to a very large number of men of 
 all ages and of all classes. Edmund Vane was forced to 
 admit, moreover, when he thought about the matter at all, 
 that his own faith was his rather by accident of heredity 
 
DONNA DIANA 15 
 
 than by exercise of reason, nor had he ever particularly 
 wished that it should be otherwise a comfortable frame 
 of mind, encouraged by the creeds of all the ages. 
 
 Lino's remark fell unpleasantly on Vane's ear, and the 
 feelings of mingled pity and indignation, of which as a 
 Catholic he was conscious of being a little ashamed, stirred 
 again within him, as they had stirred when he learned the 
 destiny of Donna Diana Savelli from her aunt's lips. 
 
 ' A victim ! ' he repeated. ( But that sounds horrible, 
 Lino horrible, and incredible also! We are not in the 
 Middle Ages/ 
 
 c How do you know ? ' asked his companion briefly. 
 
 Vane looked a little taken back, and then he laughed. 
 
 ' Oh, well/ he replied, ' if we were, you would not be 
 smoking- a cigar, in the first instance; and, in the next, 
 you would probably be reflecting on your heresies in the 
 Castle of Sant' Angelo/ 
 
 'Rome is so old, so very old/ said Lino Savelli medita- 
 tively. 
 
 e A tolerably well-worn platitude, almost worthy of that 
 Imperial utterer of platitudes, Marcus Aurelius, but not 
 particularly apropos/ 
 
 ' You think not ? but I tell you that in Eome we are still 
 in the Middle Ages we have never got out of them, if, 
 indeed, we have reached them. That is what foreigners 
 will never understand. They come here and judge us 
 from the outside. They even take furnished apartments 
 for a few months in order to write books about us/ 
 
 Don Michelangelo Savelli stopped short in the middle 
 of the pavement, as every Eoman must do when he wishes 
 to emphasize an argument in the open street. In the semi- 
 deserted Via Tritone, at two o'clock in the morning, the 
 obstruction to the foot-traffic was not great ; but he would 
 equally have stopped on the narrow pavement of the Corso 
 at four o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 ( I tell you what it is, Eddie/ he continued impetuously. 
 ( There never will be a true book written about Rome until 
 the writer takes the soul out of a human body^ and lays it 
 
16 DONNA DIANA 
 
 bare and dissects it, as the doctors take a corpse and stretch 
 it on the table of the dissecting-room, and open it out 
 for the world to see its disease.' 
 
 'Your simile is rather brutal/ observed Vane with a 
 smile. 
 
 1 Perhaps, but it is true. Men come here, and they look 
 at the external body of Kome, and moralize over it accord- 
 ing to their individual temperaments. You are all alike, 
 you foreigners. The Germans take Eome sentimentally, 
 between their " bocks " at the beer-shop in the Via San 
 Giuseppe; you English attempt to turn it into a Holy 
 City; the Americans, as the gateway leading, not into 
 Paradise, but into Society." 
 
 ' And you Eomans how do you take it ? 9 
 
 ' We Eomans ? Well, knowing the pitiful humanity of 
 the thing, we do not take it very seriously. You see, we 
 are accustomed to it. There is no novelty, no freshness, 
 no mystery, for us nothing, in short, to sentimentalize 
 about/ 
 
 Vane winced a little. Eome still held his gods. They 
 walked on for a few minutes in silence. 
 
 'But your cousin, Donna Diana/ said Edmund at 
 length. Do you mean to say that she is going into a con- 
 vent against her will ? ' 
 
 Lino Savelli looked at him with some surprise. 
 
 ' Of course not/ he replied. ( It is her ideal. She longs 
 for it, as some girl of the people, who has been told that 
 she will please the public, longs to go on the stage/ 
 
 He spoke seriously, but all the Eoman love of irony 
 which Vane had learned to detect lurked in his words. 
 
 ' Then, why did you use the expression " victim/' if 
 that is so ? ' asked the latter. 
 
 'Because I regard her as a victim a victim to sug- 
 gestion/ 
 
 ' You cannot mean that, Lino ! ' exclaimed Vane. 
 
 'But I do mean it. Do you suppose that I have not 
 done all I could to reason with her, with my aunt, with 
 all of them, in fact ? But you know what women feel 
 
DONNA DIANA 17 
 
 about such things. Eeligion is their province; we men 
 cannot interfere with their ideas about it. Besides, in 
 Diana's case there is nobody to do so.' 
 
 'But,, surely, her uncle ' 
 
 ' My uncle, San Eocco, do you mean ? ' and Lino laughed 
 a little. ' You do not know him, or you would never think 
 that he would commit himself to an opinion upon the 
 subject. And our other uncle, Diana's and mine well, 
 he is neither a man nor a woman ; he is a Cardinal ! ' 
 
 They had arrived at the Piazza Barberini by this time, 
 and here Lino Savelli bade his friend good-night and 
 turned up the Via Quattro Fontane. 
 
 Vane lingered a little while in the piazza, listening to 
 the sound of the fountain, and watching the drops of 
 water sparkle in the moonlight as they fell into the basin 
 beneath. It was his second year in Eome. He had come 
 the year before partly in response to the earnestly ex- 
 pressed wishes of Lino that he should do so, and glad to 
 think that through the latter's good offices he would have 
 an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the real 
 Eome, and not merely with that spurious Eome presented 
 to foreigners through the medium of guides and hand- 
 books, or, more deceptive still, through the tinted spec- 
 tacles of the Anglo-American society of the Italian 
 capital. 
 
 Possibly, had it not been for his friendship with a 
 Eoman belonging to one of the few Eoman houses of gen- 
 uinely ancient descent in a city in which high-sounding 
 titles not infrequently supply the place of pureness of 
 blood, Vane would never have come to Eome at all. 
 
 The life of a capital did not particularly appeal to him, 
 and he had heard Eome described as the happy hunting- 
 ground of elderly ladies of all nationalities, more especially 
 those of the Anglo-Saxon race. 
 
 Thirty years of age, his own master, and possessed of 
 a tolerably good income, Edmund Vane had been able to 
 indulge in the two forms of amusement most congenial to 
 him, namely, travel and sport. That he did both intelr 
 
18 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ligently was not a little to his credit, considering the train- 
 ing of his earlier years. 
 
 Born of Catholic parents, he had as a boy been sur- 
 rounded by all those mental and spiritual boundaries 
 which the Church of Eome is ever compelled to raise 
 against the threatening demons of reason and independ- 
 ence of thought. Nor, when he exchanged the strictly 
 orthodox if somewhat stagnant life of an old Roman Cath- 
 olic family in England for the schools and colleges of 
 his co-religionists, had his mental horizon been greatly 
 enlarged. 
 
 The boundaries were always there fixed, inexorable; 
 the appeal to the senses, subtle, intangible, perpetual, were 
 ever present to meet each incipient development of the 
 reason, wrapping it round and moulding its youthful plia- 
 bility in the moulds cast in the workshops of such masters 
 as Aquinas and Liguori. 
 
 And then reason had slept the sleep of the Lotos that 
 so often passes into death. 
 
 Death indeed came, but physically, and that to 
 Edmund's father. At one-and-twenty Edmund Vane 
 found himself independent in the world, and, as not 
 infrequently happens in the case of an only son, with no 
 profession. 
 
 To travel in wild countries in pursuit of big game had 
 been the ideal of his boyish days. If books had been but 
 coldly looked upon at Silverside, the Vanes' place in Lan- 
 cashire, sport had never been interfered with. To destroy 
 life has never been deemed so dangerous an occupation to 
 the soul as to seek to understand it; and Edmund Vane, 
 like most young fellows of his age and class, destroyed a 
 good deal. 
 
 He had seen many men and many countries since those 
 youthful days; and little by little, almost imperceptibly, 
 the old boundaries had receded, disclosing fresh ground 
 on which as yet he feared to tread. 
 
 Sometimes he wondered whether this fear were not the 
 result of a weakness in the system in which his mind had 
 
DOOTA DIANA 19 
 
 received its training; and whether he should not have 
 been able to tread boldly, confident in his strength. 
 
 But the old influences retained their power. The ques- 
 tions he put to himself sometimes in the silence of night- 
 watches under tropical stars, or in the desert places of the 
 old, wise East questions which he would have liked to 
 ask of others he felt had been answered to him long ago. 
 The answers might not be satisfactory often were cer- 
 tainly not so; but, remembering their authority, he sighed 
 and let them pass. And so he had drifted to Eome, 
 whither drift so many of those who question. 
 
 He had come the first time with an almost careless cer- 
 tainty that at Eome doubts, scarcely definable as yet, 
 would be dissipated; that problems which propounded 
 themselves in far-off places among men of other creeds 
 and other races would be solved in this, the centre of in- 
 fallible authority. Nay, that solution would not even be 
 required when these problems should be tested by the light 
 of divinely-inspired truth. 
 
 But that first year in Eome had solved no problems, 
 dissipated no doubts. On the contrary, it had raised up 
 new ones questions demanding an answer with a certain 
 imperiousness at which Vane wondered, a little vexed with 
 himself that he could not, here in the centre of Catholi- 
 cism, dismiss them from his mind with the same facility 
 as, when they became too persistent, he had been hitherto 
 able to do. 
 
 And, having once come to Eome, he had come again 
 as do most men. An intense desire had taken possession 
 of him to study from within this complex thing: half 
 shrine, half bottega half metropolis, half little cathedral 
 town this magnet which for well-nigh thirty centuries 
 had attracted the love and hate, the scorn and reverence, 
 the fear, the hope, and the despair of mankind. 
 
 As he had said to Lino Savelli at the Capitol that night, 
 Eome gripped him, but whether with a spiritual embrace 
 he hardly knew. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE Countess Verini had long overcome the initial diffi- 
 culties attendant upon the formation of a reputation for 
 cleverness, and her salon at Rome was a recognised institu- 
 tion. On Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday evenings she re- 
 ceived in her apartment near the Corso. 
 
 The female element was not so largely represented in 
 Casa Verini. Not unnaturally, perhaps, its mistress did 
 not greatly encourage native female talent, though she was 
 ever ready and eager to welcome it when foreign and merely 
 de passage. 
 
 The consequence was that, more especially on Sunday 
 nights, a dozen to twenty men were usually to be found in 
 the Countess's drawing-rooms at any hour from ten o'clock 
 until one in the morning; and perhaps two, or at the most 
 three, other women besides herself. 
 
 Edmund Vane had met Countess Verini on several occa- 
 sions at the house of one of the select female spirits of her 
 intellectual coterie, and also at various dinners. Learning 
 that he was of a family well known in England, that he 
 had travelled a good deal, and also that he had a good 
 income, she had come to the conclusion that he might be 
 interesting, and had told him she would be pleased to see 
 him on her evenings. Vane had availed himself at rare 
 intervals of her invitation, partly because it was only civil 
 to do so, and also because, from all he had heard of her, he 
 thought her house might prove amusing. 
 
 He had, as usual, applied to Lino Savelli for information 
 concerning the Countess Verini's surroundings. The 
 longer he lived in Rome the more profoundly thankful he 
 felt at having a guide and counsellor who could enable him 
 to avoid the pitfalls that lurk in the path of those walking 
 
DONNA DIANA 21 
 
 unwarily through the narrow ways of Eoman society. He 
 had realized that these tracks crossed each other perpetually, 
 in the most unexpected places, and that in some of them 
 there was mud. 
 
 ( Countess Verini's world ? 9 Lino had replied, with a 
 slight shrug of the shoulders, ' well, it is " le monde ou 
 Fon s'ennuie." Are you interested in schemes ? ' 
 
 ' Schemes ? ' asked Edmund vaguely. 
 
 ' I mean, schemes for the improvement of other people's 
 intellects/ 
 
 ' Not in the least. I have enough to do in attempting 
 to improve my own.' 
 
 ' Oh ! but you would be interested in them. It is very 
 amusing. Perhaps, if you make yourself unusually agree- 
 able, you will be asked to join a course of lectures on Dante 
 that is to say, you will be asked to join in the payment 
 of the lecturer. You will, in fact, belong to a body of 
 people firmly persuaded that they have discovered Dante 
 and some other comparatively unknown genius.' 
 
 ' Oh, I see souls ! ' 
 
 e Souls ? not at all bodies ' said Lino dryly. 
 
 Vane laughed. ( They used to be called " souls " with 
 us a few years ago,' he said. 
 
 ' Yes, it is much the same thing, I suppose.' 
 
 ' Well/ replied Vane, ( I think it proved to be so, some- 
 times.' 
 
 True to his determination to abandon sight-seeing during 
 his second visit to Boom, and devote himself, however 
 reluctantly, to the society of the place, Edmund Vane had 
 gone several times to the Countess Verini's evenings after 
 this little conversation. At first the social life of Eome 
 had bored him considerably. He had confided his feelings 
 to an elderly French diplomat, well acquainted not only 
 with the Eoman world, but with many others. 
 
 ' Ah, mon cher,' the latter had said to him frankly, ( you 
 find Eoman society uninteresting? well, so it is deadly 
 uninteresting to those who do not create an interest for 
 themselves. 
 
22 DONNA DIANA 
 
 'You must be in love with somebody, preferably with 
 somebody else's wife, if you would find the society of this 
 town amusing/ 
 
 'But I am not in love with anybody's wife/ Vane 
 objected. 
 
 'And what does that matter?' replied Monsieur de 
 Villebois. ( It is very easy to pretend that you are. You 
 have only to fix upon the lady, and, if you persevere, you 
 will end by believing that you are in love with her. So 
 will her husband probably, and that will give an interest 
 to the affair. Believe me, it is an excellent thing. It 
 supplies well, just the necessary amount of excitement 
 to a life which is, after all, somewhat uneventful. But 
 whatever you do, do not fall in love in the Anglo-American 
 world, for, if you do so, you will have a very bad time 
 of it. The old ladies will dissect you and your fiancee 
 with their tongues ! ' 
 
 And Vane had smiled at the old diplomat's cynicism, 
 while he mentally compared the difference between the 
 French and the English outlook on life. Later he had 
 come to feel that there was a certain amount of truth in 
 Monsieur de Villebois's words, when allowance had been 
 made for his national prejudices. 
 
 Until he had seen Donna Diana Savelli, Vane had 
 regarded Eoman society as a part of Eome that he could 
 very well afford to observe at his leisure. Unlike many 
 foreigners, he had nothing to gain from it; his position 
 in his own country was too well assured for that. Gradu- 
 ally, however, he had become aware that the impressions 
 he had received on first beholding Donna Diana at the 
 Palazzo San Eocco had increased rather than diminished 
 their hold upon his mind. He argued that it was absurd 
 to suppose himself to be in love with a person whom he 
 had seen only once, and with whom he had never inter- 
 changed a word, or even a direct look. But a sense of 
 some mystery surrounding this beautiful Eoman girl 
 destined to the cloister perpetually suggested itself to him. 
 A longing to unravel this mystery, should it really exist, 
 
DONNA DIANA 23 
 
 to discover what psychological power was at work in Donna 
 Diana, strong enough to silence the voices of Nature, had 
 little by little taken possession of him. Some instinct 
 seemed to warn him that the sudden impulse of indignation 
 and pity he had experienced on learning from Princess 
 San Eocco of the future in store for her niece was not a 
 false instinct. 
 
 But how should he arrive at a conclusion that could 
 satisfy him? Donna Diana Savelli was inaccessible to 
 him. Any real acquaintance with a girl brought up ac- 
 cording to the traditions of an old-fashioned Eoman house 
 would have been difficult enough for a young man to form ; 
 in the case of Donna Diana, just concluding her education 
 in the Sacre Cceur, and already vowed to a religious life, 
 it was an impossibility. 
 
 Perhaps the very hopelessness of satisfying his curiosity 
 caused the latter to increase, or stirred within him some- 
 thing akin to the spirit of chivalry. 
 
 However this might be, the fact remained that Donna 
 Diana's face and form haunted him with an almost annoy- 
 ing persistency; and more than once, when attempting 
 to draw Lino into conversation about his cousin, Edmund 
 had felt almost angry with him for displaying so little 
 surprise that at eighteen she should already have de- 
 termined to renounce the world. 
 
 At length he had come to the conclusion that, if he 
 desired to solve a problem which, rightly or wrongly, he 
 believed to exist, he could only do so by mixing freely in 
 the society of which Donna Diana, had she so chosen, 
 would have been a member. 
 
 De Villebois was right. To find society interesting 
 it was necessary to have an interest, an object. At least, 
 he reflected, this object of his was less likely to lead to 
 undesirable complications than might be the result of 
 forcing himself to make love to somebody else's wife. 
 Also, it was more in accordance with his individual tastes, 
 and with his ideas of what was honourable and what was 
 base in a man's dealings towards his fellow-men. 
 
24 DONNA DIANA 
 
 And so, for this carnival-time at least the Roman car- 
 nival season extending from the New Year to the beginning 
 of Lent Vane determined to perform the round of the 
 Roman social treadmill, drawing a line only at the tea- 
 parties, and this from a sense of something due to his man- 
 hood. 
 
 On this particular Sunday evening, having dined in 
 the black world at a house in the Piazza Santi Apostoli, 
 Vane remembered that it was some time since he had paid 
 the Countess Verini a visit. His dinner-party had not 
 been a very exhilarating function, comprising, as it had 
 done, an old and worthy Cardinal, an English Bishop 
 paying his visit ad limina Apostolorum, and various shining 
 lights among the English Roman Catholic laity at that 
 moment in Rome in the character of pilgrims. 
 
 A change of colour, he thought, would be a decided relief. 
 The Cardinal had talked to him for some time after dinner, 
 holding his hand and patting it the while an embarrassing 
 process, making conversation difficult. 
 
 The Countess Verini would certainly not pat his hand; 
 he was not literary or artistic enough for that. But in any 
 case it was more amusing to pretend to be clever than to 
 pretend to be pious. 
 
 Vane found Countess Verini's drawing-room fuller than 
 usual. A glance at the sofa on which his hostess was sitting 
 showed him that a ( lion ' was spending the evening in 
 Casa Verini. Countess Verini was listening with an ex- 
 pression of rapt attention on her face to the words falling 
 from the lips of a short, dark man of an unwholesome com- 
 plexion who was sitting next her, only remarkable at first 
 sight for the forbidding expression of his countenance, and 
 for the possession of an elaborately embroidered shirt-front, 
 in the centre of which glittered a large yellow diamond 
 stud. 
 
 Groups of people were standing about the sofa, and 
 Edmund was about to make his way through them in 
 order to salute his hostess, when a prolonged e Hush-sh ! ' 
 went round the room. 
 
DONNA DIANA 25 
 
 ' He is going to read a scene from his new drama, " Le 
 Vittime," ' whispered somebody at Edmund's elbow, and, 
 looking round, he recognized Monsieur de Villebois. ' He 
 has mistaken the title/ the latter added with a chuckle. 
 ' He should have called it " Le Spudorate." ' 
 
 The lion rose languidly from the sofa and took up a 
 position in the centre of the room, and again an imperious 
 4 Hush-sh-sh ! ' was heard, while Countess Verini leaned 
 her head back on the sofa cushions and closed her eyes. 
 
 Suddenly the great maestro looked round with a pained 
 expression. 
 
 ' The light ! 9 he said, passing his hand over his eyes 
 and through his hair. ' It is too much. The scene is 
 tender an idyll of the night of the night and of love, 
 you understand. Cara Contessa, a single lamp so ! ' he 
 added, as at a rapid sign from Countess Verini the electric 
 light was reduced to one rose-shaded globe that threw a 
 subdued glow on the poet's person. 
 
 The scene was long and the language unquestionably 
 beautiful. The pure, classic Italian flowed like a limpid 
 stream of melody, but it flowed over ugly places, slimy 
 rocks, in the recesses of which lurked evil things. The 
 passion rang false, and while singing of love the song never 
 shook itself free from lust. Art was there, but it was the 
 art that suggests, deceives, and falls back into the dust. 
 The poem came to an end at last, and Vane wished it were 
 not contrary to the customs of polite society to kick the 
 poet. The pruriency of it did not shock him, but the 
 effeminate, cat-like cruelty masquerading as love disgusted 
 him. 
 
 A murmur of reverent applause followed the closing 
 words. Countess Verini rose from her sofa and grasped 
 the poet's hands warmly. 
 
 ( It is magnificent ! ' she exclaimed. ' Such power and 
 such exquisite pathos! You are great, Carusio, great as 
 Dante, as Shakespeare, as Goethe were great! Nay, who 
 knows whether you are not greater ? For you appeal to the 
 soul, to the spirit, where they appealed to the intellect/ 
 
26 DOXNA DIANA 
 
 < Oh la, la ! ' murmured Monsieur de Villebois. ' But the 
 compliment is doubtful.' 
 
 ' Ah, Contessa,' replied the poet in a harsh, unmusical 
 voice, 'the great men you mention lived in other times. 
 They were great, certainly very great. But in these days 
 the artist has to penetrate the furthest depths of the pas- 
 sions developed by our advanced civilization. Dante, 
 Shakespeare yes, certainly they began what the great ones 
 of our day will complete.' 
 
 Countess Verini's restless glance fell on Edmund Vane. 
 
 ' Ah, Mr. Vane ! ' she exclaimed in English. ( I did not 
 see you before. You arrived in time, I hope, for the treat 
 Carusio has given us ? Carusio, I think you do not know 
 Mr. Vane an Englishman, but an Englishman with other 
 ideas in his head than sport and what do you call that 
 dreary game they play at the Villa Doria golf, is it not ? ' 
 
 Edmund bowed a little coldly to the poet, and Countess 
 Verini resumed her place on the sofa, motioning him to 
 sit beside her. 
 
 ( Well, Mr. Vane, it is three weeks that I do not see you,' 
 she said in her somewhat broken English. ' You have been 
 well occupied, no doubt. In Rome there is so much for the 
 mind/ 
 
 All the time the Countess Verini was speaking her eyes 
 roamed quickly round the room. Edmund commenced an 
 apology for his delay in coming to see her, but immediately 
 became conscious that his hostess was not listening to a 
 word he said. 
 
 Suddenly she called to a young man standing a few paces 
 off. 
 
 6 Marco, you know Mr. Vane, do you not ? But of course 
 you do your brother's friend ; ' and without waiting for a 
 reply she hurried across the room to her lion. 
 
 Don Marco Savelli advanced and shook hands with 
 Edmund. He was very unlike his brother Michelangelo, 
 though he had something of the latter's good looks. Lino's 
 frank expression was altogether absent from his elder 
 brother's countenance, as also were his pleasant smile and 
 
DONNA DIANA 27 
 
 graceful,, yet manly, bearing. Marco's eyes were black in 
 colour and furtive, while his face was pale and somewhat 
 dissipated-looking. Edmund had met him many times, 
 but had always felt intuitively that Don Marco disliked 
 him, though the latter had never been anything but civil in 
 his manner towards the foreigner who had saved his 
 brother's life. Vane could only suppose he unconsciously 
 showed that he reciprocated his dislike. He knew Marco 
 to be high in favour with his uncle the Cardinal; whereas 
 Lino was regarded by that ecclesiastic as a black sheep, or 
 rather, perhaps, as a white one. Don Marco was attached 
 to the clerical party, and had been educated at Mondragone 
 under the eye of the Jesuits. There had even been at one 
 time some idea of his entering the priesthood in accordance 
 with Cardinal Savelli's strongly expressed wishes. 
 
 He had continued to remain a layman, however, without 
 forfeiting his uncle's regard a regard which his younger 
 brother had hopelessly lost by making no secret of his 
 scepticism concerning dogmatic religion generally and the 
 claims of the Vatican in particular. 
 
 The breach had been definitely made when Lino had 
 insisted upon entering the Italian army; and from what 
 Vane had heard, though he had never heard it from Lino, 
 he had reason to believe that Don Marco had been instru- 
 mental in encouraging the Cardinal's resentment rather 
 than in seeking to allay it. 
 
 C I could not prevail on your brother to come here to- 
 night/ Edmund remarked, more for the sake of saying 
 something than because he had any desire to talk of Lino. 
 
 The latter smiled a little sneeringly. 
 
 ( The Countess Verini's salon is not much in Lino's line,' 
 he observed. 'No doubt he is gambling at the club or 
 improving his mind at a cafe-chantant. I did not know 
 that you cared about our world,' he added. 
 
 Vane was not a man to take offence easily, but the other's 
 tone irritated him. It was unmistakably patronizing and a 
 little contemptuous. 
 
 c As you appear to know so little of your brother's tastes/ 
 
28 DONNA DIANA 
 
 he replied dryly, ( I can hardly expect you to know much 
 of mine. Lino, I believe, is neither gambling nor at a 
 cafe-chantant, but at the opera/ 
 
 Don Marco's sallow face flushed and his black eyes 
 gleamed angrily. Then he recovered himself. 
 
 ' It would be such a good thing/ he said, ( if you could 
 persuade our dear Lino to take life more seriously. I am 
 afraid he spends a great deal of money on well, on not 
 very profitable objects/ 
 
 ' You forget/ Vane replied, ' that I am not your brother's 
 keeper. Lino amuses himself. Why not? But I believe 
 he thinks there are other things than money worth having 
 in the world.' 
 
 . Edmund knew that Don Marco Savelli, though by no 
 means a fair specimen of the modern Roman youths of the 
 upper class, was nevertheless of a type still far too numerous 
 among them an indolent, extravagant young fellow, com- 
 pletely unscrupulous where money was concerned, but 
 yet possessing to the full that exaggerated sense of self- 
 importance which has ever been the bane of the Roman 
 noblesse. 
 
 It was no part, however, of Edmund's policy to quarrel 
 with Marco Savelli; on the contrary, he had every reason 
 to be on friendly terms with him. 
 
 ' I met Cardinal Savelli the other night at the Palazzo 
 San Rocco/ he said, fearing that his manner had been a 
 little too dry. ' He was kind enough to ask me to come 
 see him, which I have not yet been able, to do. What 
 hour would be convenient to him, do you think, to receive 
 me?' 
 
 Marco was all smiles at once. 
 
 ' Of course/ he replied, ( my uncle would be delighted. 
 In fact, he was talking about you the other day, and told 
 me he had met you. You go often to the Palazzo San 
 Rocco, do you not? Naturally, being so intimate with 
 Lino, you are au mieux with the family.' 
 
 ' I go there very seldom/ answered Vane. ' Sometimes 
 when the Princess receives ' 
 
DONNA DIANA 29 
 
 Marco looked at him a little suspiciously -a quick look 
 from beneath his heavy, half-closed eyelids. 
 
 ' Oh/ he said indifferently, ' I thought you were a 
 frequent visitor. But of course I do not know ! Lino is 
 the favourite in Casa San Eocco; I do not very often go 
 there. I find it dull very dull. And my cousins they 
 are estimable girls, but they are dull also; and well, 
 frankly, my dear Vane, I do not suppose that you find 
 them good-looking ? ' 
 
 Vane hesitated for a moment; Don Marco was looking 
 at him inquisitively. 
 
 ' What do you expect me to say ? 9 he replied, laughing. 
 ' They are, at least, very amiable, which to a stranger 
 like myself is more important than their looks/ 
 
 Marco smiled. 
 
 'You should be a diplomat/ he observed a little satiri- 
 cally ; and then he added suddenly : ' But I think you have 
 met another cousin of mine and of theirs at Palazzo San 
 Rocco I mean, my cousin Diana Savelli/ 
 
 6 Yes, I have met her/ answered Edmund quietly ; ' that 
 is to say, I have seen her, but I was not presented to her/ 
 
 Don Marco laughed. 
 
 6 You need not regret the fact of not having been pre- 
 sented, I mean. My aunt probably did not wish you to 
 waste your time/ \ 
 
 ' To waste my time ! ' repeated Vane. 
 
 He felt that Marco Savelli was fencing with him, and 
 he rather enjoyed the feeling. He had before now ex- 
 perienced the sensation when talking to other Romans. It 
 had sometimes amused him to follow the strange combina- 
 tion of subtlety and ingenuousness of the average Roman 
 when engaged in trying to outwit a foreigner, and to notice 
 his child-like assumption, fatal to the ends he may have in 
 view, that every foreigner, and especially every English- 
 man, must necessarily be a fool. 
 
 ' Certainly/ continued Marco. e Did you not know my 
 cousin Diana is going to be a nun ? ? 
 
 ' Really!' replied Vane indifferently. 
 
30 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Marco looked at him hard again. 
 
 'Yes/ he said. 'It is odd that you should not have 
 known that Lino should not have told you/ 
 
 'I don't particularly see why he should have told me/ 
 observed Edmund. 
 
 'It is strange, is it not, that a girl like Diana should 
 choose such a life?' proceeded Marco. 
 
 ' It is not uncommon.' 
 
 ' No, of course not, in the case of ugly girls. But in her 
 case well, one cannot but admire her for her holiness. 
 It is useless to reason with that kind of thing. Indeed, 
 we should be thankful that the world contains such pure 
 spirits, ready to devote themselves to a life of prayer in 
 order to avert God's anger from its wickedness.' 
 
 Vane glanced at him, and then hoped that his glance 
 did not betray the contempt he felt. 
 
 ' You did not tell me the hour at which Cardinal Savelli 
 receives visitors/ he said. 
 
 ' Oh, but do not trouble yourself, my dear Vane ! I 
 hardly know what to say; you see, it is difficult to find 
 him. In the mornings, if he is not summoned to the 
 Vatican, he is occupied receiving people on business, and 
 in the afternoons he usually goes for a drive. My uncle 
 leads a very retired life, and does not entertain at all, or 
 I would ask you to come to breakfast with us, as I live 
 with him, you know/ 
 
 Just then Countess Verini interrupted them. She re- 
 turned to her sofa, followed by the poet and several other 
 men. 
 
 'We are discussing/ she said, 'the gospel of Tolstoi. 
 Carusio says that he lacks sympathy with the beautiful; 
 that he is tedious grand poseur, in short. What do you 
 say, monsieur ? ' she added, turning to Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois. 
 
 ' Madame/ replied the latter, ' I regret to say that I have 
 not the time to read him; but I accept Carusio's opinion. 
 He should be an admirable critic of the defects he finds 
 in Count Tolstoi.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 31 
 
 ' It is true. Do you hear, Carusio ? you are an admir- 
 able critic/ said Countess Verini. 
 
 Vane laughed to himself. Monsieur de Villebois' sense 
 of humour was always refreshing in Eoman drawing-rooms, 
 the more so because it was distinctly an exotic. He and 
 Vane had become very good friends, owing no doubt to 
 the fact that he found Edmund capable of appreciating 
 his little cynicisms. 
 
 ' Let us escape, mon cher,' he whispered, pressing Vane's 
 arm. ' If we must continue to admire each other's talents, 
 we shall do so more comfortably at the Circolo della 
 Caccia!' 
 
 It was very easy to slip out of the rooms unobserved 
 by their hostess, for the lion on the sofa was roaring as 
 gently as any sucking-dove; and Countess Verini was en- 
 gaged in sympathizing with one of her female guests who 
 had lately opened a shop, the profits of which were to be 
 devoted to*charity, at the difficulty she experienced in 
 balancing her accounts. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 ' THAT is a visit which need not be repeated for a month/ 
 said Monsieur de Villebois with a sigh of relief, as he and 
 Vane found themselves once more in the open streets. 
 
 The night was mild and balmy, midwinter though it 
 was; and, instead of repairing to the Caccia Club, close 
 at hand, the two men preferred to walk along the Corso. 
 
 'At least we shall breathe some fresh air/ continued 
 De Villebois. ' Carusio's intellectual atmosphere is too 
 redolent of what shall I say? of patchouli/ 
 
 Edmund laughed. 
 
 ( You define it exactly/ he replied. e But Madame Verini 
 amuses me. Is she a clever woman, or a fool ? ' 
 
 ' Socially she is clever ; intellectually ' And Mon- 
 sieur de Vilebois paused expressively. ( She has a mar- 
 vellous talent for playing upon the vanity of clever people 
 for extracting some of their ideas and reproducing them 
 to her admirers as her own. But, look you, she is not a 
 woman to be ignored here in Rome. She knows the ropes, 
 and some of them she has the means of pulling. You are 
 not intimate with the Countess Verini no?' 
 
 6 Not at all ! I have the slightest possible acquaintance 
 with her. I don't know why she invites me to her house, 
 for I am certainly neither literary nor artistic/ said Vane, 
 smiling. 
 
 ' Oh, as to that, it does not signify. You are one of the 
 few Englishmen here who go into society. You are rich, 
 and you are a Catholic.' 
 
 'A Catholic!' interrupted Edmund. 'But I thought 
 that Countess Verini was very independent in her views.' 
 
 ' So she is/ said Monsieur de Villebois dryly. ' Her 
 Catholicism, like her Bohemianism, is an affaire de poll- 
 
DONNA DIANA 33 
 
 tique, as it is with most of us. Going to Mass does not 
 prevent her from having her admirers, neither does going 
 to Confession on the contrary.' 
 
 ' And Count Verini?' 
 
 ' Count Verini is in Persia, or in Japan anywhere, 
 indeed, that you choose. He does not often take his leave ; 
 but when he does, like a sensible man, he prefers to spend 
 it in Paris/ 
 
 ' Do you know him ? ' asked Edmund. 
 
 ' I have never had the pleasure of meeting him/ said 
 Monsieur de Villebois gravely, ' but I have often heard his 
 wife talk of him.' 
 
 ( And Madame Verini consoles herself in his absence,' 
 said Vane, smiling. 
 
 ' Oh, not at all ! She consoles others politically, you 
 understand, and artistically.' 
 
 ( But I don't understand.' 
 
 ' No ? Perhaps not. It is natural. You have not yet 
 been long enough in Eome. The Countess Verini adores 
 success. A successful artist, politician, even a successful 
 priest, is a delight to her. Moreover, she is very charitable, 
 and always ready to assist people to lucrative posts in their 
 profession/ 
 
 Vane looked at him doubtfully. 
 
 ' I wonder what you mean to imply/ he said, laughing. 
 
 ' But nothing disagreeable, mon cher ! I only want to 
 make you understand that Countess Verini is not what you 
 might think she was a precieuse ridicule and nothing 
 more. There is much method in her madness. Eome is 
 a very curious place. There are a great many strings, and 
 the ends of them are to be found in the most unexpected 
 quarters. No doubt you, like most of your nation, and 
 more especially like your Catholic compatriots, come to 
 Eome firmly persuaded that there are only two strings 
 one of which is being pulled by the devil, and the other 
 by the Holy Ghost. And you apportion the pullers ac- 
 cording to your individual religious and political preju- 
 dices. Well, it is a great mistake. There is one big, strong 
 
34 DONNA DIANA 
 
 rope, and quite a number of smaller cords by which it is 
 worked/ 
 
 ( And your big, strong rope is ' 
 
 ' Money, my dear friend, money and always money. In 
 most places people are content to admit that money means 
 power. In Rome it is very generally recognised that power 
 means money. It is a more dangerous maxim than the 
 other/ 
 
 ' It is odious ! ' exclaimed Edmund, ' and I do not believe 
 it not, at all events, so far as the Church is concerned. 
 Allow me, at least, to continue in my belief that the Holy 
 Ghost pulls that string. For all I know, money may be 
 the moving spirit of the social and political part of Rome 
 indeed, I have heard that it is so. But the Church 
 stands above and apart from that life disowns it, in 
 fact.' 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois paused for a moment in his walk. 
 
 c My dear Mr. Vane/ he replied, ' I, like yourself, am a 
 Catholic by profession, and though, like the large majority 
 of Catholics in the world, the indignant denials of the 
 priests and the "good" Catholics notwithstanding, I do 
 not by any means believe in all the fantasias of the theo- 
 logians, I am very far indeed from judging Catholicism 
 by Vaticanism, or from holding the former responsible 
 for the corruption of the latter. Do not misunderstand 
 me on this point, I beg of you.' 
 
 e I am beginning to understand your position/ said Vane. 
 ' Last year I should not have understood so much.' 
 
 ' I never discuss these points with English Roman Catho- 
 lics/ continued Monsieur de Villebois, 'for either, like 
 yourself, they are too superficially acquainted with what 
 I may call the central machinery of their faith, or, if they 
 have realized its workings so far as the English mind 
 can realize them too of ten, like the man in the parable, 
 their last state is worse than their first. They become 
 fanatics.' 
 
 Vane kept silence. He knew that his companion had 
 some right to speak of matters appertaining to Rome, and 
 
DONNA DIANA 35 
 
 especially on those connected with the Roman Church. 
 Monsieur de Yillebois had been for years Conseiller at the 
 French Embassy to the Vatican before he retired from the 
 diplomatic service; and for some time, during a period of 
 acute friction between his Government and the Holy See, 
 he had filled the post of Charge d ? Affaires in the absence 
 of his chief, officially supposed to have returned to France 
 on indefinite leave. 
 
 'But we were talking of Countess Verini/ De Villebois 
 resumed, 'and perhaps you do not see the connection. 
 Between ourselves, my friend, she is one of those women 
 who are hanging on to the smaller cords. Here the latter 
 are generally manipulated by women. The Countess Verini 
 has been the chere amie of several political personages, 
 some of whom have been bitter enemies, politically as well 
 as privately. It must often have been sufficiently di- 
 verting. 
 
 < She has talent, for she has never compromised herself 
 or her friends too deeply. After all, women of that kind 
 can always protect themselves by going regularly to Mass. 
 In your country they affect philanthropy and visit the 
 poor, do they not ? ' 
 
 ( Evidently/ said Edmund, ' I have only seen one side 
 of the Countess Verini's character. She seems to be a very 
 versatile lady, but interesting, I should say, to observe from 
 a distance. I do not quite understand the literary and 
 artistic pose, however.' 
 
 'Ah, as to that/ replied Monsieur de Villebois, 'like 
 the confessional, it is a protection. Art enjoys the same 
 prerogative as charity/ 
 
 'I have only been two or three times to her evenings/ 
 said Vane, ' so I have hardly realized who are the habitues 
 of her salon. I saw Don Marco Savelli there to-night. 
 Is he a constant attendant ? I noticed that Countess 
 Verini called him by his Christian name. They are not 
 relations, I think?' 
 
 Monsieur Villebois smiled. 
 
 ( Certainly not/ he replied. ' Countess Verini is not a 
 
36 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Eoman she comes from the South of Italy. As for Marco 
 Savelli, he is a string voila tout!' 
 
 6 A very frail string, I should imagine/ said Edmund, 
 a little contemptuously. 
 
 ( Possibly, but a long one. A string that reaches across 
 the Tiber, and the other end of which is in the Vatican. 
 I saw you talking to him/ continued Monsieur de Villebois. 
 ( He is very different from his brother/ 
 
 ( I should think he was, indeed ! ' exclaimed Vane. 
 ' There is not much love lost between them, I imagine. 
 Not that Lino has ever said anything to me to warrant 
 my thinking so/ he added hastily. 
 
 ' Do you know this uncle, the Cardinal ? ' asked Monsieur 
 de Villebois. 
 
 'I have met him at the Palazzo San Eocco/ said Ed- 
 mund. ' He asked me to come to see him, and it was that 
 I was speaking about to Don Marco. 
 
 ( It struck me he did not seem very anxious that I should 
 call on his uncle, for when I asked him at what hour the 
 Cardinal received visitors he was very vague, and rather 
 put me off.' 
 
 De Villebois nodded his head. 
 
 ' Ah/ he observed, ( Marco Savelli is determined not to 
 allow the Cardinal to make up his quarrel with Lino. 
 No doubt he feared lest the latter might employ you as an 
 ambassador of peace. What else did you talk about, if it 
 is not an indiscreet question ? 9 
 
 ' Not at all indiscreet/ replied Vane. f We talked of his 
 relations, the San Eocco. He appeared anxious to know if 
 I had made the acquaintance of his cousin, Donna Diana.' 
 
 'Ah, Donna Diana/ observed Monsieur de Villebois 
 meditatively ' yes ? And have you made her acquaintance, 
 Monsieur Vane ? ' 
 
 Edmund Vane glanced at him quickly. He thought he 
 detected a trace of something more than idle curiosity in 
 Monsieur de Villebois' voice as he asked the question. He 
 wondered if the ex-diplomat were e pumping ' him, and if 
 so what his object in doing so might be. 
 
DONNA DIANA 37 
 
 ' No/ he answered, truthfully enough. A fleeting smile 
 passed over Monsieur de Villebois' face. 
 
 ' But you have seen her ? ' he asked. 
 
 ' I have seen her, yes ; but I was not introduced to her/ 
 
 'Ah! You were in Casa San Rocco on New Year's 
 Night, were you not ? ' 
 
 Vane looked at him with surprise. 
 
 ' Yes/ he answered, ' I was. But how do you know, 
 monsieur ? ' 
 
 The other laughed. 
 
 ' My dear friend/ he said, ' the question shows how little 
 you know Rome. Do you suppose that everyone is not 
 aware that Lino Savelli took you to supper at the Palazzo 
 San Rocco on the last night of the year? When you are 
 better acquainted with this little wile de province, you will 
 understand that half of it knows all that the other half is 
 doing and a great deal that it has never done. For the 
 rest, it was indiscreet of Lino but he is always impetuous, 
 that dear boy ! ' 
 
 Edmund felt a little uncomfortable. 
 
 ' Indiscreet? Then Fm afraid it was still more indis- 
 creet of me to go. I told Lino I did not much like 
 doing so/ 
 
 ' It was an indiscretion from some people's point of 
 view ; ' said Monsieur de Villebois. ( New Year's Night 
 is regarded here as a time for families and their most 
 intimate friends to meet. For instance/ he added, glancing 
 at Edmund, 'had strangers been expected Donna Diana 
 would not have appeared. Casa San Rocco is an old- 
 fashioned house.' 
 
 'But the Princess received me very cordially/ said 
 Vane, 'and so did the Prince. At least, they did not 
 make me feel de trop in any way. I should certainly not 
 have gone had Lino not made such a point of it. Now you 
 have made me feel very uncomfortable.' 
 
 'You have no reason to be so/ returned Monsieur de 
 Villebois. ' So far as the Prince and Princess are con- 
 cerned, their welcome was perfectly sincere; I am sure of 
 
38 DONNA DIANA 
 
 that. Nevertheless, your presence was a surprise. How- 
 ever, you are not to be pitied/ 
 
 ' Really ? ' said Vane, smiling. ' I am glad of that.' 
 
 ' Certainly not/ answered Monsieur de Villebois. ' You 
 have had an opportunity of looking at Donna Diana Savelli. 
 It is an opportunity not, as a rule, afforded to young men ; 
 and, pardon me, my dear friend, but I hear Rome has 
 heard that you made the most of it/ 
 
 Vane was conscious of a blush, and hoped that it might 
 pass unobserved in the glare of the electric lamps. 
 
 ' Well,' he replied, laughing a little constrainedly, ' a 
 man might be excused for looking more than once at 
 Donna Diana Savelli.' 
 
 ' So I believe,' said Monsieur de Villebois, with a passing 
 gleam of amusement in his eyes. f I have never have had 
 the good fortune to behold her, but I judge from report. 
 The worst of it is,' he added, 'that men are very seldom 
 content to stop short at looking, especially men of your 
 age, and it is not considered good manners to observe other 
 people's fiancees too closely, Monsieur Vane.' 
 
 * But Donna Diana is not fiancee' said Edmund quickly. 
 
 ' Certainly she is,' returned Monsieur de Villebois. ( She 
 will wear her bridal clothes and her bridal veil, and then 
 she will be handed over to her husband. Ah, la pauvre 
 petite!' and he broke off abruptly. 
 
 Vane turned to him quickly. 
 
 ( I understand what you mean now/ he said. ' Is it not 
 monstrous, ridiculous? I have only once seen that girl,' 
 he continued, ' but, all the same, when I heard it I felt as 
 though I were being told of some cowardly crime. What 
 does it all mean, De Villebois ? ' 
 
 In his indignation Edmund scarcely noticed that he had 
 dropped the prefix of ' monsieur' in addressing his com- 
 panion. 
 
 The latter smiled at his eagerness. 
 
 ( I cannot tell what it means/ he answered quietly. ' It 
 is never very easy to know what things mean in Rome. 
 There are always wheels within wheels. But I agree with 
 
DONNA DIANA 39 
 
 you as to the monstrosity of the thing. Has Lino talked 
 to you about it ? ' 
 
 ' A little. He deplored it, but he seems to regard it 
 with comparative indifference, which is strange in anybody 
 of his nature and independence of ideas/ 
 
 ' No, it is not strange/ replied De Villebois. e It is not 
 so easy to break away from old traditions and customs, 
 and Lino Savelli, though he thinks for himself, is never- 
 theless a Koman of the old blood. We Latins seldom in- 
 terfere with the women in matters which are supposed 
 to be connected with religion. If it were not for this, 
 both France and Italy would long ago have thrown off 
 much of their faith in dogma, and no Latin country would 
 possess a nominal State Church. Indifference on the part 
 of the men and fanaticism on the part of the women are the 
 two supporters of Catholicism in these modern days. And 
 the Koman, above all men, does not take his faith very 
 seriously. Indeed, having been bred and born in the 
 shadow of St. Peter's, he is filled with a mild wonder at 
 those who do/ 
 
 'But Lino has, I believe, expostulated with Princess 
 San Rocco on Donna Diana's determination/ said Vane. 
 
 ' No doubt ; but his remonstrances would have little 
 effect/ answered De Villebois. e Princess San Rocco is a 
 devoted Catholic; that is to say, according to her lights 
 she is a very good woman. But her lights burn in the 
 Vatican, and she is unable to see any others. Moreover, 
 her brother, the second surviving brother of Donna Diana's 
 father, is a Cardinal/ 
 
 ( That is true/ observed Edmund ; c and Cardinal Savelli 
 is also guardian to his niece/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois looked up quickly. 
 
 ' What do you say ? ' he asked. 
 
 Vane repeated his words, and De Villebois was silent 
 for a moment or two. 
 
 ' That is a very interesting piece of news/ he said 
 presently. 'I had not happened to hear it before. But 
 are you sure it is correct?' 
 
40 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' My authority, of course, is Lino/ answered Vane. ' He 
 did not speak of it as if it were any mystery. But what 
 sort of a man is Cardinal Savelli ? ' he added. ' When I 
 saw him he gave me the impression of being an amiable, 
 easy-going ecclesiastic. I was rather surprised, for he was 
 not what I imagined him to be/ 
 
 ' And what had you imagined him to be ? ' asked Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois. 
 
 ' Well, I expected to see a man of stronger personality. 
 I had always heard of him as a Cardinal of some influence/ 
 
 ' He has some influence in Rome/ said Monsieur de 
 Villebois, ' because he is one of the few members of the 
 Sacred College who is of noble blood. Moreover, he is sup- 
 posed to be rich and a miser, two qualities that would 
 secure him a certain degree of sympathy and attention on 
 the other side of the Tiber/ 
 
 'But surely/ said Vane, 'he would never countenance 
 Donna Diana's ideas if he were not convinced that they 
 were the result of a genuine vocation ? ' 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois laughed gently. 
 
 ' My dear Vane/ he said ' for I will follow your good 
 example and drop formalities you remind me that I am 
 talking to an English Catholic. A genuine vocation in a 
 girl of eighteen ! But where does the mind come in ? and 
 what, in the name of humanity, becomes of human nature ? 
 Good-night, my dear friend. My way lies across the 
 Ripetta. You have told me quite an interesting piece of 
 news, but I shall keep it to myself. I only hope that I 
 may hear you have been guilty of another indiscretion, 
 and that you and the charming Donna Diana will meet 
 again. There is never much to talk about in Rome, though 
 there is an enormous amount to occupy the thoughts ; ? and 
 Monsieur de Villebois shook hands, raised his hat, and left 
 Edmund Vane standing at the corner of Via Condotti. 
 
CHAPTEE V 
 
 CARDINAL SAVELLI'S carriage stood in the porte-cochere of 
 his residence in the Via Giulia, waiting to take him to the 
 Villa Doria, where, it being a bright, crisp day in January, 
 he had proposed to take a little gentle exercise by walking 
 up and down under the ilex avenues. 
 
 It was a well-appointed carriage, differing in that re- 
 spect from the funereal-looking equipages hired from liv- 
 ery-stables by his fellow-eminences. A pair of handsome, 
 black Hungarian horse champed impatiently at their bits, 
 as though resenting the delay in their owner's appearance, 
 and the coachman, in his neat black livery, bore no resem- 
 blance to the greasy-looking domestics suggestive of hy- 
 brids between undertaker's assistants and decayed waiters 
 by whom the princes of the Church are usually attended 
 when abroad in the streets of Eome. 
 
 The carriage had been ordered for three o'clock; but it 
 was considerably past that hour, and the Cardinal, gener- 
 ally methodical in his habits, was still in his private study. 
 
 In the ante-chamber of his apartment a couple of serv- 
 ants dozed in high-backed chairs on each side of a table 
 covered with red baize, on which was an inkstand, a couple 
 of rusty steel-nibbed pens, and an open book for visitors 
 to inscribe their names, as on royalty. A clock on a con- 
 sole, flanked by a pair of gilt-bronze candlesticks, ticked 
 solemnly the only sound audible save the heavy breath- 
 ing of the domestics and the muffled beating of the 
 horses' hoofs stamping restlessly in the court-yard below. 
 
 A curtain of red damask at the end of the ante-chamber 
 disclosed through its half-open folds a second and larger 
 apartment, with gilded chairs set formally round it. In 
 the centre of the room was a dais beneath a crimson velvet 
 
 41 
 
42 DONNA DIANA 
 
 canopy; on it stood a single armchair with its seat turned 
 to the wall, and at some height above it hung a portrait of 
 Leo XIII. 
 
 Suddenly the electric bell over the entrance-door rang 
 two or three times in quick succession. The servants 
 shuffled to their feet and went to answer it. 
 
 A short, dark man stepped hurriedly across the thresh- 
 old. He was clad in a rusty-black soutane, and, but for 
 the patch of violet silk showing beneath a frayed and some- 
 what dirty collar, might have been taken for any one of the 
 unattached priests to be met with by hundreds in the 
 streets of Borne. 
 
 'I am late/ he said, handing his bulky umbrella and 
 dusty felt hat to one of the servants. ' His Eminence is 
 at home, I suppose ?' 
 
 ' His Eminence expected monsignore at two o'clock. It 
 is now nearly half -past three.' 
 
 'I know, I know/ returned the ecclesiastic, wiping his 
 forehead with a coloured silk pocket-handkerchief. ' I was 
 detained. Kindly let His Eminence know that I am here. 
 He is alone, I conclude?' 
 
 'Yes, monsignore, he is alone. If monsignore will ac- 
 commodate himself I will announce him.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei followed the servant into the adjoin- 
 ing room, and sat down by a large table on which stood 
 a tall ivory crucifix, mounted on a pedestal of tortoise- 
 shell and lapis-lazuli. His restless black eyes, small and 
 set closely together, glanced furtively round the room, and 
 then fixed themselves on the door through which the man- 
 servant had disappeared. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's countenance was hardly a pleasant 
 one. A physiognomist might have discerned cruelty in it; 
 a phrenologist would have qualified him as a man likely 
 to possess dangerous instincts. The mouth, curving down- 
 wards at the corners, and projecting lower lip looked the 
 more disagreeable by reason of the blue-black bristles on 
 his ill-shaven cheeks and chin. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei had not long to wait for his audience. 
 
DONNA DIANA 43 
 
 The servant reappeared almost immediately,, and, drawing 
 back the portiere, motioned him to enter the Cardinal's 
 room, noiselessly closing the door behind him as soon as 
 the priest had done so. 
 
 The latter began to excuse his unpunctuality. It was 
 not his fault, he explained rapidly, letting loose a torrent 
 of unnecessary words. He had been detained by the delay 
 of others in keeping their appointments. He 
 
 The Cardinal checked him with a slight gesture. 
 
 ' It is of no consequence, monsignore, since you are here 
 at last/ he observed. ' Please be seated. I wish to speak 
 with you on an important matter.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei sat down, placing a puffy, white hand 
 on each knee. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli hesitated for a moment. Of the two 
 he seemed to be the more nervous and ill at ease; for he 
 walked to the door as though to make sure that it was 
 closed, and cleared his throat once or twice before finally 
 seating himself at his writing-table. 
 
 ' I regret to say/ he began, ' that I am again obliged to 
 ask for your help and advice regarding a very tiresome 
 affair, monsignore.' . 
 
 Monsignor Tomei bowed. 
 
 ' I am completely at your Eminence's service/ he replied. 
 
 'A most tiresome affair/ repeated the Cardinal; 'the 
 more so because it is of a private and personal nature.' 
 
 And he paused again, tapping an ivory paper-knife nerv- 
 ously on the table. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked at him quickly. 
 
 ' Don Marco ? ' he began. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli shook his head. 
 
 ' No/ he replied. ' This time it is not Don Marco ; but, 
 all the same, it is a matter of money, my dear friend. It 
 is always money ! ' and he sighed impatiently. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's small eyes became suddenly smaller. 
 
 ' Am I to understand that your Eminence needs money ? ' 
 he asked quickly. 
 
 The Cardinal nodded. 
 
44 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Yes,' he said, ' I need money and at once ! ' 
 
 'But, Eminence ' 
 
 'At once, I say! You understand me, monsignore? 
 That is why I have sent for you. You must find it for 
 me. Much everything depends upon it ! ' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei removed his hands from his knees, 
 and began to rub them softly together. 
 
 ' If one might know the sum, and your Eminence's 
 reason for needing it so imperatively, it would facilitate 
 matters/ he said gently. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli shifted his position in his chair and 
 looked, not at his visitor, but at a painting hanging on the 
 opposite wall. 
 
 ' The sum/ he said quickly, ' is one hundred thousand 
 lire. It is not so very large a sum, after all ! ' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei made no remark, but his gaze grew 
 more inquiring. 
 
 f I require this money in order to replace a similar sum 
 lent upon mortgage to me by one of our credit banks/ 
 continued the Cardinal ' a bank in which I am personally 
 interested/ he added. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei nodded his head. 
 
 'I understand, Eminence/ he replied. 
 
 ' The bank finds itself obliged to call in the money/ 
 proceeded Cardinal Savelli, 'and I must find it, mon- 
 signore. Any delay on my part would be unseemly, you 
 understand? And it is not a matter that I should wish 
 talked about. The Italian press one has to be so careful, 
 you know.' 
 
 'And your Eminence wishes me to procure this sum 
 of money for you ? ' asked Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 ' My dear friend, yes ; it is not the first time you have 
 assisted me with your good advice.' 
 
 ' It is not the first time, no/ Monsignor Tomei replied ; 
 ' but advice costs nothing, whereas what your Eminence 
 requires will cost a hundred thousand francs, and further 
 expenses. However, we must consider what can be done 
 to enable you to meet this call with as little inconvenience 
 
DONNA DIANA 45 
 
 as possible. Perhaps your Eminence will allow me to ex- 
 amine the papers relating to this loan? It would then be 
 easier to judge of your position regarding it.' 
 
 The Cardinal hesitated. 
 
 ' Oh ! ' he replied, i as to my position, it is a little pecu- 
 liar indeed, complicated. I am a trustee and director 
 of this bank, monsignore, and as such well, in my 
 capacity ' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei spread out his hands with an apolo- 
 getic gesture. 
 
 ' If I am putting the case incorrectly, your Eminence 
 will pardon me ? ' he said. e You are in the position of 
 being both creditor and debtor at the same time is it 
 not so ? 9 
 
 ( That is precisely it/ returned Cardinal Savelli eagerly. 
 ' The exact position/ he added, with a little sigh as though 
 of relief that the case had been stated for him. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei 7 s eyes contracted until they looked like 
 two glistening black beads. 
 
 6 1 do not think it will be necessary for me to repeat my 
 request that your Eminence should allow me to see the 
 documents referring to this loan/ he said suavely. ( The 
 matter seems to be perfectly clear.' 
 
 The Cardinal looked at him almost apologetically. 
 
 ( It is very simple/ he replied. ' I am responsible for 
 the replacement of this money. The necessity for repay- 
 ment has come sooner than I could have foreseen at an 
 inconvenient moment, indeed ! ' 
 
 'Bepayments are generally inconvenient, at whatever 
 moment they are required/ murmured Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 f Per Bacco ! if they are not inconvenient ! ' ejaculated 
 Cardinal Savelli, with more levity of manner than he had 
 yet displayed. ' The last year has been a very bad one for 
 me, amico mio. First of all, the failure of that French 
 house you know of; then that unfortunate affair of Mar- 
 co's; now, this sudden call upon me to repay money which 
 I thought I was perfectly safe in ' 
 
 ' Making a temporary use of/ supplemented Monsignor 
 
'46 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Tomei, as the Cardinal hesitated for a moment. e As your 
 Eminence says/ he continued, 'the year has been a bad 
 one. In that I agree. Don Marco Savelli's indiscretions 
 are expensive and then those brigands of French; but 
 as for its being so simple a matter to find a hundred thou- 
 sand francs, there I do not agree. It is a question of buy- 
 ing the money, and the rate of interest will be high. The 
 security that your Eminence is able to offer is not, unfor- 
 tunately, such as can command a four or five per cent, 
 interest.' 
 
 The Cardinal moved uneasily in his chair. 
 
 ' I know/ he said, a little irritably ; ' but one must make 
 sacrifices. It is imperative. The money, whatever rate 
 of interest may be demanded for it, I must have. We can- 
 not allow any doubts to be cast on the management of one 
 of our financial institutions, monsignore. Deficits are 
 things that must be confined to similar organizations con- 
 ducted by Italian officials. Besides, any delay in meeting 
 its liabilities would inevitably lead to the solvency of this 
 bank being suspected; and you are very well aware, mon- 
 signore, how ready the freemasons and the anti-Catholics 
 are to insinuate scandals concerning our undertakings/ 
 
 ' Altro, Eminenza ! 9 replied Monsignor Tomei. ' The 
 enemies of the Church are very unscrupulous; and those 
 who are, like yourself, highly placed are jealously watched 
 and criticised. A humble priest such as I am has more 
 freedom of action than a Prince of the Church/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sighed. 
 
 * Precisely/ he observed. ' Our enemies lie in wait for 
 us at every step in these days. Formerly we 9 
 
 'Lay in wait for them/ interposed Monsignor Tomei. 
 'It was certainly a better arrangement. But, with your 
 Eminence's leave, we will return to our business. It will 
 not be easy to procure this money; nevertheless, I think 
 that I could do so. But, before borrowing it, a little re- 
 flection would be well/ 
 
 ( Reflection ! ' repeated the Cardinal. e Caro monsi- 
 gnore, I have reflected for a week. I reflected, also, be- 
 
DONNA DIANA 47 
 
 fore I borrowed this money from the Credit Bank. No 
 amount of reflection will do away with the fact that it 
 must be repaid/ 
 
 ' And so, sooner or later, must the money you propose 
 to borrow in order to repay it/ said Monsignor Tomei. 
 6 The latter sum/ he continued, ' will, as I said just now, 
 have to be repaid with interest. This interest will, I should 
 imagine, be considerably higher than that which your 
 Eminence is at present paying.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli's eyes dropped suddenly. 
 
 c No doubt of course/ he answered, a little hurriedly. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei pulled out his snuff-box. 
 
 ' It is not good finance/ he observed, taking a liberal 
 pinch of the contents. 
 
 ' Good finance/ said the Cardinal dryly, ( is for people 
 with full pockets/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei smiled. 
 
 c I venture to disagree, Eminence/ he returned. ' Good 
 finance is knowing how to utilize the fulness of other 
 people's pockets, without revealing the emptiness of one's 
 own. I am prepared, of course, to try to negotiate this 
 loan, if your Eminence can think of no other way by which 
 the money you require can be raised. Frankly, I do not 
 recommend it. It is but adding another embarrassment 
 in the place of that with which you now have to contend. 
 Is there no possibility of temporizing with the authorities 
 of the bank? Your Eminence has not, perhaps, taken 
 then entirely into your confidence.' 
 
 ' There is no question of temporizing/ answered the 
 Cardinal. 'You must understand, monsignore, that it 
 would not be seemly that I should do so. The money is, 
 in fact, part of the reserve capital, that must be shown 
 to be intact at the half-yearly examination of the books.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei remained silent for a few moments. 
 
 'Your Eminence has other capital at your command/ 
 he observed. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli shook his head. 
 
 e No/ he said impatiently ; ' I understand your sugges- 
 
48 DONNA DIANA 
 
 tion, but to resort to that is impossible. I will not do it, 
 monsignore.' 
 
 * But if it has been resorted to before ? ' 
 
 * I will not do it/ repeated the Cardinal almost angrily. 
 ' If that money has been touched before, it is all the more 
 necessary not to touch it again. Besides, in that instance, 
 the reason for having recourse to it was very different 
 a family reason that justified the step.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei spread out his hands with an apolo- 
 getic gesture. 
 
 'I quite understand your Eminence's scruples/ he re- 
 plied, 'but, in my humble position, they may be carried 
 further than would be prudent. You recognised the ne- 
 cessity of applying a portion of Donna Diana Savelli's 
 fortune to meet liabilities incurred by her cousin Don 
 Marco. In fact, you employed family capital to protect 
 family honour a very legitimate use to make of it, and 
 one that Donna Diana would doubtless have sanctioned 
 had she been in a position to do so.' 
 
 ' Quite true/ said Cardinal Savelli ; ' but that was an 
 exceptional case. Poor Marco's difficulties did not arise 
 from any fault of his own. Had they been caused by 
 gambling, or by women, or anything of that nature, I 
 should not have devoted a part of my ward's fortune towards 
 their settlement.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei coughed discreetly. 
 
 ' Quite so, Eminence, quite so/ he answered. c As you 
 say, you decided to use some of Donna Diana's money for 
 family reasons on that occasion. I would only suggest that 
 this also might be regarded as a family matter. If Don 
 Marco is her cousin, you are her uncle her father's only 
 surviving brother. To borrow from your niece a sum of 
 a hundred thousand francs a sum that for three years 
 she has no right to touch, and therefore will not miss 
 is surely a better course to adopt than to go to a money- 
 lender for it. Much may happen in three years. Your 
 Eminence's affairs may be in a more satisfactory state 
 than is, unfortunately, the case at present.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 49 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose from his seat and paced up and 
 clown the room. 
 
 ' It is impossible/ he said ; ' I cannot do it. You must 
 think of some other way, monsignore/ 
 
 ( I have already suggested the other alternative/ said 
 Monsignor Tomei. ' It it that you should arrange with 
 the bank for a continuance of the loan/ 
 
 'And I/ returned the Cardinal irritably, 'have already 
 told you that I do not intend to do so.' 
 
 ' If your. Eminence would entrust the matter to me, I 
 might be able to arrange with the bank. A little question 
 of additional interest, perhaps ' 
 
 ' Basta, monsignore ! ' exclaimed Cardinal Savelli sud- 
 denly. ( I do not wish to hear any more suggestions on 
 that subject. You understand me? I do not wish it.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei bowed, and a slightly sarcastic ex- 
 pression came into his eyes. 
 
 e I have assured your Eminence already that I under- 
 stand perfectly/ he replied. ' It only remains for me to 
 beg you to consider the position from a financial point of 
 view. You have, after all, asked for my advice upon that, 
 and not upon questions relating to to other subjects. 
 Speaking as a man of business, I should say: Why borrow 
 money at a high rate of interest when you can borrow it 
 without paying interest at all? And again: Why go to 
 strangers when the affair can be easily arranged at home ? ' 
 
 ' What you say is very true/ replied the Cardinal ; ' but 
 I do not like it. It would be the second time, and the 
 money is in trust/ 
 
 ( The money your Eminence borrowed from the Credit 
 Bank was equally in trust/ said Monsignor Tomei dryly. 
 
 ( In the latter case/ he added, ' the money belonged to 
 the poor to workmen and peasant proprietors and may 
 be required at any moment. In the former instance it 
 belongs to the rich to a young lady who cannot require 
 it for three years/ 
 
 ( It is a matter of borrowing in either case/ said the 
 Cardinal, a little eagerly. 
 
50 DONNA DIANA 
 
 'But certainly, Eminence, I look at it in this way. As 
 trustee for Donna Diana Savelli's capital, you have a 
 perfect right to invest it in such a manner as to assure a 
 proper return. Does it matter whether the interest upon it 
 is paid by you, or by a company or a Government? By 
 employing a portion of Donna Diana's fortune you will 
 be saving yourself perhaps ten per cent, interest, or even 
 more, which would be demanded by any stranger advancing 
 you such a sum as you need. And yet you would be able to 
 pay Donna Diana as high a rate of interest as she could 
 receive from any investment in which you, as her trustee, 
 could legally place her money/ 
 
 e Yes ; but the security ? 9 asked the Cardinal. 
 
 c The security/ returned Monsignor Tomei, ' is at least 
 as good as that which your Eminence has given to the 
 Credit Bank/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli resumed his seat, and did not immedi- 
 ately reply. 
 
 e But I have never yet been able to replace the first sum/ 
 he said at length uneasily; 'and now, if I am to take a 
 hundred thousand francs more ' 
 
 ' But your Eminence has not had sufficient time/ inter- 
 rupted Monsignor Tomei, 'and, as you say, things have 
 gone badly. These jubilees of the Holy Father and 
 constant pilgrimages to Eome they are very good things 
 for the soul, si capisce, but they are very bad things for 
 the pocket except for the pocket of the Pope/ 
 
 'But, monsignore ' remonstrated the Cardinal. 
 
 6 It is true, Eminence. In France, in Belgium every- 
 where, in short they have produced a miseria. But a 
 miseria! What would your Eminence have ? When people 
 give their money to the Holy Father, they will not give it 
 to St. Anthony of Padua, or even to the Madonna, and 
 still less will they give it to support our journals. It is 
 very natural. They are sure of seeing the Pope, but the 
 Madonna and the saints do not show themselves so readily, 
 and, after all, it is dull work to pay one's money and see 
 nothing. In the meantime, Rome eats up everything, and 
 
DONNA DIANA 51 
 
 our undertakings abroad,, and even in other parts of Italy, 
 suffer, as your Eminence is very well aware/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli waved his hand deprecatingly. 
 
 6 We hear complaints/ he observed ; ' but it is necessary 
 to show the world that Eome is still the centre of Chris- 
 tianity, the Holy City whither all the nations of the earth 
 repair. If Leo XIII. has done nothing else, he has shown, 
 not Eome alone, but all Italy, how, notwithstanding the 
 spoliation of the Papacy by freemasons and anti-Catholics, 
 the Pope still wields a power more far-reaching than that 
 of any other Sovereign. You must not lose sight of polit- 
 ical expediency, monsignore. Had the Holy Father con- 
 tinued the policy of his predecessor the policy of Achilles 
 Eome would soon have learned to live" without the 
 Vatican, and not, as it largely does at present, to live 
 upon it/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei took another pinch of snuff. 
 
 e l am no politician, Eminence/ he remarked. ( The 
 regulations of the Anno Santo, diverting the offerings of 
 the faithful from local shrines and privileged altars to 
 Eome, have certainly not found favour everywhere. But 
 doubtless the Holy Father has his own good reasons. After 
 all, money is safer gathered at first-hand; it does not al- 
 ways bear transmission. But, with regard to the matter 
 concerning which your Eminence has summoned me, I 
 should like to learn your decision. I have a friend who, 
 perhaps, would advance the money, but for a year only, 
 and I fear the rate of interest demanded would be high. 
 Whereas ' and Monsignor Tomei paused significantly. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli moved impatiently in his chair. 
 
 ' A decision implies an alternative/ he said with a quick 
 sigh. 'I have none. I cannot borrow the money for a 
 year only. If it were for three years, it might be worth 
 while to pay a high interest/ 
 
 c Ah yes, much may happen in three years, as I said 
 before/ replied Monsignor Tomei. 'And three years, 
 Eminence/ he added, 'is the precise period for which 
 you could safely employ some of Donna Diana's fortune 
 
52 DONNA DIANA 
 
 to enable you to tide over your present difficulties. It 
 would be satisfactory to your Eminence to feel that you 
 could not be called upon to repay the money until the 
 expiration of that period/ 
 
 'Yes, yes, that is true/ answered the Cardinal hastily. 
 ' Perhaps it would be the safer course to adopt. After all/ 
 he continued, ' it is merely borrowing the money. I should 
 pay the legitimate interest, of course, so that my niece's 
 estate would not suffer. I have scruples, certainly; for 
 this unlucky business obliges me still further to delay the 
 repayment of the previous sum I had to borrow from Donna 
 Diana's capital. But before three years have elapsed 
 circumstances must alter, monsignore. Unfortunately, we 
 are all mortal, and in the natural order of things we may 
 expect great changes at any moment/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei gave him a shrewd glance. 
 
 ' Of course/ he observed, ( at the Holy Father's advanced 
 age ' 
 
 ' Exactly/ interrupted Cardinal Savelli ; ' one must be 
 prepared. And I am, fortunately, on good terms with 
 each one of those whom the Holy Spirit may call upon to 
 succeed him. But, between ourselves, monsignore, I have 
 hopes that, even during the lifetime of His Holiness, an 
 office may be conferred upon me which will bring with it 
 some increase to my income; but this, you understand, is 
 in strict confidence.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei bowed, and looked at the Cardinal 
 inquiringly. 
 
 ' The Cardinal- Vicar/ continued the latter, ' is, as you 
 know, not unlikely to retire. The Eoman clergy are dis- 
 satisfied. Foreign elements have been introduced among 
 the parochial authorities of the city, and there has been 
 much heart-burning in consequence.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei nodded. 
 
 ( We, too, have our little camorra/ he said, with a smile. 
 'And why not? In these days every trade must protect 
 itself.' 
 
 The Cardinal smiled also. 
 
DONNA DIANA 53 
 
 4 We Romans do not love ref orms/ he observed, c unless 
 they are carried out by ourselves/ 
 
 ' I have heard your Eminence mentioned as the Cardinal- 
 Vicar's possible successor/ said Monsignor Tomei. ' If I 
 may be permitted to say so/ he continued, e such an appoint- 
 ment would give great satisfaction. Your Eminence,, being 
 a Roman, would soon be able to remove all causes of com- 
 plaint/ 
 
 The Cardinal smiled a gratified, deprecatory smile. 
 
 ' Certainly/ he began, ' a Roman is better able to under- 
 stand the temper of the secular clergy of this city;' and 
 then he looked quickly and doubtfully at his visitor. ' Ma, 
 per carita, monsignore/ he added hurriedly; 'not a word 
 to any other person of what I have told you. What you 
 have heard are rumours, merely idle rumours. You know 
 the jealousies, the intrigues, here in Rome. If I were sup- 
 posed to be talking of myself as a fit and proper successor 
 to the present occupant of the post, there would be many 
 eager to compromise me with the Holy Father.' 
 
 6 Your Eminence may rely upon me to be silent/ replied 
 Monsignor Tomei. 'I may conclude, then/ he added, 
 'that you will take my advice to arrange the settlement 
 of the present little difficulty at home. With the prospects 
 before your Eminence, I think that my advice is sound.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose from his chair. 
 
 ' Yes/ he said slowly ; 'I see no better way. And I 
 have no doubt that I shall be able to arrange the matter 
 without troubling you again, monsignore.' 
 
 The Cardinal extended his hand as he uttered the last 
 words, and at the same time touched the button of the 
 electric bell at the side of his writing-table. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei bowed as he took Cardinal Savelli's 
 hand, and just touched the ring upon it with his lips. The 
 Cardinal accompanied him to the door of the apartment. 
 
 ' Tell Giovanni he need not wait with the carriage/ he 
 said to the servant who had entered the room as the bell 
 rang ; ' I shall not go out.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei followed the man to the entrance-hall, 
 
54 DONNA DIANA 
 
 where he took up his hat and umbrella, and, passing down 
 the staircase, emerged into the Via Giulia. Once fairly in 
 the open street, he paused, cleared his throat, and spat 
 vigorously. Then he muttered the single word ' Imbecille ! ' 
 and walked across the' Piazza, Farnese and on through the 
 Campo dei Fiori. The cowled, bronze figure of Giordano 
 Bruno, one of the few tolerable modern statues erected in 
 Eome, attracted his attention for a moment. 
 
 ' Poor Giordano ! ' he said. ( They burned you because 
 you were an honest man.' 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE short Roman winter was over. It was already the 
 Holy Week, and Rome was crowded to overflowing with 
 tourists and pilgrims of all nations. Every afternoon 
 streams of cabs, carriages, and pedestrians flowed down the 
 Via Merulana towards St. John Lateran or across the 
 bridges over the Tiber leading to the Borgo Vecchio and 
 the Vatican. The great basilicas were thronged with people 
 listening to the mournful music accompanying the office 
 of Tenebrae, or, as night drew on, anxious to witness the 
 exposition of the great relics of the Passion in the mys- 
 terious semi-darkness of St. Peter's. 
 
 Those who have the good sense to leave the city at such 
 seasons, with its bustling streets and its churches, in which 
 curiosity is more conspicuous than devotion, and scepticism 
 more apparent than faith, and to wander off to the quiet 
 places of the Roman Compagna, are gainers in comiort 
 both bodily and spiritual, unless, indeed, they belong to 
 that large body which, having eyes, sees not. 
 
 There, away beyond the city walls, are being chanted 
 no wearisome chants of things dead or of doubtful things 
 to come, but the glorious song of life, triumphant, question- 
 less, of an ever-recurring victory over death, serenely con- 
 fident in the goodness and wisdom of a Creator in whom 
 the human passions have no place nor counterpart. 
 
 The soft breeze of spring, fragrant with the scent of 
 yellow jonquils and snow-white narcissi, ripples over the 
 grassy plains and patches of growing wheat, bearing with 
 it in varying cadences the song of innumerable larks or 
 the distant, broken notes of a nightingale trying its newly- 
 found voice in the thickets of bramble and briar-rose hidden 
 
56 DONNA DIANA 
 
 away in one of the little ravines abounding in the Eoman 
 Campagna. 
 
 Away over a broad sea of brightest green the blue sky 
 meets the blue mountains, the latter flecked with patches 
 of white where the towns and villages of the Castelli Ro- 
 mani nestle among their spurs. 
 
 The melancholy that broods over the land in late autumn 
 and winter, and again in the summer heats, the spirit of 
 disillusion and decay which haunts the roads to Rome, is 
 laid to rest for a brief space during the months when spring 
 reigns. 
 
 Then the old gods live again. Pan peeps from between 
 the broad acanthus leaves ; you can hear his pipes playing, 
 if you choose. Fauns and dryads stir in the oak-woods that 
 have escaped the destructive folly of the modern possessors 
 of the soil, and nymphs sing softly to themselves in the 
 half-hidden streams. Apollo still sweeps his lyre. You 
 may hear its tender melody in the growing grass, in the 
 happy hum of insects, in the joyous love-notes of the 
 birds, if you have ears to hear. 
 
 Yonder in the city men kill their God in the spring-time, 
 and bury him, restoring him to life after the third day. 
 and celebrate his resurrection, as they have celebrated his 
 birth, by a larger consumption of the flesh of his slain 
 creatures. But away from the haunts of men God's other 
 creatures have never killed Him. At His bidding they 
 have lain themselves down for a little space to rest and to 
 sleep, knowing that in due season He would bid them awake 
 again to fulfil their eternal duties in strength, happiness, 
 and love. 
 
 Edmund Vane and Lino Savelli, having both agreed 
 that a long ride in the Campagna would be preferable to 
 the streets of Rome on a Thursday in Holy Week, had 
 mounted their horses outside the Porta Salaria and ridden 
 across country to some miles beyond Prima Porta. 
 
 On the occasion of his first visit, Edmund had dutifully 
 attended the ceremonies of the Settimana Santa, as was 
 natural and fitting for any Catholic finding himself in 
 
DONISTA DIANA 57 
 
 Eome at that season. He had been the reverse of. im- 
 pressed by what he had witnessed. The symbolic formal- 
 ities wearied him, while the irreverent curiosity of the 
 tourists disgusted him. 
 
 Something of a musician himself, he could never listen 
 to the famous male soprani of the Papal choirs without a 
 feeling of impatience and irritation at the studied appeal 
 to the more superficial senses by which they sought to 
 produce their effects, a feeling that developed into repul- 
 sion whenever he chanced to look upon the singers. 
 
 The visits to the sepulchres on Holy Thursday, a custom 
 followed by the large majority of Romans in a spirit 
 neither more nor less devotional than that which moves 
 many English families to eat roast beef and Yorkshire 
 -pudding on Sundays, had no particular attraction either 
 for Lino Savelli or himself. 
 
 They had cantered for miles over the soft, springy turf, 
 inhaling the pungent scent of wild thyme crushed beneath 
 the horses' hoofs, reining up every now and then to look 
 at the glorious colours creeping over the Sabine hills, or 
 to listen to the cuckoos calling to each other in the wooded 
 ridges above the Tiber. Sometimes, too, they had stopped 
 to give the half of a Toscano cigar to a peasant, or to some 
 shepherd, satyr-like, with nether limbs clad in shaggy goat- 
 skins, ferocious of aspect yet courteous and gentle of de- 
 meanour when not offended, his good-will more easily won 
 by the gift of a mozzicone, or cigar-end, than by the offer- 
 ing of money. And the good-will of a Campagna shepherd, 
 as Edmund had learned by experience, is not to be despised 
 when four or five of his handsome, snowy-white sheep-dogs 
 rush upon a stranger, unarmed, perhaps, save with a riding- 
 whip, with all the apparent desire to tear him from his 
 saddle. 
 
 The sun was sinking towards the west when Vane and 
 his companion turned their horses' heads towards Eome. 
 Leaving the open country, they eventually emerged into 
 the high-road a mile or so from Prima Porta. 
 
 Lino had been unusually silent during their ride, and 
 
58 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Vane could not help thinking that something had occurred 
 to annoy or trouble him. Like all Romans, he was grave 
 sometimes; but though on rare occasions Edmund had 
 seen him display a very healthy anger, and had witnessed 
 a sudden boiling over of the hot Roman blood, he knew that 
 his friend was sweet-tempered enough, and that the ten- 
 dency traditionally ascribed to the Roman character to 
 brood over real or imaginary wrongs was altogether alien 
 to Lino's nature. 
 
 No doubt, Vane thought, he was worried by money 
 troubles or by some little love affairs. Lino was young, 
 unusually good-looking, and not overburdened with this 
 world's goods, a combination of circumstances tolerably 
 certain occasionally to place both his purse and his heart 
 in difficulties. Unlike many young fellows of his class in 
 Rome, Lino Savelli was no gambler; but, then, he was 
 no ascetic in other ways for the following of which ready 
 money might be desirable. Lino had his ' passions de 
 plage ' occasionally. As intimate friends, he and Edmund 
 had sometimes discussed such objects together. Vane was 
 no stern moralist, nor one of those who affect to ignore 
 the simple facts of human nature. He had his own 
 ideas as to right and wrong. Not to injure the innocent 
 or to take advantage of the poverty of others, and not to 
 wrong the husbands or lovers of other women, formed the 
 boundary lines of his morality as regarded the relation of 
 sex. His observation of Lino Savelli, as well as the opin- 
 ions he had heard him express, had long ago convinced him 
 that the latter held similar ideas to his own on such points. 
 He was obliged to confess, however, that in this respect 
 Lino differed from very many of his compatriots, to whom 
 such scruples would have been unintelligible. 
 
 'You are very silent/ Edmund observed with a smile, 
 as they rode quietly along the road towards Rome. c Has 
 anything happened? or perhaps, if it has, you don't want 
 to talk about it.' 
 
 'Oh, nothing, 3 replied Lino 'that is to say, nothing 
 particular. I have been annoyed at something my aunt 
 
DONNA DIANA 59 
 
 San Rocco told me yesterday, and I lost my temper and 
 made myself disagreeable about it.' 
 
 6 1 see family affairs/ 
 
 6 In a way, yes. People have been making mischief. It 
 is a very favourite employment of one V relatives, I find, 
 and of one's friends/ 
 
 Vane laughed. 
 
 6 That is the same everywhere/ he remarked. ' Relations, 
 as somebody said, are disagreeable acquaintances inflicted 
 upon us by Providence. But it is no use losing one's 
 temper about what they say; it only pleases them/ 
 
 Lino looked at him and laughed. 
 
 6 Anyhow,' he said, ' I lost mine yesterday, and gave it 
 them all round on the head, as we say here/ 
 
 ( And said a good many unwise things, I have no 
 doubt/ 
 
 ( Perhaps I did, Eddie. That is partly what is troubling 
 me. I am not like you, he added. ' When I get in a rage 
 out it must come. You can be in a much worse rage, you 
 English, and yet you manage to keep it all in. I could 
 never do that; I should burst, I think/ 
 
 ' Yes/ responded Vane, smiling, ' I quite believe you 
 would. Fortunately/ he continued, ' your rages do not 
 occur very frequently. The last was when ? oh, I remem- 
 ber! when we saw that fellow beating his mule over the 
 head in the Via Capo le Case/ 
 
 The blood rushed to Lino's face. 
 
 ' I would have beaten his brains out the brute ! ' he 
 exclaimed. ' As it was ' 
 
 ( Oh, as it was, you hurt him considerably, and it was 
 lucky you didn't get a knife into you/ interrupted Edmund. 
 ' I hope you were less violent yesterday/ he added, laughing. 
 
 e It was not a case of fists/ said Lino seriously, ' only of 
 tongues/ 
 
 ( Ah ! they hurt much more sometimes, and the bruises 
 take longer to heal/ 
 
 f That is just what I am afraid of/ said Lino. 'One often 
 does more harm than good by speaking one's mind. It 
 
60 DONNA DIANA 
 
 was about Diana, Eddie/ he added hastily ; ' I do not see 
 why I should not tell you. I told my uncle San Kocco and 
 my aunt that I thought they were mad to encourage Diana 
 to bury herself in a convent; I said I thought that when 
 she leaves the Sacre Cceur, which she is to do almost im- 
 mediately, she should be made to see something of the 
 world before making up her mind to renounce it.' 
 
 ' And what did the Prince say ? ' asked Vane. 
 
 ' My uncle ? Oh, he remembered that he had an appoint- 
 ment at the club, and left the room. My aunt remained, 
 and that old German woman. We had a scene.' 
 
 f And what was the result ? ' inquired Edmund, a little 
 eagerly. 
 
 Lino Savelli struck his boot impatiently with his riding- 
 whip. 
 
 6 What is the invariable result of arguing with women 
 about religion ? ' he asked. ' Not that I attempted to do so,' 
 he added ; ' but my aunt refused to see that there was any 
 other side of the question. She answered all my objections 
 by repeatedly declaring that it was sacrilege to attempt 
 any interference with the vocation of a soul dedicated 
 to the service of God. At last I lost my temper, like an 
 idiot.' 
 
 ' And what did you say, Lino ? ' 
 
 ' I said it would be better to think less about Diana's 
 soul, and allow her body to have a chance. After that 
 there was a row. My aunt was furious; and Frau von 
 Eaben cried, and put her fingers in her ears. My aunt 
 declared that she had always taken my part with the 
 Cardinal, and had tried to shut her eyes to my irreligion ; 
 but that when Diana returned from the Sacre Coeur she 
 would not have me in the house, lest I should disturb the 
 poor child's mind.' 
 
 Vane became suddenly grave. The turn matters had 
 taken did not at all suit his plans. 
 
 e The Princess will probably forget it,' he remarked 
 presently. 
 
 'No, she will not forget it. There are those who will 
 
DONNA DIANA 61 
 
 take care not to allow her to do so/ said Lino angrily. ' It 
 is not her fault/ he added. ' The idea has been put into 
 her head, as it has been into Diana's/ 
 
 6 But, Lino if you don't mind my asking you the ques- 
 tion what made you get upon the subject with Princess 
 San Rocco ? ' asked Edmund. 
 
 Lino Savelli's eyes fell suddenly, and he looked discon- 
 certed. 
 
 ' Ah, well, Eddie/ he replied hesitatingly c we were 
 talking about Diana, you know. My aunt said she did not 
 wish her to see strangers, and I said I thought it a great 
 mistake not to let her see a few people outside the family 
 circle. That is how it all began. Then we argued, and I 
 dare say I made remarks I had better not have made.' 
 
 Vane looked at him searchingly. A new light was begin- 
 ning to dawn upon him, and he suspected that Lino had 
 not told him by any means all that had passed. If his 
 suspicions were correct, Edmund felt that his friend's 
 preoccupied manner was fully to be accounted for. Since 
 the night of the New Year he had only twice seen Donna 
 Diana Savelli. On one occasion he had accompanied Lino 
 to the Palazzo San Rocco on a Thursday afternoon that 
 happened also to be a saint's day. They had immediately 
 been admitted by the servants waiting in the anticamera, 
 and in one of the drawing-rooms had found Donna Diana 
 alone with her two cousins. Lino had presented Edmund 
 to Diana, and they had talked together for some little time 
 without the least shyness or embarrassment at least, on 
 the girl's part. 
 
 The interview had been interrupted by the Princess 
 returning to the room, and almost immediately afterwards 
 the latter had said something in a low voice to her niece, 
 who at once left it. This meeting had made a very distinct 
 impression on Vane's mind, namely, that Donna Diana 
 was not entirety destitute of a will of her own. 
 
 He had detected a little passage of arms between the 
 cousins as he and Lino unexpectedly entered the room. 
 He saw Donna Diana's brown eyes flash with a look of 
 
62 DONNA DIANA 
 
 determination, and noticed, also, a decided shake of her 
 head in reply to something whispered to her by Donna 
 Maria, the younger of the Princess's daughters. It was 
 evident that she did not mean to be sent away, and that 
 she meant Lino to present his English friend to her. Some- 
 how the little display of petulancy, slight though it was, 
 afforded Edmund a strange satisfaction. 
 
 On one occasion, also, he had dined in Diana's company 
 at the Palazzo San Rocco. It was Lino's birthday, and 
 Vane had been invited to join the family dinner in his 
 honour. He had sat far away from Donna Diana, at the 
 opposite side of the table. That evening, though he had 
 scarcely any opportunity of conversing with her, Edmund 
 finally awoke to the fact that he had fallen very decidedly 
 in love. More discreet than he had been on the first occa- 
 sion of their meeting, he endeavoured not to allow his gaze 
 to wander too frequently in Donna Diana's direction; 
 yet, do what he would, he was unable to keep his eyes from 
 resting sometimes upon her. He would like to have 
 watched every gesture, to have followed every movement 
 of the beautiful high-bred head, every expression passing 
 over that lovely face set in its wealth of dark, chestnut 
 hair. More than once, as he looked across the dinner- 
 table, it was to meet Marco Savelli's gaze fixed upon 
 him suspiciously. He felt that the latter was watching 
 him jealously, and that for some reason or. other -Marco 
 resented his presence. The feeling that he was being 
 watched aroused in Edmund a feeling of impatience, and 
 eventually of irritation. He looked steadily at Marco for 
 a moment or two a look of quiet surprise whereat the 
 latter instantly withdrew his gaze and began a conver- 
 sation with his neighbor. 
 
 The recollection of these little episodes flashed through 
 Vane's mind as he listened to Lino's words. He felt con- 
 vinced that, although delicacy might prevent his com- 
 panion from saying so, he had himself been the cause of 
 the discussion at the Palazzo San Rocco that Lino had 
 partly related. 
 
DONNA DIANA 63 
 
 i 
 
 It was not an easy matter, however, to induce Lino to 
 speak more openly. He had no reason to suppose that the 
 latter had any suspicion as to the state of his feelings 
 towards his cousin Diana. Moreover, if, after all, he were 
 not really regarded by the Princess and the rest of the 
 family as a dangerous element, and his suspicions were 
 but the result of a guilty conscience, he might place both 
 Donna Diana and himself in a false position by attempting 
 to make it easy for Lino to speak to him on the subject. 
 
 They rode on for a few minutes in silence. Once or 
 twice Lino seemed as if he were about to renew the con- 
 versation, and then he checked himself. Usually he was 
 at no loss for words, and was apt at least, when talking 
 to Vane to say all that might come into his head. Ed- 
 mund felt that he had said enough, however, to enable him 
 to tastare il terreno, as Lino would have expressed it in 
 his own tongue. 
 
 f It appears to me, my dear fellow/ he observed quietly, 
 c that, if the Princess objects to your cousin seeing stran- 
 gers, she cannot like my visits. Whenever I have happened 
 to meet Donna Diana at the Palazzo San Rocco, I have 
 certainly been the only stranger there.' 
 
 Lino lighted a cigarette and puffed at it for a moment 
 or two before answering. 
 
 ( Yes/ he replied simply, e you have. I suppose you are 
 almost the only young man outside her own family to 
 whom Diana has ever spoken since she was a child/ 
 
 ' And the Princess, as I say, objects/ said Vane. ' Yet/ 
 he added, ' I cannot flatter myself that I am a very dan- 
 gerous person, Lino. Donna Diana has probably never 
 given me an instant's consideration.' 
 
 ' That is not the question/ said Lino dryly. 
 
 6 Then, what is the question ? 9 
 
 c Oh,' well/ began Lino doubtfully, ( the question is, 
 that the world is -full of infernal busybodies ! ' he con- 
 cluded, breaking out into sudden rage. 
 
 ' Certainly/ responded Edmund calmly ; ' but in this 
 case who are they, and what are they busy about ? ' 
 
64 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' If you want to know, they are my uncle the Cardinal 
 in the first instance one may excuse him, for, after all, 
 he is a priest and my brother, who should have been a 
 priest; and in the next instance that old spy of a German 
 my aunt has in the house/ 
 
 6 1 understand/ said Vane. ( They object to my coming 
 to the Palazzo San Rocco lest I should see too much of 
 Donna Diana. Is it not so, Lino? You need not mind 
 telling me the truth/ 
 
 ' I don't suppose it would make very much difference 
 to you if you did give up going to the Palazzo San Bocco/ 
 replied Lino. 
 
 Vane did not answer, and the other looked at him 
 keenly. 
 
 'Would it?' he repeated. 
 
 Edmund gave an embarrassed laugh. 
 
 ' I don't quite know ; it depends/ he answered. 
 
 ' And upon what, Eddie ? 9 
 
 Vane hesitated for a moment; then he rode straight at 
 his fence. 
 
 ' It depends/ he said quietly, ' upon your cousin, Donna 
 Diana.' 
 
 Lino looked at him for a moment, and then he burst 
 out laughing. 
 
 ' The pious people were right, then ! ' he exclaimed. 
 ' Oh, but it is curious how much they know of our earthly 
 passions. That old German trust a religious old maid 
 for scenting out love ! ' Then he became suddenly grave 
 again. 'But is it really true, Eddie, what you are say- 
 ing? You are not joking? It depends upon Diana, you 
 say?' 
 
 ' I'm afraid so, Lino. It is ridiculous, of course.' 
 
 ' Yes ; love is generally ridiculous at least, it is better 
 as a comedy than as a tragedy.' 
 
 Vane felt as though the warm April air had grown 
 suddenly chill, and he shivered a little. 
 
 c But what could they know ? ' he asked hastily. ' Noth- 
 ing from Donna Diana, certainly. How should they?' 
 
DONNA DIANA 65 
 
 ( Nothing from Diana no! How should they indeed! 
 Poor child! she does not know what love means yet. 
 And when she does know well, I am not sure what the 
 result will be/ 
 
 ( Comedy or tragedy ? ' said Edmund, forcing himself to 
 speak lightly. 
 
 Lino glanced at him. 
 
 6 They are very near neighbours in this Italy of ours/ 
 he replied, ' and love often brings them nearer still. I do 
 not know what to say, Eddie. I am glad for your sake 
 and for Diana's; at least, I should be glad if everything 
 could go well and smoothly. Diana would make any man 
 happy who knew how to be worthy of her; and you I 
 know you are worthy of any woman's love. Dio mio ! ' 
 he continued in Italian, 'they should be thankful to see 
 the girl so well married. But, once these signori della 
 Mesa get hold of the women of a family, there is no 
 knowing what folly may happen ; and then comedy may be 
 turned into tragedy, for the exaltation of our Holy Mother 
 the Church.' 
 
 Lino spoke bitterly enough; but Edmund had been suf- 
 ficiently long in Italy to realize that men might speak 
 bitterly against the Church and yet not be anti-Catholic, 
 and that it was the body political and social Italians 
 like Lino Savelli detested, and by no means invariably the 
 body spiritual. 
 
 6 Listen, Lino ! ' he said after a pause, edging his horse 
 closer to that of his companion. ( I have told you how 
 it is with me, and I am not going to say anything more 
 about my own feelings. We English do not gush about 
 those things, except in novels or on the stage; neither, I 
 think, do you Eomans, for that matter. I have come 
 across a good many women in my day, and with some of 
 them I have been in love you know the kind of love 
 but I have never seen any woman yet whom I wished for 
 as a wife until I saw your cousin. I can't analyze the 
 feeling, but it is there. At the same time I know, of 
 course, that Donna Diana is quite unconscious of having 
 
66 DONNA DIANA 
 
 produced it, and could not understand or reciprocate it 
 even were she not so. I am not at all sure, moreover, 
 that I wish to awaken such feelings in her/ 
 
 ' And why not ? ? asked Lino. 
 
 6 Because by doing so I might bring unhappiness to her. 
 She is contented now and happy, confident that the 
 world holds no fairer destiny for her than the one she has 
 chosen. Have I any right to thrust myself into her life, 
 and to attempt to alter her choice?' 
 
 Lino Savelli held up his hand. 
 
 ' One moment, Eddie/ he said. ' Are you sure that 
 choice has been given to her? I, for my part, am certain 
 that it has not. Otherwise I might answer you that you 
 had no right to seek to unsettle her decision, though 
 cloistered monks and nuns alike are to me an anachronism, 
 and the fewer there are in a country, the better for the 
 progress of 'that country. Diana has had no choice, I tell 
 you, and never will have any unless you give it to her ! ' 
 
 ' But why ? ' exclaimed Vane. 
 
 * I do not know I never have known/ replied Lino. 
 < " Diana means to be a nun " that is what we have heard 
 for some time now, ever since she went to the Sacre Cceur. 
 I suppose I was so accustomed to hear it that I grew to 
 regard it as a matter of course. When I returned from 
 Africa it was told me as a settled thing. I expostulated 
 at first, as I have told you, but nobody paid any attention 
 to the ideas of a cavalry soldier on such subjects.' 
 
 'But latterly you have expostulated again/ said Ed- 
 mund. ' What made you do so after having accepted the 
 situation for so long?' 
 
 Lino looked at him and smiled. 
 
 ' Why/ he replied, ' I suppose I may tell you now. I 
 imagined that you admired Diana very much. You have 
 asked me a good many questions about her, if you re- 
 member. I confess I suspected that you had fallen in 
 love with her, and it seems I was not mistaken.' 
 
 ' And so you thought you would try to fight my battle 
 for me ? ' said Edmund. ' That was like you, Lino.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 67 
 
 * I thought I would try to reason with my aunt/ 
 answered Lino. ' I have never . said a word to Diana. I 
 could not speak plainly enough to her to make her under- 
 stand; and, besides, I was not sure of your sentiments. 
 But I soon found that others had noticed your admira- 
 tion with no very great pleasure, I am afraid/ 
 
 ( And I suppose the Princess told you that she did not 
 want you to bring me to the house any more ? ? said Vane. 
 
 tf Yes not on any occasion when Diana was likely to 
 be there. That was what made me angry. I am afraid 
 I did your cause more harm than good, and my aunt 
 declared that you must have confided to me your love for 
 Diana. Luckily, I was able to assure her that you had 
 never even hinted at such a thing to me, and she believed 
 me. That is what has been worrying me the feeling 
 that I may have given you away. Now, I do not see what 
 is to be done, for you and Diana will certainly not- be 
 allowed to meet again/ 
 
 ' It would not be of much use if we did meet/ said 
 Vane gloomily. 
 
 e I am not so sure of that, Eddie. You would have to 
 be very patient, and approach her very gradually; but in 
 the end I believe her nature would triumph over these 
 morbid fancies that have been instilled into her/ 
 
 1 1 wonder why your brother dislikes me so much ? ' 
 said Edmund abruptly. 
 
 Lino shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ( If he does/ he observed, ' I should say it was because 
 you were so interfering as to save my life. He would 
 have had more money had I died in Abyssinia/ 
 
 Vane glanced at him. It was the first time he had 
 heard Lino express an opinion about his brother. 
 
 ' Marco lives upon the Cardinal/ continued Lino, ' and 
 other people live upon Marco; your friend the Countess 
 Verini, for instance, is supposed to have got a good deal 
 out of him. My uncle has paid his debts more than once, 
 I believe. His Eminence is under the impression that 
 Marco is unlucky on the Bourse. It is not my business 
 
68 DONNA DIANA 
 
 to undeceive him. But why do you think he dislikes you, 
 Eddie? You never told me that before.' 
 
 ' Why should I have told you ? It does not matter very 
 much.' 
 
 ( You think not ? ' said Lino. ' I wish I could agree 
 with you. Marco has great influence with the Cardinal, 
 and if the latter chose to favour your suit with Diana we 
 should hear very little more of her vocation for religion. 
 How your affair is to be furthered God only knows! It 
 is no use disguising the fact that you will encounter 
 powerful influences fighting against you.' 
 
 ' The most powerful influence will probably be that of 
 Donna Diana herself/ said Vane. ' Love and marriage 
 are not things that have entered into her little world. 
 It is absurd, Lino/ he added, ' a silly dream of mine upon 
 which I should never have allowed my mind to dwell. 
 You had better forget that we ever discussed the matter, 
 
 and I will try to forget also. And yet ' He broke 
 
 off with a little sigh. 
 
 ' Fiano ! ' ejaculated Lino. < Let us look at the affair 
 quietly. There is no reason to be in a hurry. In the first 
 place, are you sure that you are in love with Diana ? ' 
 
 c Oh, very sure, and equally so that she is never likely 
 to be in love with me.' 
 
 ' A mere detail, that last.' 
 
 ' A detail, you call it ? ' 
 
 ' Certainly. She has got to be shown that there is a 
 possibility of her being in love, with you or with some other 
 man it does not particularly matter with whom. No, 
 you need not be offended, Eddie, I am talking quite 
 good sense, for a wonder. She must be made to think, 
 not of spiritual lovers, but of lovers of flesh and 
 blood.' 
 
 'You look upon Diana as scarcely more than a child, 
 but you forget -that she will soon be eighteen, and at that 
 age our girls are already women.' 
 
 ' She must be made to think, I tell you, to wonder, until 
 a little curiosity to explore this unknown thing called 
 
DONNA DIANA 69 
 
 love comes to her. After that we shall see. Diana will 
 be very different from the women of her race if she stops 
 half way in her explorations. Of course,, if you can be 
 the man to arouse this curiosity in her, so much the 
 better.' 
 
 'But how can I be that man?' 
 
 Lino was silent for a moment or two. 
 
 ( I think it depends very much upon yourself/ he said 
 presently. 
 
 6 How do you mean ? ' asked Vane. 
 
 ' Well, do not be angry if I put things crudely. It de- 
 pends whether you are merely attracted by Diana's beauty 
 or whether there is some deeper and more durable attrac- 
 tion. Considering that you have had so little opportunity 
 of knowing her, it seems to me to be doubtful. I am not 
 a believer in love at first sight. In passion, yes, if you 
 like, but, my dear Eddie, in this case passion won't pull 
 you through the difficulties you will have to face in order 
 to procure its satisfaction.' 
 
 6 1 see,' replied Vane ; ' you want to be sure that I am 
 enough in earnest to warrant my striving to obtain your 
 cousin's love. Well, being human, it would be absurd to 
 deny that I was attracted in the first instance by her 
 beauty; but I was also attracted by the singularity of her 
 position. That position seemed to me to be unnatural, 
 unjust. Then another feeling took possession of me, and 
 it has never left me. It is a longing to possess the right 
 to give Donna Diana everything of which I believe that 
 she will be unjustly deprived if she is encouraged in re- 
 nouncing the world when she is ignorant of what the world 
 may contain for her. Perhaps this feeling has supplied 
 the place of a closer acquaintance with your cousin; at 
 any rate, it has satisfactorily proved to me that she has 
 some deeper attraction for me than the material attraction 
 of her beauty, though that may be powerful enough.' 
 
 Lino Savelli held out his hand. 
 
 ' If it is like that with you,' he said, ' I will do all I 
 can to help you, Eddie. I have always wished that some 
 
70 DONNA DIANA 
 
 man would come forward to save Diana from herself and 
 from those who are influencing her mind, but I little 
 thought that man would be yourself. If it had been other- 
 wise with you, I am not sure that I should have helped 
 you. I think I should have told you to look elsewhere, 
 for your own sake, as well as for Diana's/ 
 
 Edmund Vane grasped his hand for a moment. He felt 
 that it was a compact between them, and that Lino would 
 do all in his power to assist his cause, if only out of re- 
 membrance for what he (Edmund) had done for him in 
 the past. 
 
 ' Thank you, Lino/ he said simply. ' Evidently, you do 
 not regard it as a very hopeful business/ he added with a 
 slight laugh, the latter prompted by a very English desire 
 to avoid anything approaching sentimentality. 
 
 ' It will not be easy/ replied Lino. ' You must re- 
 member that, as I think I once told you, the Cardinal 
 is Diana's guardian. He might resign her dot to a con- 
 vent, but I doubt his being willing to do so to a hus- 
 band/ 
 
 ' I don't care a damn about her dot I ' said Vane ener- 
 getically. 
 
 Lino laughed. 
 
 ' I don't suppose you do/ he replied. ' If you had been 
 one of us, you would have cared about it very much, and 
 you would probably have retired from your position direct- 
 ly you suspected any difficulty in its forthcoming. That 
 is a powerful weapon in the Cardinal's hands. He has 
 absolute control over Diana's fortune until she is one-and- 
 twenty, and he knows well enough that he would only have 
 to raise difficulties in order to scare away any Italian 
 suitor who might take a fancy to her. Unluckily, Marco 
 knows it also.' 
 
 'Your brother? But what has he to do with it?' 
 asked Vane. 
 
 e I don't know, Eddie ; but that is one of the things 
 we shall have to find out. You and I will have to be 
 quite open with one another in this business. Hitherto, 
 
DONNA DIANA 71 
 
 whatever I may have thought about it, I have kept to my- 
 self, for the sake of the family. You have wondered why 
 a girl like Diana should have been allowed to develop 
 such strong religious ideas at her age. I have wondered 
 also, the more so because Diana and I used to play to- 
 gether when she was a child and I was a boy. It did 
 not take me long to understand that it was better to keep 
 my surprise to myself, and not attempt to account for 
 things that were no business of mine/ 
 
 'I dare say you were right/ said Edmund. 'I do not 
 understand all the intricacies of family life in your 
 country/ 
 
 ' No, that is just it. You do not understand. For that 
 matter we do not always understand them ourselves; for 
 strange elements often enter in upon them, producing 
 strange results. In my country, Eddie, one of these 
 elements goes by the name of religion. It is occasionally 
 made to serve many purposes, some of which are certainly 
 very good but others of which are very base.' 
 
 Vane looked at him earnestly. 
 
 ' I do not like to ask you what you mean to imply/ he 
 said after a pause. 
 
 ( No, do not ask me yet. When I am able to give you a 
 definite answer, I will do so. In the meantime avoid the 
 Palazzo San Eocco. Diana will be there for Easter, and 
 she will not return to the Sacre Cceur that I know. How 
 long it may be before she enters upon her novitiate I do 
 not know as yet. You must trust to me for a little while 
 'to do what I can for you.' 
 
 Edmund nodded. 
 
 ' Of course/ he replied. 
 
 And Lino, without saying anything more, made his 
 horse break into a trot. 
 
 The sun was setting as they mounted the hill above Tor 
 di Quinto and looked down on the lower part of Eome. 
 The cupola of St. Peter's, purple-black, stood out against 
 a background, flame-coloured, and shot here and there 
 with broad rays as of molten gold. Neither Vane nor 
 
72 DONNA DIANA 
 
 his companion spoke much until they reached the Porta 
 del Popolo, where they had directed a groom to await 
 them and lead the horses home, riding within the gates 
 of the city being both disagreeable and unsafe on account 
 of the worn pavements, that are often slippery as glass 
 when any moisture is in the air. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 'THE sacrifice of God/ said Cardinal Savelli, 'is a pure 
 spirit/ 
 
 Princess San Rocco sighed. 
 
 ' I know, Camillo/ she replied. ' Of course, we must 
 not presume to interfere with His ways, but ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at his sister with some surprise. 
 
 ( You are regretting the world for Diana ? ' he asked in- 
 credulously. ' I should have thought, Vittoria, that you 
 would be thankful to feel she was preserved from it.' 
 
 'But I am thankful/ replied Princess San Rocco; 'I 
 would not have it otherwise. Only, one cannot help won- 
 dering you "know, what the world might have had in store 
 for the child.' 
 
 The Cardinal waved his hand a little impatiently. 
 
 ' We know what the world has in store for each of us/ 
 he said. e A few joys, perhaps, and a great many troubles 
 and temptations. Diana will have joys, too, and peace, 
 which is the fulness of joy. Do you not suppose that God 
 knows better than we can know what He is shielding her 
 from by calling upon her to give up the world ? ' 
 
 ' Quite true/ observed the Princess. ' Of course, I see 
 it all in the same light as you do. But lately I have had 
 some misgivings. Fabrizio ' 
 
 ' What has Fabrizio been saying ? ' asked the Cardinal. 
 
 'He never says very much, you know, but I can see he 
 feels that Diana should see something of the world before 
 beginning her novitiate. I don't agree with him, of 
 course; but, you see, Camillo, other people might think 
 the same thing. They cannot know how different Diana 
 is from other girls of her age, or understand that she has 
 no desire except to enter religion. 5 
 
 73 
 
74 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Fabrizio ! ' repeated Cardinal Savelli somewhat scorn- 
 fully. 6 1 do not think you need pay much heed to what 
 he says on such subjects,' he added, with a smile. 
 
 ' I never do/ said the Princess tranquilly. ' But lat- 
 terly he has recurred to the question several times. I 
 really think he is not quite easy in his mind about it. He 
 is fond of Diana, you know and of Lino.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli frowned. 
 
 ( Ah, Lino ! 9 he observed, looking at his sister inquir- 
 ingly. ' He, of course, would be on the side of the world. 
 I hope that Fabrizio has not been discussing the matter 
 with Lino, Vittpria?' 
 
 ' Not that I am aware of. But Lino discussed it with 
 me a few days ago/ 
 
 <Ah!' 
 
 ' He is, as you say, on the side of the world. He thinks 
 that Diana should know something of what she is giving 
 up/ 
 
 The Cardinal rose from his chair, and began to pace up 
 and down the room. 
 
 ' Of course, he is against his religion,' he said irritably. 
 * What could you expect, after the life he has led ? Do 
 you suppose that I should countenance Diana taking this 
 step if I were not convinced that she is one of those whom 
 God has marked out for His service ? ' 
 
 Princess San Eocco was silent. If Cardinal Savelli was 
 her brother, he was also a Prince of the Church, and she 
 would scarcely have thought of arguing with him. 
 
 ' There is another thing I wish to ask you about/ con- 
 tinued the Cardinal. c This English friend of Lino's 
 I hear he has often visited you, and that you made him 
 acquainted with Diana. That was not wise, Vittoria. If 
 the child is to pursue her vocation, the less she sees of 
 strange men the better.' 
 
 ' I did not make them acquainted/ replied the Princess. 
 'Lino introduced him to Diana. I was vexed, for I had 
 noticed that Mr. Vane admired her; and it is useless to 
 encourage anything of the kind as far as she is concerned. 
 
DONNA DIANA 75 
 
 But you know that he is a Catholic, Camillo, so, of course, 
 I took care to let him know all about Diana as soon as 
 I saw he was interested in her.' 
 
 ' They are often terribly independent, the English Cath- 
 olics/ said Cardinal Savelli, with a sigh. ' We have to be 
 very gentle with them, or we should frighten away the 
 converts. But let us hope that no mischief has been done. 
 You will not have him in the house, of course, while Diana 
 is here ? ' 
 
 ' Oh, I have arranged for that/ answered the Princess. 
 f I told Lino quite plainly that I did not wish it. He was 
 very angry; but, at least, he will have understood that I 
 cannot allow him to bring Mr. Vane until Diana leaves us/ 
 
 ' Quite right, it would be most undesirable/ said the 
 Cardinal. ' I should like to see Diana/ he continued. 
 ' She is in the house, I conclude ? ' 
 
 ' I will send for her/ replied Princess San Eocco ; and, 
 ringing the bell, she told a servant to let Donna Diana 
 know that the Cardinal wished to see her. ' She will be 
 with Frau von Eaben/ she added. 
 
 ' An excellent woman ! ' observed the Cardinal. 
 
 ' Ah yes ! ' assented the Princess. ( It is such a com- 
 fort to have Frau von Eaben in the house a woman who 
 has known the world, too. You need not be afraid of Mr. 
 Vane and Diana having much opportunity of talking to 
 each other while she is about. She hates him/ 
 
 'Yes?' asked Cardinal Savelli. 
 
 ' Certainly. It was she who warned me to be on my 
 guard against him. She overheard Giulia and Maria say- 
 ing to one another that Lino's English friend could not 
 take his eyes off Diana.' 
 
 6 She said as much to Marco/ observed the Cardinal. 
 ' It is very useful to have a trustworthy woman like Frau 
 von Eaben about where there are young people. And 
 Marco, too ! I do not know what I should do without 
 Marco, Vittoria. I always say that through him I know 
 what is going on in the world, and what people are say- 
 ing.' 
 
76 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Princess San Rocco was about to reply, when the door 
 opened and her niece came into the room. 
 
 Diana Savelli advanced slowly and almost timidly 
 towards her uncle, and dropped him a little curtsey as 
 she kissed his hand. She was very simply dressed in 
 white, which colour showed off the warm, rich tint of her 
 complexion. 
 
 As she walked down the long drawing-room the Prin- 
 cess thought she had never seen the girl look more beauti- 
 ful. Young as she was, there was a certain dignity in 
 her movements that would have become a matron. Her 
 small head was carried erect enough, though it was evi- 
 dent that she was nervous at being thus unexpectedly 
 summoned to an interview with the Cardinal. 
 
 The latter started slightly as she approached him. It 
 was some time since he had seen Diana, and it struck him 
 that there was more of the woman in her, and less of the 
 young girl whom he had last visited at the Sacre Cceur. 
 
 He patted her head in a fatherly manner, and motioned 
 to her to sit down near him. 
 
 Princess San Rocco rose from her chair. 
 
 ' I will leave you and Diana to have a little talk,' she 
 said, glancing at her brother, ' and will rejoin you pres- 
 ently.' 
 
 There was a pause after she had left the room. Diana 
 looked out of the window when she could see the swifts 
 wheeling about in the blue sky and hear their shrill 
 screams as they chased each other round and round the 
 roof-tops of the old palace. She loved them, and always 
 felt glad when she first heard their cries in the early days 
 of April, proclaiming that the winter was over and gone, 
 and that spring had really come. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sat silently playing with the golden 
 chain hanging round his neck, to which was attached a 
 jewelled cross half concealed in the folds of his scarlet 
 sash. 
 
 Every now and then his eyes rested on his niece, and he 
 would look away with a slight sigh. 
 
DONNA DIANA 77 
 
 ' So, my child/ he said at length, ' your days in the 
 Sacre Coeur are over. I dare say you regret them.' 
 
 ( Yes/ replied Diana simply. ' I was very happy there. 
 Now it seems strange to think that I shall never go back. 
 I think I would like to have remained there always, uncle/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli smiled indulgently. 
 
 ' You should be very thankful, figlia mia/ he said, ' that 
 the good God has given you such a spirit. It is not every 
 girl who knows where to look for true happiness for that 
 peace which is not of this world. And you are still stead- 
 fast in your determination, Diana? You wish sincerely 
 and honestly to enter a religious life ? ' 
 
 ' I have never thought of anything else/ answered Diana 
 softly. 
 
 ' Bene, bene ! ' said the Cardinal approvingly. ' It is a 
 glorious vocation, my child, and your words make me very 
 happy. But I would not have you take any such step 
 without earnest consideration. You are almost a woman 
 now, andwell, we have every one of us to struggle with 
 our human nature, more especially when we are young. 
 Have you ever thought of all that God will require you 
 to give up for His sake, Diana?' 
 
 Diana looked at him a little wonderingly. 
 
 ' But I have nothing to give up/ she said. ' I have often 
 wished I had something that I could give up; because 
 then, you know, I should feel more worthy. Of course 
 I shall be sorry not to see my uncle San Eocco and my 
 aunt any more or, at least, so rarely and Lino, too. 
 But otherwise it will not be very different from the life 
 I have always led, will it?' 
 
 'No, no/ replied the Cardinal heartily, 'it will not be 
 very different. But, Diana, there are other things in life 
 than our affection for our family. Have you ever thought 
 why it is that all men and women have not a vocation for 
 conventual life? why people marry each other, and have 
 children whom they love ? ' 
 
 Diana fixed her large brown eyes on his face, and Car- 
 dinal Savelli averted his own quickly. 
 
78 DONNA DIANA 
 
 e I suppose/ she said slowly, ' that they love each other. 
 I have read of that sometimes. The Madonna loved 
 St. Joseph, did she not, uncle?' 
 
 ( Oh, undoubtedly ! ' said the Cardinal. 
 
 ( But then she loved her Son more,' continued Diana 
 quietly. ' That is what Frau von Kaben and Madame 
 de Bonneval at the Sacre Coeur have always explained to 
 me. We have Him to love, and the saints. There would 
 be no room in our hearts for anybody else if we really 
 loved them and knew that they really loved us.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli hesitated. 
 
 6 But that is spiritual love,' he said. ( It is not the love 
 that makes men and women want to marry each other. 
 Has Frau von Eaben never spoken to you of this last, 
 Diana, or Madame de Bonneval?' 
 
 6 Oh yes,' answered Diana carelessly. ' But I do not 
 see that it matters. Madame de Bonneval has never spoken 
 much about it, but Frau von Eaben frequently does so. 
 She has often told me that I should regard myself as a 
 bride when I come to take the veil that I should find all 
 the happiness people find in marriage, and none of the 
 cares and troubles.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rubbed his hands quietly together and 
 did not speak for a moment or two. 
 
 'And your aunt?' he said presently. 'What does she 
 tell you ? ' 
 
 c Aunt Vittoria ? ' and Diana paused hesitatingly. 
 
 ' What does your Aunt Vittoria tell you ? ' repeated the 
 Cardinal.' 
 
 ( Well,' replied Diana with a little smile, ( you see, uncle, 
 she never remembers that I am no longer a child I am so 
 much younger, of course, than Giulia and Maria that I 
 suppose it is natural. So I have never liked to say any- 
 thing to her.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at his niece narrowly. 
 
 ' You have never liked to say anything? ' he interrupted. 
 ' Then, there is something you feel you would like to ask 
 her, Diana ? ' 
 
DONNA DIANA 79 
 
 The girl blushed a little. 
 
 ' Oh, they are silly things/ she replied hastily. ' But 
 sometimes I hear my cousins talking to each other and 
 some of the girls at the Sacre Cceur, too and I do not 
 know what they mean. I never feel I can ask Aunt Vit- 
 toria; but Frau von Eaben told me that I might always 
 ask her if I heard anything about about things I did not 
 understand.' 
 
 The Cardinal passed his hand across his eyes and leaned 
 back in his chair, while a slight sigh escaped him. 
 
 1 Quite right, my child quite right/ he said gently: 
 ' Frau von Raben will always give you good advice ; I am 
 sure of that.' 
 
 Then, as though a sudden thought had struck him, he 
 leaned forward and looked at her again. 
 
 'But Lino he has never talked to you of anything of 
 the kind, Diana ? ' 
 
 Diana smiled. 
 
 ' Lino is like Aunt Vittoria/ she replied. ' He always 
 treats me as a child at least, he has always done so until 
 lately. But Marco 
 
 ( Marco ! ' exclaimed the Cardinal. 
 
 c Oh; it was my fault, uncle. I should have got up and 
 shown myself, but I hid myself for fun.' 
 
 ' I don't know what you are talking about, Diana/ said 
 Cardinal Savelli somewhat severely. ( What did Marco say 
 to you?' 
 
 ' He was talking to Giulia and Maria/ answered Diana. 
 ( It was some weeks ago here, in this room. They did 
 not know I was sitting in one of the windows ; they could 
 not see me on account of the curtain.' 
 
 'Yes?' 
 
 < And they began to talk about me ; and Giulia laughed 
 and told Marco 
 
 < Go on, my child/ said the Cardinal, as Diana stopped 
 abruptly. 
 
 'It was very silly/ continued the latter, blushing, 'but 
 Giulia said that Mr. Vane Lino's friend, you know 
 
80 DONNA DIANA 
 
 never looked at anybody but me when I was in the room. 
 Marco was very angry, and said horrid things about Mr. 
 Vane, and about Lino also. Then I was angry, for it was 
 a great shame to abuse Lino and Mr. Vane behind their 
 backs, and I came out into the room and told Marco so/ 
 
 Diana rose and stood in front of the Cardinal. She 
 tapped her foot impatiently on the floor, and her eyes 
 flashed with a light certainly not generated by meekness. 
 
 ' It was a great shame of Marco/ she repeated. ' Don't 
 you think so, uncle? Lino was not there to defend him- 
 self, and ' 
 
 ' Hush, Diana ! ' said Cardinal Savelli, a little taken 
 aback at this sudden outburst. ' Marco was quite right to 
 be annoyed at Giulia's silly remark. No doubt he was 
 hasty, and angry with Lino for bringing a foreigner here 
 who seems to have forgotten his good manners. But 
 Mr. Vane is English, you know; and the English do 
 not understand our customs. Indeed, they cannot under- 
 stand any customs but their own, so we must make allow- 
 ances for their stupidity. But what did Marco say to 
 you?' 
 
 'A great many things/ replied Diana, relapsing into 
 calmness. e I have forgotten most of them.' 
 
 ' Meglio cosi ! ' said the Cardinal ; ' you need not try to 
 remember them. Keep your thoughts fixed upon the holy 
 life which Almighty God, in His care for you, has willed 
 that you should choose, figlia mia. All other thoughts are 
 idleness. Pray, meditate, examine yourself closely, in or- 
 der that, when the time comes, you may be fitted to receive 
 the embraces of the spiritual lover who is awaiting you. 
 Remember that everything you possess your intelligence, 
 your beauty, your very being comes from Him ; and then, 
 if you remember this, it will be your joy and your pride 
 to feel that you are going to give them back to Him intact, 
 spotless, as you have received them/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose as he spoke these last words, and 
 Diana kneeled as he laid his hand upon her head. A ray 
 of sunshine streamed through the window beside them. It 
 
DONNA DIANA 81 
 
 fell upon Diana's hair, turning its glossy chestnut tints 
 into a mass of burnished gold, in the midst of which 
 flashed and glittered the diamonds of the Cardinal's ring, 
 the emerald set in the centre of which gleamed like the 
 green eye of a snake. 
 
 e God bless you, my child ! ' said Cardinal Savelli some- 
 what hastily. ' Go and tell your aunt that our little talk 
 is over, and ask her to come to me, as I must be going 
 home.' 
 
 Making a slight curtsey, Diana turned and went slowly 
 from the room, leaving the Cardinal standing by the win- 
 dow, out of which he gazed abstractedly. 
 
 ' It is extraordinary/ he said to himself, as she disap- 
 peared behind a heavy silken portiere, ' marvellous, how 
 pure the human mind can be when it is shielded from the 
 inroads of human passions ! ' And yet as he spoke he 
 sighed. 
 
 He had been anxious to test the effects of the mental 
 training that his niece had received ; and while in one sense 
 the result was satisfactory, Cardinal Savelli felt almost 
 startled by it. 
 
 A vague feeling of uneasiness took possession of him 
 uneasiness mingled with a sense of regret for which, as 
 a Churchman, he could hardly account. That the few 
 months which had elapsed since he had last seen Diana 
 should have wrought such a marked development in her 
 struck him with a surprise that was almost painful. To 
 divert the channel of a slender stream was comparatively 
 a simple matter; but to restrain the course of a flowing 
 river might prove to be another affair altogether. It was 
 in vain Cardinal Savelli argued to himself that Diana had 
 the vocation for religion. Her very presence seemed to be 
 a contradiction, a silent but damning proof of the impo- 
 tency of such an argument. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli asked of himself somewhat impatiently 
 why God made such women, and the answer was not at all 
 satisfactory. 
 
 He might have asked himself a parallel question a hun- 
 
83 DONNA DIANA 
 
 dred times a day, when he looked out of his carriage win- 
 dow at the bands of able-bodied young men walking two 
 and two through the streets of Rome,, clad in their semi- 
 narist's dress, their pallid countenances often expressive 
 of a weariness both mental and moral. 
 
 But Cardinal Savelli was no sociologist, and it never en- 
 tered his head to ask any questions of the kind. 
 
 In the midst of his reflections his sister re-entered the 
 drawing-room. 
 
 6 Diana told me you were going/ she said. ' I hope your 
 conversation with her has been satisfactory, Camillo/ 
 
 6 Yes/ answered the Cardinal, ' in so far as I am satis- 
 fied that her mind has not been unsettled in any way, and 
 that she has never perceived this Englishman's interest 
 in her/ 
 
 ( I was sure she had not/ observed the Princess. 
 
 ' Nevertheless/ continued Cardinal Savelli, ' I am sorry 
 to hear from her that she has overheard some talk about 
 it, and Marco appears to have been indiscreet with her. 
 It would have been wiser to ignore it, but I do not think 
 she has allowed herself to dwell upon it. It is extraor- 
 dinary, Vittoria, what a great vocation Diana has! One 
 would say that the Madonna had interposed to prevent all 
 worldly instincts from gaining any footing in her mind.' 
 
 ' I think that Frau von Raben's influence has been won- 
 derful/ remarked Princess San Rocco. 
 
 The Cardinal's eyelids quivered slightly, and the faint- 
 est suspicion of a smile hovered about the corners of his 
 mouth. 
 
 ' Oh, undoubtedly ! ' he replied ; ' Frau von Raben has 
 been an instrument; but we must not forget that Diana 
 is a " Child of Mary," and as such we may believe has been 
 specially protected/ 
 
 ' Of course/ said the Princess hurriedly. ' I did not 
 mean to imply any ingratitude towards the Madonna, Ca- 
 millo. Probably we owe it to her that Frau von Raben is 
 so faithful to us, and that she is such a holy woman. But 
 before you go I wanted to ask you what has been settled 
 
DONNA DIANA 83 
 
 about Diana entering upon her novitiate. It will not be 
 advisable to keep her here too long. Of course I am very 
 careful ; but one can never be quite sure what a young girl 
 may not see or hear in a city like Eome. Then, it is dif- 
 ficult to arrange about her going out. I do not like her to 
 walk in the streets with Frau von Eaben even in the early 
 morning. She is so stared at, and Frau von Eaben de- 
 clares that one day last week a man followed them, and 
 looked very significantly at her at Diana, I mean. I 
 can't always spare the carriage, you know, as I have 
 so often to take Giulia and Maria to pay calls in the 
 afternoons/ 
 
 ( Where do you send her to walk ? ' asked the Cardinal. 
 
 'Well, latterly I have taken to sending her to the gar- 
 dens of the Palazzo Castelnuovo. They are so large that 
 she can get plenty of exercise; and, of course, with old 
 Princess Castelnuovo she is perfectly safe. The Princess 
 is very kind ; she begged me to send Diana there whenever 
 I liked to do so.' 
 
 ( An excellent plan ! 9 observed Cardinal Savelli. 
 
 ' I have been in correspondence with the Mother Supe- 
 rior of a convent in Florence/ he continued. ' Diana can 
 go there early in the autumn, but not before. You might 
 send her and Frau von Eaben to Magnano early in June, 
 might you not? It would be better for every reason than 
 keeping her in Eome till you go there yourselves, which 
 you will not do till after St. Peter's Day, I suppose. In 
 any case, I will let you know as soon as I have been able 
 to make some definite arrangements with the Eeverend 
 Mother. Of course, you will not have that Englishman 
 in the house again while Diana is here; and, Yittoria, 
 I fear that Lino is not a very good companion for her. 
 The two young men are great friends, you know, and there 
 might be some collusion between them/ 
 
 'You need not be afraid/ said the Princess. 'I shall 
 not receive Mr. Vane if he calls. It is very easy to say 
 that I am out; and, of course, now Easter is over, I have 
 given up my day for receiving. As for Lino, I will take 
 
84 DONNA DIANA 
 
 care that he and Diana shall not see much of each 
 other/ 
 
 * For the present/ said Cardinal Savelli, ' that will be 
 the wiser course. We should not be justified in exposing 
 Diana to any disturbing influences on the eve of her novi- 
 tiate. Naturally, should she change her mind during its 
 period, it will be quite a different matter. She is abso- 
 lutely free to do so, and no power can make her take the 
 final vows against her own free will.' 
 
 ' Of course not/ said the Princess. 
 
 * Three years are time enough to decide whether her voca- 
 tion is really such as we believe it to be/ added Cardinal 
 Savelli. ' Should doubts arise in her mind during that 
 time, there would be nothing to prevent her from coming 
 out of the convent and mixing with the world.' 
 
 * That is just what I say, Camillo/ said the Princess. 
 ( Lino insists that Diana ought to mix with the world now, 
 and Fabrizio, I believe, half agrees with him. But it is 
 quite absurd ! ' 
 
 'It would be very wrong/ returned Cardinal Savelli. 
 ' Deliberately to disturb the wonderful peace of mind 
 which has been given to Diana that blessing of pureness 
 of spirit by exposing it to worldly influences, would be 
 a grievous crime. We dare not offend one of Christ's little 
 ones, and surely Diana is as a child in His eyes, and He is 
 calling her. If He finds the path that she has chosen 
 too hard a one to follow to the end, He will bid her 
 choose another. But we have no right to interfere, Vit- 
 toria.' 
 
 The Cardinal walked towards the door as he uttered 
 these words, and Princess San Rocco accompanied him 
 through the long suite of rooms to the anticamera, on the 
 threshold of which she took leave of him. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli's servant was in waiting, and attended 
 him down the great staircase to his carriage, which was 
 standing in the courtyard below, and in which he was 
 driven back to his residence in the Via Giulia. 
 
 The carriage had hardly passed through the portone of 
 
DONNA DIANA 85 
 
 the Palazzo San Eocco and out into the streets, when the 
 Cardinal drew out his Breviary, unconscious of the cu- 
 rious glances of the passers-by as he drove through the 
 narrow vicoli. His lips moved rapidly as he recited his 
 office, and his red-gloved hand occasionally made the sign 
 of the cross on his breast. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 DIANA SAVELLI, on leaving the Cardinal's presence, found 
 Frau von Raben waiting for her in Princess San Rocco' s 
 sitting-room, a small apartment situated at the end of the 
 long suite of rooms, and furnished somewhat more in ac- 
 cordance with modern ideas of comfort than the latter. 
 The Palazzo" San Rocco, indeed, was one of the old Roman 
 palaces into which few foreign innovations had made their 
 way. In the vast reception-rooms everything was on a scale 
 of stately discomfort. Although there had been a fort- 
 night of beautiful April weather, the warm, balmy air 
 from without had not yet penetrated the interior of the 
 massive block of buildings, and the atmosphere of the 
 rooms was chilly and depressing. The rich silks with 
 which the walls were hung, the beautiful cinquecento cabi- 
 nets and heavily gilded furniture, the fine paintings and 
 pieces of antique sculpture, seemed to increase rather than 
 diminish the sense of a want of the creature comforts by 
 which such possessions would have been accompanied in 
 Northern countries. In the Princess's own sitting-room, 
 however, there was less ostentation, and it contained such 
 luxuries as an open fireplace, a few modern arm-chairs 
 and sofas, and at. least one table on which there were books. 
 Of flowers or plants not a trace was to be seen, Princess 
 San Rocco being a believer in the old Italian tradition of 
 flowers in living-rooms not being healthy. It must by no 
 means be supposed, however, that the interior of Palazzo 
 San Rocco was a fair specimen of the mode of inhabiting 
 a Roman palace in the present day. It represented, rather, 
 a type rapidly vanishing before the influences of foreign 
 ideas, the modern Romans having learned from the Ameri- 
 cans, English, French, and Russian tenants of their medie- 
 
DONXA DIANA 87 
 
 val homes how to combine magnificence with luxury and 
 comfort in every-day life. In Casa San Eocco, owing more 
 to the traditions in which the Princess had been brought up 
 than to any conservative instincts on the part of the Prince, 
 the ways of the foreigner were scorned. Xo American or 
 English nouveaux riches had ever rented the piano nobile 
 of the Palazzo San Eocco, and by means of their dollars 
 and their cook taken Eoman society by storm, nor had 
 any foreign Government ever temporarily acquired it as an 
 Embassy. 
 
 The spirit of modernity still occasionally finds a closed 
 door in Eome, and the daily life of fifty, or even a hun- 
 dred, years ago is yet being led in a few grim palaces lying 
 half forgotten in the old quarters of the Italian capital. 
 
 As Diana Savelli had been only eight years old when 
 her parents died and she went to live with her uncle and 
 aunt in the Palazzo San Eocco, she had grown up, as it 
 were, in the shadow of the past. No children's balls and 
 parties had enlivened her youthful days, for the Princess 
 did not approve of such things. The little festivals that 
 occurred at rare intervals during the year the celebra- 
 tion of name-days, Christmas, or the Befana, when the 
 streets about the Palazzo San Bocco resounded hideously 
 with the shrill blasts of horns and penny trumpets, and 
 when the crowds flocked to see the children preaching in 
 the church of the Ara Coeli were festivals observed in 
 the strict privacy of the family circle. On most children 
 so isolated an existence would have impressed its mark. 
 It had done so, indeed, in the case of the Princess's two 
 daughters, Donna Giulia and Donna Maria Petrucci. 
 
 Diana's two cousins, both some years older than herself, 
 had developed into listless, apathetic young women who 
 viewed with little sympathy her natural vivacity and high 
 spirits which not even the atmosphere of the Palazzo San 
 Eocco had been able entirely to suppress. In common with 
 many high-spirited people, Diana Savelli was given to 
 occasional fits of dreaminess and abstraction, and these 
 had visited her more frequently as she grew older. 
 
88 DONNA DIANA 
 
 temperament, indeed, was very similar to that of her fa- 
 vourite cousin, Lino. But in his case an active life had 
 modified these introspective tendencies, while Diana's sur- 
 roundings had, on the contrary, persistently encouraged 
 them. Even in the Sacre Cceur she had found herself 
 environed by an atmosphere more serious and, in a sense, 
 mystical than that in which the majority of her com- 
 panions moved. In the Convent on the Trinita dei Monti, 
 as in the Palazzo San Kocco, it had speedily become an un- 
 derstood thing that Diana Savelli was going to be a nun ; 
 and she was left to consort with one or two other girls 
 who, like herself, were known to have a vocation to 
 religion. 
 
 Of the ladies at the Sacre Cceur, Madame de Bonneval, 
 of whom she had spoken to the Cardinal, was her favour- 
 ite and especial friend so far as any friendship was per- 
 mitted to exist between one of the ladies and a pupil. 
 Madame de Bonneval was a woman of between thirty and 
 forty, ill-favoured externally, but more than compensated 
 therefor by a singular charm of disposition, and a certain 
 generous breadth of mind more frequently to be found 
 among those who have sought a refuge from the world in 
 religion than among those unable to leave religion behind 
 them when in the world. 
 
 Diana found her aunt engaged in conversation with 
 Frau von Raben when she entered her sitting-room in 
 order to give her the Cardinal's message. Frau von Raben 
 was speaking in her Teutonic Italian, which she talked 
 fluently and dramatically, though her d's became i' s, and 
 her b's turned into p's after the manner of her nation 
 when pronouncing the Italian tongue. She stopped ab- 
 ruptly as Diana came into the room, but not before the 
 latter's quick ears caught the sound of her own name. 
 The Princess looked at her niece somewhat curiously; but 
 Diana, though grave, was quiet and self-possessed, and did 
 not appear at all disturbed by her interview with Cardinal 
 Savelli. 
 
 ' So/ said Frau von Raben, when the Princess had left 
 
DONNA 'DIANA 89 
 
 them together, ' you have been talking with his Eminence, 
 Diana. And what did he say to you ? ' 
 
 ' He wanted to know if I still intended to be a nun,' 
 said Diana. ( I don't know why he should think that I 
 had changed my mind since he last saw me/ 
 
 e And what else did he want to know ? ' pursued Frau 
 von Raben. 
 
 ' Oh, whether I had thought well what it meant, and if I 
 were sure that I had overcome my earthly nature suf- 
 ficiently. I never heard my uncle talk as he did just now,' 
 proceeded Diana. 'He seemed as if he wanted to say a 
 great deal more, but was afraid to do so.' 
 
 Frau von Raben drew her chair nearer to Diana. 
 
 ( What do you think he wanted to say ? ' she asked. 
 
 Diana was silent for a moment. 
 
 ' He asked me if I had ever thought why people marry 
 each other,' she said presently. 
 
 Frau von Raben gave a very perceptible start of aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 * Herr Gott ! ' she exclaimed in her native language, 
 under her breath. ' What do you mean, Diana ? ' she 
 continued. 
 
 . ' Well, just that,' answered Diana tranquilly. c I don't 
 know why he asked me. As I shall never be married, I 
 don't see that it matters whether I have thought about it 
 or not.' 
 
 'Ah, but it does matter,' said Frau von Raben hastily. 
 ' The Cardinal wished to ask you whether you allowed your 
 mind to dwell upon certain things whether your thoughts 
 were pure.' 
 
 Diana interrupted her a little impatiently. 
 
 ' One's thoughts are one's own,' she said, ' and you have 
 often told me, Frau von Raben, that I should think of 
 Christ as if He were to be my bridegroom.' 
 
 Frau von Raben pursed up her lips. 
 
 f Yes/ she replied ; ' but that is a kind of spiritual love, 
 you know. Not but what, in a truly devout mind, it may 
 become so intensified as to be almost physical but this 
 
90 DOXNA DIANA 
 
 is the effect of the mind on the body. To arrive at such 
 a blessed state, to enjoy spiritual delights keener than 
 any bodily ones, the natural longing after material love 
 must be utilized. Your uncle, no doubt, wished to ascer- 
 tain the exact state of your mind, Diana.' 
 
 Frau von Eaben looked at the girl inquisitively as she 
 uttered this last remark. Diana drew a little away from 
 her. She had always had an instinctive dislike of Frau 
 von Eaben for which she was unable to account. This 
 dislike had rather increased than otherwise since she had 
 left the Sacre C'ceur and had been in daily contact with 
 her cousins' dame de compagnie. She compared her with 
 Madame de Bonneval, and wondered why it was that the 
 latter always inspired her with a sense of protective good- 
 ness, while Frau von Eaben, with all her apparent kind- 
 ness and high religious ideals, gave her an indefinable con- 
 sciousness of evil. 
 
 ' Did the Cardinal ask you any more questions ? ' con- 
 tinued Frau von Eaben, as Diana kept silence. 
 
 6 He said that if I was troubled with anything that I 
 did not understand, I was to ask you,' said Diana hesitat- 
 ingly. She felt disinclined to tell Frau von Eaben what 
 had passed between her uncle and herself on the subject of 
 Mr. Vane. 
 
 'Yes, of course/ responded Frau von Eaben, a little 
 eagerly. ' You must confide in me, Diana. I have always 
 told you so. You must not be afraid that I shall not un- 
 derstand you, or that I should be shocked at anything 
 you might have to tell me. I have been young myself, 
 you know, and not so very long ago as to make me forget 
 how strong the passions of youth can be. Of course, I 
 have never been married ; but that does not make any dif- 
 ference, as you will find out when you grow older.' 
 
 Diana looked at her. There was the same expression, 
 half inquiring, half incredulous, and wholly innocent, in 
 her brown eyes that had caused Cardinal Savelli to look 
 away with a sigh as he met it. Frau von Eaben looked 
 away too, but she did not sigh. 
 
DONNA DIANA 91 
 
 'It is very old/ said Diana slowly. 'I do not under- 
 stand what it is that you are all afraid of. You have talked 
 so. often to me during these last months of all kinds of 
 mysterious feelings which I don't feel. I asked Madame 
 de Bonneval about Hhem, and what you meant/ 
 
 'And what did Madame de Bonneval say?' inquired 
 Frau von Eaben. 
 
 ' Oh, she laughed, and told me not to trouble myself 
 about trifles. She said that God knew what He was doing 
 when He made men and women, and that He would show 
 me what was the best for me/ 
 
 Frau von Eaben frowned. 
 
 ' She probably does not understand/ she said. ' Per- 
 haps she has never had any of these temptations to ma- 
 terial love ; or, if she has had them, she has forgotten them. 
 Besides, Madame de Bonneval is very ugly/ 
 
 Diana laughed. 
 
 ' Poor Madame de Bonneval ! ' she said. ' She is not 
 pretty, certainly, but I don't see what that matters/ 
 
 ' It matters very much/ replied Frau von Eaben impa- 
 tiently. ' What a child you are, Diana ! Of course, good- 
 looking people must have more temptations than ugly ones. 
 What do you suppose makes men stare at pretty faces 
 as that English gentleman your cousin brought here stared 
 at you, for instance ? ' 
 
 Diana coloured slightly, and did not reply. She sat 
 looking straight in front of her, her low, straight brows 
 slightly knitted. An artist looking at her just then would 
 have been reminded of the expression on the face of the 
 Capitoline Antinous. 
 
 ' Mr. Vane/ she said thoughtfully, after a pause ( he 
 has not been here for a long time not since before Easter 
 and neither has Lino/ 
 
 Frau von Eaben coughed discreetly. 
 
 'It is better that he should not come/ she replied. C I 
 hope, Diana, that you have not been thinking about him/ 
 
 * I am sorry he does not come/ said Diana. ' He is 
 very pleasant, I think. As for Lino, he has never been so 
 
92 DONNA DIANA 
 
 long without coming here. Why do they stop away, 
 madame ? ' 
 
 Frau von Eaben took her knitting from off the table 
 near her, and her needles began to work rapidly. She was 
 always knitting, and appeared to be ici a perpetual state 
 of turning the heel of a stocking. Diana often wondered 
 who wore the stockings, and thought how hot and uncom- 
 fortable they must be. 
 
 The prefix of Frau accorded to Frau von Eaben in Casa 
 Rocco was purely a courtesy title. 
 
 As Lino had said to Edmund Vane, she possessed that 
 keen eye for sexual phenomena so often to be met with in 
 middle-aged spinsters with pronounced religious convic- 
 tions; and added to this was much of the sentimentality 
 common to her race. Marriage that natural alkaline 
 to the acidity latent in the female temperament had been 
 denied to her; possibly, as Lino declared, owing to the 
 practical foresight of the male Teutonic mind. 
 
 Debarred by the proprieties from loving her neighbour, 
 Frau von Eaben had turned her attention to the love of 
 God, seeking to satisfy in spiritual ecstasies the cravings 
 of her material nature. One of the results of this per- 
 petual striving to extract from the spiritual a satisfactory 
 counterfeit of the joys of the physical had been a consum- 
 ing jealousy towards those whom she suspected of the 
 simple, human desire to satisfy the dictates of their nature 
 in a frankly unspiritual way. 
 
 Since she had been an inmate of Casa San Eocco, Frau 
 von Eaben had had little opportunity of discovering in- 
 cipient love affairs. Donna Giulia and Donna Maria 
 Petrucci's relations with the opposite sex would, if any 
 suitable opportunity presented itself, be arranged by their 
 own parents and those of their prospective husbands, very 
 much in the same way as the alliances of their favourite 
 dogs might be arranged. The Princess San Eocco was not 
 likely to abandon the good old tradition that love should 
 come after marriage and not before. Among Northern 
 races other customs might be indulged in with little or no 
 
DONNA DIANA 93 
 
 risk; but in the case of the Latin races common-sense had 
 shown the necessity of certain safeguards as to the utility 
 of which foreigners were unable to be competent judges. 
 
 It was not to be wondered at, therefore, if all Frau von 
 Eaben's suspicions should have been aroused by the sudden 
 advent of a young Englishman into the San Eocco family 
 circle. 
 
 She knew the habits and customs of the English in 
 matters of love, and was aware that the young men and 
 women of that antipathetic nation were allowed to settle 
 the preliminaries of such matters for themselves. A very 
 little observation of Edmund Vane had convinced Frau 
 von Eaben that he intended to ravish Diana from the arms 
 of her spiritual bridegroom, and she had hastened to ac- 
 quaint Cardinal Savelli with her fears. 
 
 In doing this, Frau von Eaben had only performed 
 what she believed to be her duty. She was well aware of 
 the Cardinal's satisfaction at the vocation for religion that 
 had manifested itself in his niece, and had readily prom- 
 ised to do all in her power to assist its development when- 
 ever Diana should be at the Palazzo San Eocco. 
 
 The marked uneasiness with which Cardinal Savelli had 
 received her intelligence had not escaped Frau von Eaben. 
 She was quite sure that the Cardinal was a very holy per- 
 son ; for, being a priest, how should he be otherwise ? But 
 she was a little at a loss to account for the impatience and 
 almost irritability with which he listened to her accounts 
 of Edmund Vane's visits to the Palazzo San Eocco and 
 scarcely concealed admiration for Donna Diana. Given 
 a singularly handsome girl, and a young man about whom 
 there was a touch of romance, something in the nature of 
 what Cardinal Savelli appeared so much to disapprove was 
 not unlikely to occur. 
 
 Possibly, her belief in the wisdom of ecclesiastics be- 
 ing almost boundless, Frau von Eaben would have suc- 
 ceeded in convincing herself that the Cardinal was only 
 grieving over the dangers threatening a virgin soul and 
 body dedicated to the service of God. In speaking to 
 
94 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Cardinal Savelli, she herself had insisted with much elo- 
 quence on this point, declaring that, in her opinion, any 
 attempt to instil thoughts of carnal love into Diana's mind 
 would be a sacrilege, a profanation of a sanctuary which 
 Christ had manifestly chosen for His own. 
 
 There was, however, a considerable element of astute- 
 ness in Frau von Raben's character, her piety and senti- 
 mentality notwithstanding. 
 
 One of the immediate effects of the warning conveyed 
 by her to Cardinal Savelli was a sudden and unexpected 
 revelation that others besides Diana's uncle and guardian 
 were perturbed at the idea of the introduction into her life 
 of any such upsetting element as love. The day follow- 
 ing that on which she had sought an audience of the Car- 
 dinal brought Don Marco Savelli to the Palazzo San Rocco. 
 
 In the course of a prolonged conversation with him a 
 conversation that took place when the Princess and her 
 daughters were out driving in the Villa Borghese Frau 
 von Raben realized, as she had never realized before, the 
 hatred Marco bore towards his younger brother. She 
 realized, too, that, for some reason which she was unable 
 to fathom, Marco was feverishly nervous lest anything 
 should occur to make Diana waver in her determination to 
 take the veil. 
 
 If the Cardinal had been irritated at Frau. von Raben's 
 warnings, his nephew was at no pains to conceal his anger, 
 or his indignation with Lino for having introduced an 
 impudent foreigner into Palazzo San Rocco. 
 
 Marco Savelli's attitude of being scandalized that Diana 
 should be. exposed to temptation which might destroy her 
 religious aspirations did not greatly impress Frau von 
 Raben. He was so excited, indeed, as to bring her quickly 
 to the conclusion that, although Cardinal Savelli might 
 earnestly desire from purely celestial motives to see Diana 
 a nun, the motives influencing his favourite nephew to in- 
 terest himself so deeply in the matter must be sought for 
 in other and less lofty quarters. 
 
 Frau von Raben had not passed many years in a Roman 
 
DONNA DIANA 95 
 
 household without learning some of the peculiarities of 
 Eoman family life. 
 
 Indeed, she was herself an example of one of those 
 peculiarities. In Borne there is generally a third person 
 to be dealt with in all matters public or private, import- 
 ant or trifling, social or domestic. This third person 
 usually remains behind the scenes, sometimes in a very 
 humble capacity; but his or her influence makes itself 
 felt in all relations of life, often for good, but often, too, 
 for evil. 
 
 In Casa San Eocco, Frau von Eaben was herself this 
 third person, standing behind, and sometimes between, 
 the master and mistress of the house. For years the 
 Princess had been accustomed to seek her advice and to 
 act upon it. It had been something of a surprise to her, 
 therefore, to find that there might be other than purely 
 religious motives at work to keep Donna Diana Savelli 
 faithful to her intentions of renouncing the world for the 
 cloister. When the Cardinal had besought her to use her 
 influence to confirm and strengthen these intentions in 
 his niece, she had honestly believed him to be moved by no 
 other thought than that of securing the welfare of Diana's 
 soul and a recruit to the regular orders of the Church. 
 Now, after an hour's conversation with Marco Savelli, she 
 had begun to suspect that the latter's influence had been 
 working upon the Cardinal. 
 
 This new development of the situation was not unpleas- 
 ing to Frau von Eaben. She had always disliked Lino 
 Savelli, the more so because all her attempts to undermine 
 the Princess San Eocco's affection for the latter by in- 
 cessant lamentations over his want of religious faith, and 
 mysterious hints of his evil modes of life, had failed to 
 produce any decided effect. 
 
 Between herself and Marco there had long existed a 
 bond of sympathy in their mutual antipathy towards Lino. 
 Both felt in their hearts that he had a quiet, good-hu- 
 moured contempt for them. 
 
 It had not been difficult to work upon the Princess's 
 
96 DONNA DIANA 
 
 religious sentiments, and to make her feel that Lino's 
 presence in the house while Diana was an inmate of it 
 would be a danger. 
 
 Frau von Raben's tactics had so far been successful. 
 Lino had not been near the Palazzo San Kocco for several 
 weeks, and there was no fear, therefore, that he might be 
 pleading his friend's cause with Diana. The latter had 
 hitherto appeared to be quite unconscious of the fact that 
 she was the object of so much interest and speculation. 
 But once on the scent of a love affair, Frau von Raben's 
 curiosity was apt to get the better of her discretion. She 
 was determined to ascertain whether Diana was aware of 
 this Englishman's admiration or not; but since her con- 
 versation with Marco she was even more anxious to dis- 
 cover whether there were no other motives at work in the 
 family for urging Diana to adhere to her resolutions than 
 those prompted by religious enthusiasm. 
 
 Like many religious enthusiasts of air sects, Frau von 
 Raben was a great believer in utilizing the human passions 
 to religious ends. Brands snatched from the burning are 
 always more interesting objects than those that have never 
 been exposed to it; and Frau von Raben had one or two 
 favourites among the canonized reformed rakes of both 
 sexes, whose lives especially the portions of them relating 
 to their unregenerate days she was wont to read with 
 considerable zest. 
 
 To say the truth, she had been disappointed to find so 
 little material to work upon in Diana's nature. She would 
 have preferred to encounter some evidence of what she 
 termed sexual problems, in however initial a stage, working 
 in the girl's mind. 
 
 In the case of the Princess's daughters, the problems 
 were no doubt present, and would be resolved by marriage 
 in due course. However that might be, Frau von Raben 
 had never felt any special psychological interest in Donna 
 Giulia or her sister. They were neither pretty nor in 
 their first youth, and they had never shown any desire 
 to yield themselves up to spiritual embraces. But with 
 
DONNA DIANA 97 
 
 Diana it was different; and now that a lover of flesh and 
 blood had appeared, however momentarily,, on the scene, 
 Frau von Raben felt that an opportunity had arrived to 
 test the state of the girFs mind. If there were no sexual 
 problems to be solved, so much the better, though this 
 would have been a little disappointing. But if there were 
 well, Frau von Eaben thought of St. Alfonso Liguori, 
 St. Ignatius, and others, and of the admirably suggestive 
 little works she had studied describing the uses to which 
 similar holy people had put their frailties when carnal in- 
 dulgencies became inconvenient. 
 
 6 1 suppose that Mr. Vane does not care to come any 
 more/ observed Diana, as Frau von Raben continued to 
 knit. ' But why does Lino stop away ? ' 
 
 Frau von Raben looked at her critically. 
 
 She had just begun a new row, and could afford to take 
 her eyes off her stocking. 
 
 ( You have not answered my question, Diana/ she said. 
 6 1 asked you if you were allowing yourself to think of 
 Mr. Vane/ 
 
 ' Did you ? ' replied Diana. ' I thought you said . that 
 you hoped I wasn't allowing myself to think about him/ 
 
 Frau von Raben sniffed, a habit she had when annoyed. 
 
 ' That is a mere quibble/ she remarked. ( You must 
 know perfectly well what I mean, Diana. As you have 
 noticed Mr. Vane's absence, you must have noticed his 
 presence.' 
 
 Diana's eyes gleamed with a mischievous light. She en- 
 joyed teasing Frau von Raben. 
 
 ( But of course I have noticed his presence/ she re- 
 turned. ' He is tall and big, and, besides, he is English 
 I like the English.' 
 
 Frau von Raben's needles stopped working, and she 
 dropped two stitches. 
 
 e A detestable race ! ' she said sharply. ' Cowards, too ! 
 See how they are treating those poor Boers/ 
 
 e At any rate, Mr. Vane is not a coward/ replied Diana. 
 'He stayed with Lino alone in those wild places, when 
 
98 DONNA DIANA 
 
 he might have been killed. As for the Boers, Lino 
 says 
 
 'Don't be silly, Diana! you know nothing about the 
 English. They are a vile people, I tell you, and they are 
 ridiculous as well. You have only got to look at them in 
 the streets and the churches the women with their great 
 feet, and their straw hats and sticking-out teeth ! ' 
 
 6 Oh, the women ! Yes, they are very funny/ responded 
 Diana tranquilly. 'But the men I like to look at the 
 men.' 
 
 < Diana ! > 
 
 ' I don't mean the tourists one sees about the streets, but 
 the men like Mr. Vane, you know. We used to peep 
 through the grille at the forestieri who come to Benediction 
 at the Trinita dei Monti Madame de Bonneval says some 
 of them come because they think Mendelssohn plays the 
 organ and we could always tell the English gentlemen/ 
 
 Frau von Eaben held up her hands in horror, and let 
 her knitting fall into her lap. 
 
 f Tiana ! ' she exclaimed, her German accent becoming 
 more and more obtrusive as her anger increased. ' What 
 you are saying is scandalous a fergogna for a young girl, 
 a girl who is going to be a nun, too ! If you are in love 
 with this Englishman, who has no more manners than 
 than a pig, you may as well confess it.' 
 
 Nothing short of uncontrollable resentment would have 
 caused Frau von Eaben so far to forget the proprieties of 
 the Italian language as to make use of the simile in 
 question. 
 
 She snapped it out, however the plain, vulgar word 
 porco, that lost nothing of its indignity in the manner of 
 her pronouncing it. 
 
 Diana looked at her. There was an expression of bewil- 
 dered amazement in her eyes, and the colour rose and 
 deepened on her brow. 
 
 ' In love ? > she repeated in a low voice. < I ? And with 
 Mr. Vane? ? And then she smiled, and stood looking 
 down upon Frau von Kaben doubtfully. ( That is absurd/ 
 
DONNA DIANA 99 
 
 she continued after a pause f quite absurd. Besides, what 
 is love ? I have tried to feel it for our Lord, you know, but 
 I suppose that is not quite the same thing as as ' 
 
 Frau von Eaben recovered herself rapidly, her anger 
 giving place to annoyance with herself for being so pre- 
 cipitate. 
 
 ' I was only joking/ she said hurriedly. i Of course it 
 is absurd. How should you be in love with Mr. Vane when 
 you have only seen him a few times? As to the other 
 that other love it is not different at all, really. It will 
 come to you some day, if you continue to love our Lord/ 
 
 ' But I have never seen Him at all/ observed Diana 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 Frau von Raben darted a keen glance at her. Decidedly, 
 she thought, Diana was not so easy to understand as she 
 had been a few months ago. 
 
 She shook her head gravely. 
 
 ' The lusts of the eye/ she replied ' you must beware 
 of the lusts of the eye ; at least, as regards the human form. 
 The blessed lineaments of the Divine Form are known 
 to us all, and they should satisfy us. You will gaze upon 
 these with the eye of the soul, and He will give them to 
 you for your enjoyment. Come, Diana, the sun is not so 
 warm now, and the Princess said we might use the carriage 
 this afternoon, as she does not want it. We will drive out 
 by Monte Mario and get a little country air/ 
 
 Diana left the room to put on her things for driving, 
 and Frau von Raben lingered for a moment or two in 
 order to pick up her dropped stitches. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 COUNTESS VERINT had had a long day. 
 
 To begin with, she had gone to Mass, heing one of those 
 people, who, however they may elect to finish the day, prefer 
 to make their conventional sacrifice to the Deity at the 
 beginning of it. Then she had gone to her dressmaker a 
 sacrifice that she owed to society. Of the two, the visit 
 to the dressmaker had been the more trying, since it was 
 not so easy to reason with the latter on the question of 
 credit. After breakfast she had attended a conference de- 
 livered by a learned Hindoo, who, possessed of a fine con- 
 tempt for the traditions of caste and a nice taste in plati- 
 tudes, was enjoying a European trip at the expense of 
 Western female intellect. 
 
 The lecture which had lasted from three o'clock until 
 five, had been comforting, even if at times confusing, and 
 then Countess Verini had gone to tea at the house of a 
 disciple of the lecturer, whither had also adjourned some 
 of the elect among his audience. Here had been discussed 
 more than one soul-inspiring topic; indeed, the field 
 covered was catholic in its comprehensiveness, ranging as 
 it did by easy gradations from Brahman philosophy to 
 the fausse-couche of a friend that had occurred the day 
 before. 
 
 It was scarcely to be wondered at if Countess Verini felt 
 fatigued by dinner-time. Fortunately, it was not one of 
 her evenings for receiving, and, having put on a loose tea- 
 gown, she retired after dinner to her sitting-room. Here 
 she lay down on a sofa and began to read, not her notes 
 taken during that afternoon's lecture, but the more modern 
 philosophy to be found in the " Journal d'une Femme 
 de Chambre/ 
 
 100 
 
DONNA DIANA , ., \ ^ ] 101 
 
 To say that Countess Verini received on only three even- 
 ings of the week would not have been strictly accurate. 
 When she was not dining out, she was at home to certain 
 visitors. Her servants knew how to distinguish these 
 visitors without any instructions on the subject of what 
 use should be Countess Vermi's maid,, who had been in her 
 service some years, had they not so known? Moreover, 
 they knew which visitor expected to pay his visits without 
 fear of being disturbed by the arrival of another intimate 
 friend of the house. 
 
 At half-past ten o'clock Countess Verini was still en- 
 grossed in her study of modern manners. 
 
 ' I wonder if Adele keeps a journal/ she said to herself 
 at intervals, as she turned over the leaves. ' I'm. sure I 
 hope not! Dreadfully indiscreet, I consider it, putting 
 such an idea into servants' heads/ 
 
 Suddenly her reading was interrupted by the distant 
 jingle of the telephone-bell ringing in the ante-room, and 
 a minute or two afterwards a servant entered and asked 
 if the Signora Contessa received. 
 
 ' Who is it ? ' she asked. 
 
 6 Don Marco Savelli, Eccellenza/ 
 
 Countess Verini glanced at her book. It amused her, 
 and she really was tired. 
 
 6 Very well. Say that I will receive him. Where does 
 Don Marco telephone from ? ' she added. 
 
 ' From the Scacchi Club, Eccellenza/ 
 
 The man was about to leave the room, when Countess 
 Verini stopped him. 
 
 ' I am not at home to anybody else/ she said. ' And tell 
 Don Marco, that as I can only receive him for a few min- 
 utes, I think he may not find it worth the while to come/ 
 
 When the servant had left the room, Countess Verini 
 threw aside the silken quilt that she had drawn over her 
 feet, and, rising from the sofa, groped for the shoes she 
 had kicked off. Then she arranged her hair before the 
 looking-glass, and finally sat down in a low arm-chair by 
 the side of a Louis Quinze table on which were lilies of 
 
102 DOXNA DIANA 
 
 . 
 
 the valley, and among them a photograph of Count Verini. 
 There were photographs of Count Verini all over his wife's 
 apartment, and in her bedroom he shared the post of honour 
 with St. Joseph, to the lasting amusement of her French 
 maid, who was possessed of a sense of humour and a lurking 
 sympathy with husbands obliged by force of circumstances 
 to form part of a menage a trois. 
 
 6 1 wonder/ said Countess Verini to herself, ' if he has 
 got the money ? ' And then she glanced at her reflection 
 in a mirror opposite and smiled a little. She certainly 
 had no reason to be dissatisfied with what she saw in the 
 looking-glass. It reflected the image of a handsome woman 
 of about five-and-thirty years of age, with masses of jet- 
 black hair piled closely on her head. The features were 
 regular and strongly marked, with something about the 
 setting of the dark blue-black eyes and the moulding of 
 the nose and chin that suggested a strain of Jewish blood. 
 'Even the loose folds of the tea-gown Countess Verini wore 
 could not conceal the fact that she possessed a superb 
 figure, and the delicate, coffee-coloured lace about her neck 
 and shoulders only served to bring its well-modelled lines 
 into greater evidence. 
 
 Perhaps the fault of Countess Verini's face lay in its 
 expression, which when the features were in repose was apt 
 to be hard and discontented. As her features never were 
 in repose, however, when she was in the world, or, at any 
 rate, very rarely so, this did not endanger her reputation 
 for good looks or sweetness of temper. In other capitals, 
 possibly, the Countess Verini would have been regarded 
 as a passably good-looking woman, with an undeniably 
 fine figure. But in Eome a reputation for beauty is more 
 easily obtained; and, the Eomans having a traditional 
 regard for ruins, when once acquired it has the additional 
 advantage of wearing well. 
 
 Some people said disagreeable things about Countess 
 Verini. She was one of those Roman ladies whose supposed 
 sayings and doings were much gossiped about and discussed 
 round the tea-tables of the elderly English and American 
 
DONNA DIANA 103 
 
 ladies who haunt Eome and strive to compass the ac- 
 quaintance of the Italians, whom they are never weary of 
 abusing. Such as these shook their heads and gave God 
 superfluous thanks that they were not as the foreign 
 women. In the genuine Eoman world people held their 
 tongues about Countess Verini, or smiled indulgently and 
 talked of her artistic temperament. 
 
 The noise of a door opening behind her disturbed 
 Countess Vermi's train of thoughts, in this instance of a 
 distinctly material nature. 
 
 The servant held aside the portiere as he announced Don 
 Marco Savelli, and Countess Verini, without turning her 
 head, extended a white hand and a partly bared arm from 
 the depth of her chair. Marco bent over her hand and 
 kissed it. 
 
 ' I thought I should find you alone this evening/ he 
 said, 'but I telephoned in order to make sure/ 
 
 Countess Verini looked at him inquiringly. 
 
 ' I am dead tired/ she replied, ' body and mind. I have 
 been to Ram Lai's conference, you know. If you had come 
 later you would have found me in bed/ 
 
 ' It is a pity, then- -' began Marco. 
 
 Countess Verini interrupted him. 
 
 ' I suppose you have not come to talk nonsense/ she said 
 a little irritably. 
 
 ' I never talk nonsense/ replied Marco, and Countess 
 Verini gave her shoulders an almost imperceptible shrug. 
 ' I have come to tell you that I cannot get the money, 
 Laura/ continued Marco hurriedly. ' It is impossible. 
 You must make the people wait/ 
 
 Countess Verini tapped her foot upon the carpet. 
 
 ' They won't wait/ she said briefly, ' and I must have 
 the money. Have you consulted Tomei?' 
 
 ' Yes, he can do nothing that is, nothing at present. 
 It is a bad moment/ 
 
 ( The Cardinal, Marco/ said Countess Verini tentatively 
 ' could not Tomei speak to him ? You might have been 
 unlucky on the Bourse again, you know/ 
 
104 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Marco Savelli shook his head. 
 
 ' It is too soon/ he answered. ' Besides, you know how 
 the money was found last time.' 
 
 Laura Verini took two cigarettes from a little silver box 
 on the table. 
 
 ( It soothes the nerves/ she said, as Marco lighted one 
 for her. 'And why cannot Tomei persuade the Cardinal 
 to draw again from the same source ? ' she asked. ( We 
 could make it worth his while/ 
 
 Marco was cautious even in his love affairs, and Laura 
 Verini, like many another woman, was fond of money, or, 
 rather, was fond of spending it. He knew that she could 
 be depended upon to keep silence as to the withdrawal of 
 a part of Diana's capital as long as she thought that the 
 money had gone to pay her own debts. 
 
 Laura Yerini shot a rapid glance at her companion as 
 he sat in silence. 
 
 e If you manage Tomei properly, he will find the money/ 
 she said presently. 
 
 Marco shook his head. 
 
 6 It is too dangerous/ he replied. e If Diana were 
 younger, it would be simple enough. But she is eigh- 
 teen, and in three years' time can claim her fortune. 
 What would be said if only a portion of it were forth- 
 coming ? ' 
 
 'But the sum is not so very large/ returned Countess 
 Verini. ' Her fortune is a million francs, is it not ? That 
 is a sum which bears dipping into. And your uncle is so 
 sure to be appointed to some post the emoluments of which 
 would increase his income. I have heard him mentioned as 
 the future Cardinal- Vicar. Besides, he is rich, Marco. It 
 is useless to deny it, though very likely he conceals the 
 fact from you. There, I don't blame him; but, then, I 
 know you better than he does.' 
 
 ' People think he is rich,' said Marco, ' but I believe he 
 has spent most of his capital. There were calls upon him, 
 you know, at one time.' 
 
 Countess Verini laughed. 
 
DONNA DIANA 105 
 
 ' No doubt/ she replied. ( He must have been very 
 good-looking twenty years ago.' 
 
 ( But it was very certain/ continued Marco, ' that, were 
 he as well off as people imagine, he would not have been 
 obliged to draw upon Diana's capital in order to to 
 help me.' 
 
 Countess Verini leaned back among the cushions of her 
 chair and blew little wreaths of smoke into the air. 
 
 ' The girl always means to be a nun ? ' she asked medi- 
 tatively. 
 
 ' Yes, of course/ answered Marco eagerly. 
 
 ' And why " of course " ? I do not see any " of course " 
 about it. She must be an imbecile.' 
 
 ' Possibly. But it is to be hoped that nobody will tell 
 her so/ Marco returned dryly. 
 
 ( And this money it is hers absolutely when she is of 
 age?' 
 
 ' Absolutely.' 
 
 'And if she dies?' 
 
 ( It would be divided between a good many relatives 
 should she die unmarried before she is of age. Those were 
 the terms of her father's will.' 
 
 ' I see. It is far better that she should be a nun/ said 
 Countess Verini. 
 
 6 At least, she will not want all her money if she takes 
 the veil/ said Marco. ' A portion of it, I suppose, would 
 have to be paid over to the convent, and the remainder she 
 could employ to benefit her relations left to struggle with 
 the difficulties of living in the world.' 
 
 Countess Verini smiled a little satirically. 
 
 ' An excellent arrangement/ she observed, ' but one that 
 is of not much use in the present. You are like every other 
 man, Marco you think and plan only for your own 
 benefit. It is nothing to you that I am in want of money.' 
 
 Marco Savelli took hold of the white hand reposing 
 daintily upon the arm of her chair. 
 
 ( Laura ! ' he exclaimed. ' How can you say such such a 
 thing ! it is unjust, unfair ! If I had the money, I would 
 
106 DONNA DIANA 
 
 give it to you. But I dare not go to my uncle so soon with 
 the same story. Tomei declares that he would not believe 
 me. You must have patience. By degrees, perhaps, we 
 shall be able to do something/ 
 
 Laura Verini drew her hand away. 
 
 ( Your uncle has all that money in his power/ she said, 
 with a little sigh, 'and he has used some of it once. Why 
 cannot he use it again? He would do anything for you, 
 but you will do nothing for me. And it is you who are 
 unfair and unjust; you take everything I have to give, 
 and and ' 
 
 Marco slipped from his chair and knelt beside her, 
 passing one of his arms round her while his disengaged 
 hand disarranged the lace about her breast and throat. 
 The faint perfume clinging about her seemed to rise to 
 his head and make him dizzy, while the soft touch of the 
 delicate flesh under his fingers maddened him. 
 
 Laura Verini lay passively in his arms for a moment 
 or two. Then she shook herself free from him with a half- 
 smile upon her lips. 
 
 ' Do not be silly, Marco/ she said. ( Supposing one of 
 the servants should come into the room! I didn't mean 
 what I said just now. Let us talk the thing over sensibly. 
 If your cousin Diana has set her mind upon going into a 
 convent, she will probably want to take her money with her.' 
 
 'But not all of it/ insisted Marco. 
 
 'And why not?' 
 
 e Oh, because 9 Marco broke off abruptly. 
 
 ' Because ? ' 
 
 'Why should the convent have all her money?' he 
 resumed. ' If Diana does not require it, there are others 
 of her family who do so. Moreover, as I said just now, 
 if she dies while under age it would be divided. Of course, 
 her father never contemplated that she would develop this 
 craze for religion, or he would probably not have left her 
 so much/ 
 
 Laura Verini looked at him curiously. 
 
 'You are laying your plans far in the future/ she ob- 
 
 
DONNA DIANA - 107 
 
 served, 'and you and I can be frank with each other 
 of course your cousin's religious craze, as you call it, is 
 very lucky for you. If she had not got it, she would de- 
 velop a craze for matrimony, and her husband would want 
 to see her dot. From his point of view, your uncle is 
 quite right to encourage her religious ardour a priest 
 could do no less and from your point of view you are 
 quite right to second him.' 
 
 Marco Savelli twisted a cigarette between his fingers 
 without replying. 
 
 ' All the same/ proceeded Countess Verini quietly, ' I 
 think that you are making a mistake.' 
 
 6 What do you mean, Laura ? ' 
 
 ' Why do you trouble yourself about the future ? It ap- 
 pears to me to be absurd to do so. Your cousin is much 
 younger than you, and nuns live long. There is nothing 
 to kill them except old age that is to say, if they are 
 content to confine themselves to spiritual emotions. There 
 is no genuine waste of nervous tissue with the latter. You 
 say a portion of her fortune will be required by the con- 
 vent she enters. Well, why do you not encourage her to 
 leave all her fortune to it? The idea should please her, 
 as she is so devote/ 
 
 6 Leave all her fortune to a convent ? ? repeated Marco. 
 ' What good would that do ? ' 
 
 Countess Yerini smiled. 
 
 'Dear Marco, you are a little dense this evening. In- 
 deed, on this point I think you have always been so. The 
 longer this girl's money can remain in the custody of your 
 uncle, the better you will be pleased is it not so ? 9 
 
 'Yes,' said Marco. 
 
 ' Bene ! As soon as she is of age, she might sign a deed 
 of gift of her capital in favour of the Superior of her con- 
 vent. The nuns might wish to buy an establishment in 
 Home in the Ludovisi quarter, for instance and the 
 money would be very useful.' 
 
 e And my uncle would have to hand over a million francs 
 to some old woman to buy land with/ exclaimed Marco. 
 
108 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Countess Verini laughed gently. 
 
 ' Oh no, my dear Marco ; the Cardinal would have to 
 do nothing of the kind. Listen to me, and I will tell you 
 all that would happen. It is delightfully simple, and I 
 wonder that you have not thought of it for yourself. Of 
 course your uncle would consider it to be his duty to guard 
 against his niece parting with her capital in a momentary 
 fit of enthusiasm. The gift might take effect when your 
 cousin was twenty-five years old. In the meantime the 
 capital would not need to be disturbed. Between the ages 
 of eighteen and twenty-five there are seven years, you 
 understand? The Cardinal might naturally continue to 
 administer your cousin's affairs even after she had come 
 of age/ 
 
 Marco Savelli nodded. 
 
 ( Yes/ he said, ' I see what you mean. You are very 
 business-like, Laura. But in the end the capital would 
 have to be paid over; and supposing it were not there 
 to pay?' 
 
 ' It would be very unfortunate/ replied Countess Verini 
 dryly. ' But a religious institution especially a female 
 religious institution is easier to deal with in the case 
 of an unpaid dot than a husband; the former cannot 
 afford to abandon its spiritual pretensions, you must re- 
 member.' 
 
 Marco sat for some moments biting his nails in silence. 
 
 'You mean that Diana should be encouraged to endow 
 her convent with her capital/ he said at length, ' and that 
 the convent would be content to wait at any rate six or 
 seven years for the money.' 
 
 f Precisely/ returned Countess Verini. ( Much may 
 happen in six or seven years.' 
 
 6 That is all very well, Laura ; but supposing Diana de- 
 clines to entertain the idea ? ' 
 
 'Did she decline to entertain the idea of becoming a 
 nun?' 
 
 e Oh, that is so different ! She has a vocation/ replied 
 Marco. 
 
DONNA DIANA 109 
 
 His voice assumed a pious tone as he spoke, and his 
 eyes dropped furtively. 
 
 Countess Verini looked at him and smiled. 
 
 ' No, dear friend/ she said, ' do not treat me to your 
 ecclesiastical manner, I beg of you ! No doubt it becomes 
 you in the Via Giulia, but here, in my sitting-room, it is 
 a little out of the picture. I put mine away in the morn- 
 ings, after Mass/ 
 
 ' But she has a vocation/ interrupted Marco, a little 
 angrily. 
 
 ' Besides/ proceeded Countess Verini, without heeding 
 him, ' it is all nonsense, you know. Of course, she has a 
 religious vocation just as much as our conscripts have a 
 military vocation. Oh, do not think that I am blaming 
 anybody; I am all for women going into convents. It 
 reduces competition. All I mean is that there is no reason 
 to keep up any comedy with me on the subject/ 
 
 ' I don't know what you mean by comedy, Laura/ said 
 Marco sulkily. 
 
 ( But you know perfectly well, caro mio I Only do not 
 defeat your own ends that is all. You would be very 
 glad to have your share of your cousin's money si capisce. 
 And, as she can at the same time benefit you and your 
 own soul by doing so, it is quite natural that you should 
 encourage her to become a nun. But why wait for her 
 money when you already have it practically in your power ? ' 
 
 Marco Savelli's naturally sallow face grew a shade paler. 
 
 ' But it is not in my power/ he said in a low voice ; ' it 
 is the hands of my uncle/ 
 
 c Sciocchezze ! ' replied Laura Verini. ' As I said before, 
 he has used it for you once, and he will do so again. It 
 is only the first step that costs. Get Tomei on your side. 
 You told me yourself that the Cardinal does not move a 
 finger financially without consulting him ! 9 
 
 6 That is true/ said Marco. ' But I am no particular 
 favourite of Monsignor Tomei/ he added. c And, Laura, 
 if he were to find where the money really went, and were 
 to tell my uncle ? ' 
 
110 DONNA DIANA 
 
 6 It would scandalize them both terribly, of course/ 
 interposed Countess Verini sarcastically. ' And yet the 
 Cardinal might make allowances. He might remember, 
 perhaps, that you did not miraculously change your mas- 
 culine nature by becoming a priest/ Laura Verini leaned 
 forward and laid her hand on Marco's. ' If once I had 
 this sum I am in such need of/ she continued hurriedly, 
 ' I should be easy in my mind. You will get it for me, 
 Marco, will you not? You see, I come to you, though I 
 know you are poor. There are others who are rich the 
 money would be nothing to them who would give to me 
 readily. But, then, they would want to be paid, Marco ; ' 
 and she stopped, looking down into his eyes and stooping 
 towards him till her lips nearly touched his. 
 
 e And me you will repay me, Laura ? ' he exclaimed 
 passionately. 
 
 ' You ? Ah, yes ! ' answered Laura Verini with a little 
 laughing sigh 'yes. But, then, I love you, Marco, so 
 the debt will be easy to pay/ 
 
 The soft, deep gong of a travelling clock on the writing- 
 table struck twelve, and Countess Verini started and dis- 
 engaged herself from Marco's embrace. 'But you are 
 too premature/ she exclaimed, smiling. e Do you want to 
 touch the interest before lending the money ? Via, Marco ! 
 it is too late already, and I well, I have told you several 
 times that I am very tired. Do me the favour of ringing 
 the bell, and one of the servants shall light you down 
 the staircase, for it is very certain that the porter will have 
 turned out the gas, and if you are found in the morning 
 with a broken neck there will be a scandal/ 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 DIANA SAVELLI had not been many weeks at the Palazzo 
 San Rocco before she began to find her life there somewhat 
 dreary. She missed her companions at the Sacre C'ceur, 
 and more than all the rest she missed Madame de Bon- 
 neval. At first the change had possessed something of the 
 charms of comparative novelty. It was pleasant no longer 
 to be obliged to do certain things at certain hours, to feel 
 that she was at home., and not, in a sense, at school. The 
 Princess was invariably kind to her, though, as Diana had 
 said to Cardinal Savelli, she could never bring herself to 
 remember that her niece was no longer a child; and the 
 Prince was as fond, or perhaps even fonder, of her than 
 he was of his own daughters. But Diana did not see very 
 much of her uncle except at breakfast and dinner. In the 
 mornings Prince San Rocco was occupied with his private 
 affairs, and soon after the mid-day breakfast he would 
 take a little gentle exercise about the streets of the city, 
 retiring to his club later in the afternoon, where he could 
 play whist, or talk to his friends until it was time to re- 
 turn home to dinner. With her cousins Giulia and Maria 
 Petrucci, Diana felt that she had little in common, and 
 being so many years younger than they, it was scarcely to 
 be wondered at if there was not much sympathy between 
 them. If the truth were told, Princess San Rocco's daugh- 
 ters were not a little jealous of Diana's beauty, and had it, 
 not been that they were able to console themselves with 
 the comfortable assurance that her good looks would shortly 
 be concealed from the eyes of men, it is probable that 
 their jealousy would have been more strongly manifested. 
 As it was, Donna Maria Petrucci, the younger and better- 
 looking of the two sisters, never lost an opportunity of re- 
 
 111 
 
112 DONNA DIANA 
 
 minding Diana that the latter was not destined to a worldly 
 life, and that she should strive in consequence to cultivate 
 a greater reservation of demeanour. In fact, Donna Maria 
 snubbed her cousin whenever she had an opportunity of 
 doing so, and Diana, whose temper would occasionally 
 rise in revolt, would commune with herself afterwards and 
 acknowledge, perhaps a little ruefully, that no doubt Maria 
 was right, and that laughter and high spirits were unbe- 
 coming in a girl who was to be a cloistered nun. 
 
 In her intercourse with Frau von Eaben, Diana had 
 grown to be very reserved. Some instinct told her that 
 the latter was watching her. At times Frau von Eaben 
 would talk in a mysteriously sympathizing strain, as 
 though inviting her confidence. This perplexed Diana 
 not a little, as she was unconscious of having anything 
 definite to confide either to Frau von Eaben or to any- 
 body else. One thing she could not help noticing, namely, 
 that neither Frau von Eaben nor her cousin, Maria Pe- 
 trucci, were ever weary of abusing the Englishman whom 
 Lino had brought to the house. It was very unfair, Diana 
 thought, to abuse, simply because he happened to be a 
 foreigner, the man who had saved Lino's life. Frau von 
 Eaben would constantly hold forth upon the enormities 
 perpetrated by the English in South Africa on Boer women 
 and children as a proof of their brutality towards women 
 in general and their own wives in particular. Diana 
 listened, and wondered. It was strange that one belong- 
 ing to such a race should have acted as Mr. Vane had acted 
 by her cousin Lino. She had so often heard the latter talk 
 of the English in quite other terms, and well, she pre- 
 ferred to accept Lino's opinion rather than Frau von 
 Eaben's. Prince San Eocco, too, had little sympathy with 
 the anti-English sentiments of his family, and dismissed 
 the tales of English atrocities with a shrug of the shoul- 
 ders, as manufactured in Brussels and the Hague, and joy- 
 fully reproduced by such reliable authorities as the organs, 
 official and otherwise, of the Vatican. 
 
 Not that the Principe di San Eocco was by any means 
 
DONNA DIANA 113 
 
 in harmony with the majority of his compatriots of the 
 upper class in his refusal to credit anti-English canards. 
 Though the great mass of the more intelligent Italians of 
 the commercial and lower classes maintained the tradi- 
 tional friendship of their country towards England, and 
 took the accusations of the journalists and the priests at 
 more or less than their true worth, the so-called aris- 
 tocracy, as a rule, was too ready to allow its total igno- 
 rance of the military, political, and geographical situation 
 to fan the flames of a species of sentimental enthusiasm for 
 a small nation believed to be fighting only for the inde- 
 pendence of its territory. 
 
 As for Diana, the subject did not greatly interest her. 
 It struck her as a little inconsistent of Frau von Eaben 
 and her cousins to blame Edmund Vane for not adding 
 himself to the number of his brutal compatriots who were 
 shooting women and children in South Africa; and, more 
 in order to annoy Frau von Raben than from any deeply- 
 seated convictions, she would stoutly affirm her pro-Brit- 
 ish sympathies, to the delight of the Prince and the in- 
 dignation of the remainder of the family. 
 
 April was over, and May had come with its long, warm 
 days and flower-scented air. The tourists were leaving 
 the city hurriedly, possessed by visions of that mysterious 
 disease diagnosed by them as Roman fever, but by the 
 doctors as bilious chill the result of overfatigue and hotel 
 diet. 
 
 And with the departure of the tourists Rome begins to 
 resume her true life. The beggars in the strangers' quar- 
 ter of the town, who have been professedly dying of hun- 
 ger during the winter and early spring, retire with their 
 earnings to their native villages in the Ciociacia, and the 
 rest of the human parasites who prey upon the foreigner 
 disappear with them. 
 
 In the city are roses roses everywhere. The sweet yel- 
 low and white Banksias cluster on the golden-brown ruins 
 of ancient palaces and temples, clothing the russet stems 
 of the stone pines, or peeping from among the sombre 
 
114 DONNA DIANA 
 
 foliage of the cypress in the gardens. In the green glades 
 of the Villa Borghese and the Villa Doria the air resounds 
 with the song of birds liquid notes of thrushes and black- 
 birds, the fitful melody of nightingales, or now and again 
 the soft, rich call of a golden oriole. 
 
 In the streets, during the mid-day quiet, and again in 
 the stillness of the night, when the southern stars hang 
 low in the violet sky and wandering fire-flies flit through 
 the air, the snbdued laughter of the fountains falls pleas- 
 antly on the ear. For Kome is the City of Waters as 
 Florence is the City of Flowers, and a Roman sojourning 
 in foreign capitals misses above all other things the moun- 
 tain waters that his ancestor brought across the Campagna 
 to gladden the heart of his native town. 
 
 Of all the gardens remaining within the walls of Rome, 
 there is certainly none of such extent, or of more varied 
 beauty, than that belonging to the Palazzo Castelnuovo. 
 The tourist and the sightseer know it not, nor even suspect 
 its existence, for it is never shown to the public, and lies 
 in a quarter of the city seldom explored by foreigners. 
 
 Nevertheless, within its precincts are groves of palm and 
 ilex trees, silent pools of water, and flowing streams ; long 
 vistas, through glades of roses and natural arches formed 
 by flowering creepers climbing from tree to tree, to where 
 the dark, frowning mass of the Colosseum blocks the far 
 distance. Here and there rise the ruins of ancient temples. 
 The roses have invaded them also, and stray through the 
 broken masonry, their delicate petals replacing the gilding 
 and the marble. And, since the incongruous must ever 
 be present in Rome, among the roses and the ruins, almost 
 side by side with the palm-trees and rare flowering shrubs, 
 there are cabbages. 
 
 On an island in the centre of a miniature lake, sur- 
 rounded by tall palms, and weeping-willows drooping to 
 the water's edge, stands a casino of white stucco and glass, 
 the interior of which is at once a fernery and a summer- 
 house. From its little terrace, access to which is given 
 by a bridge from the mainland, stretches away a view of 
 
DONNA DIANA 115 
 
 wondrous beauty. To the right are the domes and towers 
 of Rome, while to the left the soft outline of the Alban 
 Hills rises above the undulating plain of the Campagna 
 and closes the distant horizon. 
 
 This island was a favourite retreat of Diana Savelli on 
 afternoons when she was able to avail herself of Princess 
 Castelnuovo's permission to roam about in the gardens of 
 the Palazzo Castelnuovo. Here she would bring her books 
 and sit, intending to read, though often the volume lay 
 unheeded on her lap while her thoughts travelled far away. 
 As the days grew warmer she came repeatedly to the 
 Castelnuovo gardens, generally accompanied by Frau von 
 Eaben, but occasionally, when the latter was wanted to 
 drive her cousins, by Princess San Rocco's maid, an elderly 
 female whom Diana greatly preferred as a companion to 
 Frau von Raben. Ersilia did not talk unless Diana en- 
 couraged her to do so, whereas Frau von Raben was sel- 
 dom silent for very long. Moreover and this fact was 
 sufficient to make Diana regard her with friendliness 
 Ersilia had a great admiration for Don Michelangelo Sa- 
 velli. Like the porter at the Palazzo San Rocco, she had 
 known Lino when he was a boy, and, in common with all 
 the old servants of Casa San Rocco, was devoted to him. 
 
 On this particular afternoon in May Frau von Raben 
 had retired to bed with, as she expressed it, a e male di sto- 
 maco' not a stomach-ache, indeed, but an attack of in- 
 digestion and Diana, escorted by Ersilia, had left the 
 Palazzo San Rocco about four o'clock, and had driven to 
 the Palazzo Castelnuovo. It was still hot for walking, 
 and Diana went to her favourite seat on the island, to read, 
 dream, or throw pieces of biscuit to the gold-fish, and 
 watch them fight and jostle each other in their eagerness 
 to snatch at the unaccustomed delicacy. 
 
 It was very quiet in the gardens. Only the church clocks 
 striking the hour and the distant cries of the street-sellers 
 broke the stillness. The great block of building forming 
 the Palazzo Castelnuovo dominated the gardens on one 
 side, but most of the windows were closed, for Princess 
 
116 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Castelnuovo was absent from Eome. Diana settled her- 
 self comfortably in a wicker chair, while Ersilia seated 
 herself at a little distance and began turning over the leaves 
 of a well-worn, paper-covered volume which she extracted 
 from her pocket. 
 
 The rustling of the leaves attracted Diana's attention. 
 She did not know that Ersilia was given to reading, unless 
 it were newspapers, such as the Messaggiero, or perhaps 
 the Vera Roma. 
 
 ' What is your book, Ersilia ? ' she asked presently. 
 
 The latter looked up with an apologetic smile. 
 
 ' Oh/ she replied, 6 it is not a book that would interest 
 the signorina ; it is the " Libro dei Sogni." To-day is 
 Friday, and to-morrow I shall play an ambo at the 
 Lotto/ 
 
 Diana laughed. 
 
 ' For shame, Ersilia ! ' she said. ( You will only lose 
 your money. And what numbers are you looking out in 
 the " Libro dei Sogni"?' 
 
 The woman smiled again and hesitated. 
 
 ' It is a combinazione,' she answered mysteriously, ' The 
 numbers may come out who knows? and then I shall 
 win sixty lire.' 
 
 ' And what are your numbers ? ' repeated Diana. 
 
 Ersilia shook her head decisively. 
 
 c Per carita ! ' she exclaimed. ' It spoils the luck to tell 
 the numbers; one must keep them to one's self and sleep 
 upon them. I do not often play, signorina; it is a fooFs 
 game, the Lotto, and all very well for men. But this 
 Saturday I shall play two lire on Rome. It is a great 
 deal of money to risk, but we shall see.' 
 
 ' You will certainly lose your two lire,' replied Diana, 
 smiling, ( and then you will be sorry, and you will call 
 the Government bad names,' she added, returning to her 
 own book once more. 
 
 Half an hour or so passed, and presently Ersilia began 
 to fidget. She looked at her watch several times, and 
 glanced at Diana reading a few paces from her. Seeing 
 
DONNA DIANA 117 
 
 that the latter was absorbed in her book, the old servant 
 rose and walked quietly away behind the casino. 
 
 6 Fifty-six for love that is crossed, and thirteen for a 
 nun/ she murmured to herself. ( Perhaps I am a fool not 
 to play a terno, but whoever knew anybody to win a terno ? 
 All the same, it is a pity not to play on the Englishman.' 
 
 And so, muttering to herself, Ersilia turned down a side- 
 path that led through the ilex-trees, under which the shade 
 was deep and cool, and where the sun, scarcely penetrating 
 between the sombre, green leaves, cast little chequered 
 patterns of light on the turf beneath. At the end of this 
 path was a low, castellated gateway leading through the 
 massive walls by which the garden was surrounded into a 
 narrow by-street without. 
 
 Here she paused and waited. The deep tones of the 
 church clock of Santa Maria Maggiore near by struck five, 
 and then the half-hour, and Ersilia started nervously. 
 
 ' A quarter of an hour late/ she said to herself impa- 
 tiently, as if unpunctuality mattered in Eome, where no- 
 body is ever punctual, except, perhaps, the tax-collector 
 and the patronesses of charity balls. 
 
 Suddenly a low Pss-t from outside the gateway fell on 
 her ears, and Ersilia drew back the bolt of the iron door. 
 At the same moment a key was inserted into the lock 
 from without. The door was pushed slowly and cautiously 
 open, and Lino Savelli's form appeared on the further 
 side of it. 
 
 6 And where is the other the Englishman ? ' exclaimed 
 Ersilia, forgetting formalities in her excitement. 
 
 ' Waiting a few yards away/ answered Lino briefly. 
 ' Is all well, Ersilia? If so, I will call him.' 
 
 ' All is well, Eccellenza/ returned Ersilia. ' The signo- 
 rina is sitting on the island, reading, and alone ; madame, 
 God be thanked! is in bed, sick, with a linseed poultice 
 on the stomach. His Excellency received my note?' 
 
 6 Yes, and we are here. It was too good an opportunity 
 to be lost/ returned Lino. 
 
 He gave a low whistle as he spoke, and Edmund Yane 
 
118 DONNA DIANA 
 
 appeared from behind a corner of the wall and joined them. 
 The door was closed and relocked, and then Lino bade 
 Ersilia leave them and keep watch at the main entrance 
 into the garden, lest anybody should come into it from the 
 house. 
 
 ' Brava, Ersilia ! ' said Lino, as the woman left them ; 
 ' she has acted her part admirably so far, and so has old 
 Antonio. He got me the key for twenty-four hours, you 
 know, from Princess Castelnuovo's porter for a considera- 
 tion. I had a duplicate made, in order to be able to use 
 it when a suitable occasion offered itself. Now, Eddie/ 
 he added, ' you will go and place yourself over there, among 
 those palm-trees and roses. It is a very romantic spot, 
 and you will wait patiently/ 
 
 Vane looked nervous and ill at ease. 
 
 ' It is like a scene in a comic opera/ he said, with a con- 
 strained laugh. 'It's all very well, Lino/ he continued, 
 ' but I don't half like this hole-and-corner business. It is 
 rather mean, you know.' 
 
 ' We have got to fight people with their own weapons/ 
 continued Lino Savelli, 'and you can trust your cause to 
 me, Eddie. I will not do anything mean by Diana, be 
 sure of that. Now go ; we have no time to waste ; ' and, 
 without waiting for a reply, Lino left him and walked 
 in the direction of the casino. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 DIANA'S book had slipped from her lap and lay on the 
 marble pavement of the terrace. It was not an exciting 
 volume, being, in fact, an expurgated edition of the f Lives 
 of the "Saints/ lent to her by Frau von Raben. 
 
 An absorbing interest in the eccentricities of the heroes 
 and heroines of religious fiction had not been sustainable, 
 and Diana had gradually succumbed to a sleepful sensa- 
 tion for which it would be unfair to hold the characters 
 in her book as wholly responsible. 
 
 The pleasant warmth of the May afternoon, the sound 
 of the water falling from a fountain some few yards away, 
 the drowsy humming of bees at work among the blossoms 
 of the orange-trees, had caused her to pass unconsciously 
 from wakeful dreams into the realms of sleep, nor had 
 she noticed that Ersilia was no longer sitting near her, 
 consulting the famous volume containing the clue to the 
 making of her fortune at the State Lottery. 
 
 But there were other reasons for her drowsiness. For 
 some days Diana had complained of headache and of a 
 general sense of lassitude. 
 
 Princess San Rocco had noticed that her niece was look- 
 ing pale, and had remarked that a few weeks of country 
 air would do her good. It was only the beginning of May, 
 however, and to leave Rome for Magnano, the country 
 place belonging to Prince San Rocco, situated some miles 
 from Viterbo, before St. Peter's Day, would have been 
 contrary to the custom and tradition of the family. So 
 Princess San Rocco had only talked of change of air, and 
 Frau von Raben had suggested remedies of a simple yet 
 drastic character, that, had she administered them betimes 
 to herself, would have averted the attack from which she 
 was suffering. 
 
 119 
 
120 DONNA DIANA 
 
 It was certainly not natural to Diana to fall asleep in 
 the afternoon. Though brief, her slumber was restless, 
 and disturbed by evil dreams, in which early Christians, 
 Frau von Raben, and Madame de Bonneval played prom- 
 inent parts. 
 
 Matters had reached a point at which Lino was about 
 to be handed over to a lion in the Colosseum, when Diana 
 awoke with a little cry to find him standing before her. 
 
 She looked at him half bewildered for a moment or two, 
 and then, starting up from her chair, held out her two 
 hands with a glad laugh. 
 
 6 Lino ! so at last you have come ! ' she exclaimed ; then 
 she drew back and stopped, hesitating. 
 
 ' I remember/ she continued slowly. ' I thought we 
 were at home, and that you had come in to see us. But 
 why have you come here, Lino ? and where is Ersilia ? ' 
 
 Diana looked round still half frightened, conscious that 
 here was something unusual, and wondering what her 
 cousin's appearance meant. 
 
 ' Do not be afraid, Diana,' said Lino gently ; ' Ersilia 
 is not far away. I am here because I want to speak to 
 you. What has frightened you? Some silly dream? 
 for you were asleep a moment ago.' 
 
 Diana passed her hand over her eyes. 
 
 ' I suppose I fell asleep,' she said, ' and yes, it is com- 
 ing back to me now! I had a horrible dream, Lino 
 about you. They were going to kill you and they were 
 giving you to a wild beast.' 
 
 Lino laughed. 
 
 ' Cara Diana,' he interrupted, ' you seem to have had a 
 very ordinary nightmare.' 
 
 'Yes,' continued Diana; 'but, Lino, it was the face of 
 the creature that frightened me : it was horrible Marco's 
 face. And then it sprang upon you; and I awoke, and 
 you were standing and looking at me;' and she shud- 
 dered a little. 'Where is Ersilia?' she added. 'Ersilia 
 should be here : why has she left me ? ' 
 
 Diana was about to call for her, when Lino interposed. 
 
DONNA DIANA 121 
 
 ' Hush ! ' he said. ' Do not call ; she knows that I am 
 with you, and has only gone away while I am speaking 
 to you.' 
 
 ' But you should not be here/ said Diana, looking at 
 him doubtfully. ' If my aunt knew, she would be angry. 
 How did you get into the garden, Lino ? ' 
 
 ( Never mind how I got in/ he answered. ( Now that 
 I am here, I am going to stop for a little while to talk 
 to you/ 
 
 ' I wish you would go/ returned Diana hurriedly. ' If 
 any one found you here it is not right.' 
 
 ( There is nothing to be afraid of/ Lino insisted ; ' no- 
 body will disturb us. I came here because there is no 
 other way of seeing you/ 
 
 'But you can see me at Palazzo San Kocco, when you 
 choose to come/ 
 
 ' No, Diana, I cannot ! ' exclaimed Lino. ( They do not 
 want me to see you. That is why I have stayed away 
 lately/ 
 
 Diana looked at him in astonishment. 
 
 6 Why should they not want you to see me ? ' she asked 
 incredulously. ' It is ridiculous to say that, Lino/ 
 
 ' My aunt told me she did not want me in the house 
 while you were there/ returned Lino. 
 
 'But why? What harm could you do me?' 
 
 ' Oh, the harm of unsettling your mind ; or, rather, the 
 harm of trying to make you think for yourself, instead 
 of allowing others to think for you/ 
 
 6 1 don't know what you mean, Lino/ said Diana, a 
 little wearily. Her head throbbed strangely, and the sen- 
 sation of malaise that she had felt for some days seemed 
 to be more pronounced. 
 
 * No ; that is just it ! you do not know what I mean/ 
 returned Lino. ' Well/ he continued, * I am going to try 
 to make you understand, though I'm blessed if I know 
 how to set about it. You see, Diana, I don't want to 
 offend you, and, of course, you know that I'm not religious 
 and all that sort of thing/ 
 
122 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Diana Savelli smiled. 
 
 ' Of course I do/ he answered. c I have heard it said 
 a hundred times a day. I suppose that men don't think 
 it worth while to trouble themselves much about religion 
 unless they are old or ill.' 
 
 Lino glanced at her. 
 
 e Cara la mia cugina ! ' he observed. ' Since when have 
 you become cynical?' 
 
 ' I am not sure what being cynical means/ replied 
 Diana ; ' but I think that is true. It is quite right for 
 women to devote themselves to religion, and to pray for 
 those who are careless of it.' 
 
 Lino gave an impatient movement. The ground had 
 been well prepared to receive the seed cast upon it. 
 
 ' And so you are going to shut yourself up in a convent 
 in order to pray for them/ he answered gently. 'But, 
 Diana, do you really believe that God is a fetich requiring 
 perpetually to be appeased ? Have you never thought that 
 perhaps men need good women in the world, just because 
 they are good?' 
 
 6 No doubt/ replied Diana. ' But there are plenty of 
 good women in the world.' 
 
 'And a very fair proportion of bad ones/ said Lino 
 under his breath. 
 
 ' You see/ proceeded Diana, ' I am not good at all ; in 
 reality, I am very bad. But God has given me a vocation 
 for religious life probably to keep me from being worse.' 
 
 'I understand/ said Lino gravely, though a suspicion 
 of a smile hovered round his lips. ' But supposing you 
 could do somebody great good by remaining in the world 
 more good than any number of prayers could do what 
 then, Diana?' 
 
 6 There is no such person/ answered Diana; ' therefore 
 it is of no use to suppose anything of the kind. Nobody 
 wants me in the world; and I am glad of it, for I think 
 the world must be a very tiresome place from all one 
 hears about it.' 
 
 ' Ah, you think that nobody wants you ? ' returned Lino 
 
DONNA DIANA 123 
 
 quickly. ' They have told you that, I suppose, among 
 other things. But are you quite sure, Diana ? ' 
 
 ' Of course I am sure ! Who should want me ? Uncle 
 San Eocco and my aunt have children of their own, and 
 certainly Giulia and Maria don't need me. But what is 
 the use of talking of these things ? What I do not under- 
 stand, Lino, is why they should not want you to see me. 
 You have never told me that/ 
 
 Lino hesitated for a moment. It was not an easy matter 
 to approach his subject; but time was pressing, and Vane 
 was waiting patiently a few dozen yards away. 
 
 6 Listen, Diana/ he said at length, ' and I will tell you 
 why. They were afraid lest I should tell you that some- 
 body does need you somebody who loves you, and who 
 wants you to love him in return. Do you understand 
 now? I mean that real love is offered to you -the love 
 for which you were surely intended. They would have 
 kept you in ignorance of it; but knowing the man who 
 offers you his love, and that he is worthy of you, I deter- 
 mined you should not remain ignorant that you should, 
 at least, have the opportunity of choosing for yourself what 
 your life is to be.' 
 
 Diana turned away from him in silence. A gudden 
 wave of colour passed over her face, leaving it as suddenly 
 pale. It seemed to Lino that she trembled a little, and 
 leaned against the marble balustrade at the water's edge 
 as if for support. Her features assumed the expression 
 that had startled Cardinal Savelli and perplexed Frau von 
 Eaben the look, half inquiring, half incredulous, from 
 under the slightly-bent brow the suspicion of scorn in 
 the curves of the lips and finely-cut nostrils. 
 
 Suddenly she turned again, and looked at Lino with a 
 certain quiet dignity that had before now reduced her 
 cousins Donna Giulia and Donna Maria to silence. 
 
 ' I do not need any man's love,' she said in a low voice ; 
 ' and I do not know what it means this love that you all 
 talk about.' 
 
 ' Santissimo Dio ! ' ejaculated Lino Savelli to himself. 
 
124 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' But how is she to be taught what it means ? I have come 
 here to ask you something, Diana/ he continued quietly. 
 
 Diana looked at him questioningly. 
 
 f To do something for you ? ' she asked. 
 
 e Yes, to do something for me, and for somebody who is 
 very dear to me somebody to whom I owe my life/ 
 
 Diana drew a sharp breath. 
 ' * Mr. Vane ! ' she said quickly. ' Is it Mr. Vane whom 
 
 you mean the man whom you said who 9 and she 
 
 stopped short abruptly. 
 
 ( Come/ said Lino, ( let us walk a little, and I will tell 
 you. It is quite true, Diana, he loves you. Ah ! but you 
 must get accustomed to that word; there is nothing to 
 be ashamed of in the love of an honest man, and you have 
 no right to despise it. Do you think that I would ask 
 you to listen to him if his love could do you any harm ? ' 
 
 ' But it is useless, Lino useless ! ' exclaimed Diana. 
 ' I have told you this love is not for me ! It is very kind 
 of Mr. Vane, but you must tell him that it is impossible. 
 Tell him > 
 
 Lino drew her gently down the avenue of ilex-trees lead- 
 ing from the little lake. 
 
 'Vane saved my life/ he repeated, 'and he deserves 
 more gratitude at our hands than he has received. And, 
 besides/ he added, ' you know that he admires you, Diana, 
 though you may not have known that he loves you.' 
 
 ' I know that they think so/ answered Diana simply. 
 6 Maria and Frau von Eaben are always talking about it. 
 But you must tell him, Lino/ 
 
 Lino turned down a little by-path that ended in a 
 green glade, above which waved groups of tall palm-trees. 
 Masses of crimson roses clustered about their stems, strew- 
 ing the grass beneath with their fallen petals. 
 
 * No, Diana/ he replied, ' I will tell him nothing. He 
 is here to plead his own cause with you, and it is you 
 who must tell him your decision when you have heard 
 what he has got to say/ 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 DIANA started back as Lino uttered the last words, and 
 half turned as though to seek refuge in flight. 
 
 6 Here ! ' she exclaimed f Mr. Vane here ! ' and then 
 she looked at Lino in helpless bewilderment. 
 
 Before she had recovered from her dismay Vane stood 
 before her. Diana's eyes remained as though riveted to 
 the turf beneath her feet, and her colour came and 
 went rapidly. Edmund Vane, hat in hand, stood silent- 
 ly looking at her. For a moment or two not a word 
 was spoken by any one of the three. Even a nightin- 
 gale singing to his mate sitting on her nest in the un- 
 dergrowth below him ceased his song, perhaps from 
 curiosity to watch how human beings conducted their love 
 affairs. 
 
 At length Diana raised her eyes from the ground and 
 spoke. 
 
 6 Lino/ she said hurriedly, ( you should not have brought 
 
 me here. You and Mr. Vane should not have come ' 
 
 and then she broke off abruptly, conscious that her cousin 
 had disappeared. 
 
 ( Donna Diana/ said Edmund appealingly, c do not be 
 angry with Lino or with me; indeed, indeed, there was no 
 other way to speak with you/ 
 
 Diana's eyes flashed with sudden fire; her presence of 
 mind was returning to her, and with it her spirit. 
 
 'But there was no necessity to speak with me/ she re- 
 plied coldly, though her voice trembled. 'You do not 
 understand, perhaps, for you are a foreigner. With us 
 such things are not allowed, and and they are wrong/ 
 she concluded a little lamely. 
 
 * Your cousin is not a foreigner/ said Edmund quietly. 
 
 125 
 
126 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' and he knows your customs, yet, Donna Diana, he brought 
 me here/ 
 
 Diana Savelli made no reply. 
 
 'It is you who do not understand/ Vane continued. 
 ' Will you be patient and listen for a little while ? I know 
 that my being here must seem to you an intrusion, an im- 
 pertinence ; that men in your country do not speak to young 
 girls of their love for them unless ' 
 
 'I have nothing to do with love/ interrupted Diana in 
 a low voice. 
 
 Vane looked at her, and as he looked he almost smiled. 
 The assertion was belied by the lips that uttered it. 
 
 ' Forgive me/ he returned, ' but how do you know ? ' 
 
 Once again Diana was silenced.^ Then a quick sense of 
 resentment took possession of her. 
 
 There was something in this Englishman that she had 
 never before experienced something masterful that -at 
 once roused her pride. Yet she was conscious of a strange 
 thrill of satisfaction, and her anger turned against her- 
 self because of it. 
 
 ' How do you know ? ' replied Vane, and his eyes sought 
 hers as he spoke. 'You do not know at all; that is the 
 ridiculous part of the whole business.' 
 
 Diana beat her foot on the turf. 
 
 6 Kidiculous ! ' she exclaimed. 
 
 ' But certainly. Do you call that cold, pale shadow you 
 are worshipping love? Oh, I know w r hat you have been 
 told; I have heard it all before. Kemember that I am 
 a Catholic, and that I have a sister who became a nun.' 
 
 Diana became interested. There was much of the child 
 in her yet, and something, perhaps, of a child's cunning. 
 She felt instinctively that here was a safer subject for dis- 
 cussion. 
 
 ( Tell me about her/ she said. 
 
 e She became a nun because well, because she had a bad 
 temper and quarrelled with her lover. I hope you will 
 not become a nun if you have a bad temper, Donna Diana, 
 and -' 
 
DONNA DIANA 127 
 
 The rest of the sentence remained unspoken, but Diana 
 felt his eyes reading her face. 
 
 ' Oh ! ' she said as he paused. 
 
 It was not a very intelligent observation, but she could 
 think of nothing else to say. 
 
 ( It is quite true/ proceeded Edmund gravely. ' It was 
 very foolish of her, but she thought she had a vocation. 
 And you you also think you have a vocation, do you not ? ' 
 
 His tone had lost that touch of insistence which had 
 roused such mingled feelings in Diana's mind. It was 
 gentle and tender, though Diana thought that she detected 
 incredulity in it. Confidence came back to her. This 
 friend of Lino's was certainly easy to talk to, and he did 
 not say things she had dreaded to hear, even though she 
 did not know what they might be. If only her head 
 would stop throbbing and that strange feeling of un- 
 easiness would leave her! 
 
 'But I have a vocation/ she began almost pleadingly. 
 'You say you are a Catholic, so you will understand. I 
 heard my aunt say that you would/ 
 
 ' Ah ! ' exclaimed Edmund. 
 
 6 1 have always had it for so many years. Of course, 
 God meant me to live for him. Lino said just now that 
 you that ' 
 
 'Yes?' said Vane very gently 'what did Lino say?' 
 
 'That you wanted to speak to me about about love; 
 well, I > 
 
 She staggered a little and put her hand to her head, 
 and Edmund saw that she had become very pale. 
 
 Taking her hand, he drew her quietly to a seat under 
 the palm-trees a few paces away. 
 
 ' You are tired, Donna Diana/ he said. ' Sit down 
 for a few minutes, and I will stand near you.' 
 
 Diana suffered him to lead her to the seat unresist- 
 ingly, apparently unconscious that her hand was resting 
 in his. Vane was not unconscious of it; a thrill passed 
 through him, and he had need of all his mastery over 
 himself. 
 
128 DONNA DIANA 
 
 * It is nothing,' said Diana ; c but I felt giddy, and my 
 head pains me. What I wanted to say was that it is of 
 no use to talk to me about about love. It is very kind 
 of you to think of me, but it is better that you should 
 know. I have never thought about the love of human 
 beings. Perhaps you do not understand, for you are a 
 man.' 
 
 Vane looked at her, a look of mingled longing and 
 reverence. She was so far above him, he thought almost 
 with shame so far above any man in her simple, trust- 
 ing purity. What if she were right, if she were being 
 called by a higher love? 
 
 He continued to gaze at her in silence for a few 
 moments, and as he did so his mind went back to the 
 days of his childhood. The stories he had heard of the 
 love of Christ and of the Madonna and the saints re- 
 turned to him. He had been very happy in those days, 
 and heaven had seemed a familiar place, very near the 
 nursery. 
 
 A sudden burst of soft, glad melody from the rose- 
 thickets near by interrupted his train of thoughts. The 
 nightingale had resumed its song, and the passionate, 
 triumphant notes fell on Vane's ear like a protest. 
 
 'I understand/ he said; 'but you how can I make 
 you 'understand without offending you? If you were 
 older, if you had passed through love and had found it 
 bitter, you would have some right to do this thing, to 
 shut yourself away from the world. But you have never 
 thought that the world may want you, and that God did 
 not put you into it for nothing.' 
 
 c God wants me/ replied Diana simply. 
 
 'Oh and for what?' 
 
 Diana looked up at him quickly. The tone of his voice 
 was brusque, almost impatient. 
 
 6 For Himself/ she said slowly, ' and to pray to Him for 
 those who are in the world. That is why I have no need 
 of any man's love. Why, it would not be right for me 
 even to think of it.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 129 
 
 Vane bit his lips. Surely it was useless to attempt to 
 contend against this foregone conclusion on Diana's part. 
 Was anything human left in her, he wondered ; and if so, 
 how could he arouse it into consciousness without offence 
 against a purity that even while it exasperated him com- 
 manded his admiration ? 
 
 It did more than command his admiration, indeed; for, 
 by one of the numerous ironies lurking in human destiny, 
 purity is often the fuel that feeds desire. 
 
 ' But if you have never known a man's love ! ' he ex- 
 claimed suddenly. ' Who has there been to teach you 
 what love may be? Will your dead Christ teach you, or 
 the saints? They will take your love, but what will they 
 give you in return, unless it be self-satisfaction ? ' 
 
 Diana winced as though he had struck her. 
 
 ' You have no right to say such things you are a Cath- 
 olic ! ' she answered indignantly. 
 
 Vane laughed a little bitterly. 
 
 ' And you/ he returned, ' have no right to sacrifice your- 
 self on the altar of an imaginary love. Will you listen 
 patiently, Donna Diana? I love you, and I am not 
 ashamed to tell you so. I am not asking you whether 
 you love me. I know that you do not that you cannot 
 love me. But I want you to know that in this world 
 which you are going to renounce love is waiting for you, 
 should you ever care to accept it. You have three years 
 before you in which to make up your mind three years 
 before you need take those final vows that must separate 
 you from all earthly love, from all natural joys and inter- 
 ests. It may be that in the course of these three years you 
 may see things in a different light. You may come to un- 
 derstand that God does not always require the sacrifice of 
 our human nature which He has created; that love is not 
 the least of the blessings He has given to the world. If 
 you should ever come to feel this,- if you should ever have 
 reasons to suspect that your vocation for religion is due 
 not so much to the dictates of conscience as to the sugges- 
 tion of those by whom you are surrounded, will you 
 
130 DONNA DIANA 
 
 think of me and of the love I offer you? That is all I 
 have come here to ask of you/ 
 
 In his eagerness Vane had drawn nearer to the wooden 
 bench on which Diana was sitting. He stood over her, and 
 his eyes looked down steadfastly and frankly into hers. 
 Something in their gaze seemed to hold Diana as though 
 enchained, and for a few moments she returned it in 
 silence. 
 
 Only the nightingale sang louder. There was no other 
 sound save the rustling of the palm-leaves stirred by the 
 evening-breeze, the gentle murmur of a fountain, and the 
 distant noise of the traffic in the streets. Deep, purple 
 shadows were creeping stealthily across the slopes of the 
 Campagna to the Alban Hills, still bathed in golden light, 
 while in the nearer foreground the fragments of ruined 
 temples and the vast semi-circle of the Colosseum were 
 clothing themselves in tints that slowly changed from pink 
 to rosiest red as the sun sank lower towards the heights 
 of Monte Mario. 
 
 With an effort Diana Savelli withdrew her gaze from 
 Vane's face. She was conscious of the effort a strange 
 consciousness that caused her a vague sensation of wonder, 
 a feeling as though some chord had been struck that 
 touched an answering note in her, calling forth a thrill 
 half of pleasure and half of pain. 
 
 She shrank back from him, trembling a little, and very 
 gently Edmund took her hand. 
 
 6 Donna Diana/ he said in a low voice, 'will you do 
 what I ask you? It is not so very much to ask. If you 
 remain convinced that the course you have decided upon 
 will bring you happiness, I will never attempt to turn 
 you from it. But if, as time goes on, your convictions 
 should become less sure, will you remember the love I 
 offer you, and consider whether it also may not bring 
 you happiness ? ' 
 
 Diana withdrew her hand from his, neither did Edmund 
 seek to retain it. Something in Vane's manner, tender 
 and respectful at the same time, touched her strangely; 
 
DONNA DIANA 131 
 
 while his fear, evident even to her inexperience, lest his 
 words should offend her, inspired her with trust in him. 
 She could understand now the affection which existed be- 
 tween her cousin Lino and Mr. Vane. He was thinking 
 of her happiness before his own, as he had thought of 
 Lino's safety when the latter was lying at death's door 
 in a savage land, .rather than of his own. The abuse she 
 had so often heard showered upon him of late seemed 
 doubly unjust to her. Nobody knew him as he really was, 
 except Lino and this last thought was accompanied by 
 a little touch of feminine pride herself. 
 
 There was more of sympathy than shyness in Diana 
 Savelli's glance as she answered him. 
 
 e I do not know why you should offer me your love/ 
 she said simply, 'and I am sorry ah yes, believe me, 
 I am very sorry for I do not want you to think me un- 
 grateful. It is not that; but I am different from other 
 girls, you know: I have this vocation, and I cannot and 
 dare not disobey it. It must be a good thing, I think, 
 that other love, when it comes from honourable men like 
 you; but you must give it to somebody who can return 
 it, and you must not think of me/ 
 
 ' You cannot forbid me to think of you/ Vane replied. 
 
 Diana shook her head. 
 
 ( But you should not do so/ she said gravely. ' It is 
 not right any more than it would be right for me to 
 think of you. You must remember/ she added with a 
 slight smile, 'that I belong to God. It is as though I 
 were fiancee no?' 
 
 Edmund started. He recollected how Princess San 
 Rocco had used this same expression, and the simile that 
 Monsieur de Villebois had employed in connection with 
 it. A vision rose up before him of this girl, decked in 
 her bridal clothes, passing through the mockery of the 
 bridal ceremony a ceremony grotesque were it not for 
 its pitiful tragedy, rendered the more pitiful by the ac- 
 quiescence of the victim. For a moment the man tri- 
 umphed over the Catholic. 
 
132 DONNA DIANA 
 
 * No ! ' he burst out impetuously, ' and a thousand times 
 no! What you are saying is nothing but a vile subter- 
 fuge a gloss invented by the priests to hide the outrage 
 committed on human nature in the name of Him who 
 gave that nature. Ah, dear, will you not use your own 
 reason your own eyes? Will you not read what God is 
 writing all around you? Those devils, they have told you 
 that Christ is to be your bridegroom; and you because 
 you are good and pure you believe them ! ' 
 
 Vane checked himself abruptly, conscious that his pas- 
 sion was hurrying him on to say things better left unsaid. 
 
 Diana looked at him doubtfully. He had expected her 
 to be angry, but he read only wonder in her eyes. 
 
 ' Forgive me, Donna Diana, he continued. e I was 
 wrong to speak to you like that, but you cannot under j 
 stand. If you told me that you were going to give your- 
 self to another man well, I would rather hear that from 
 you.' 
 
 She leaned back on the seat, and was silent for a 
 moment. 
 
 ' There is nothing to forgive,' she said at length, a little 
 wearily. ' I think you speak so because because you 
 wish me well. But you do not believe in my vocation. 
 Why do you not, when everybody else believes in it?' 
 
 Vane hesitated. How should he answer her, or tell her 
 all his thoughts? 
 
 'Your cousin Lino does not believe in it,' he replied, 
 after a pause. 
 
 'Lino? Oh, but Lino is different. It is very dread- 
 ful, but he does not believe in any of those things. But 
 it is quite true I belong to God. As I said before, you 
 must not think me ungrateful; and I I am glad to 
 think that you like me/ 
 
 Vane's eyes brightened. 
 
 ' You are glad ? ' he exclaimed. 
 
 ' But yes ! you are Lino's friend. I know how much he 
 likes you, and all you did for him.' 
 
 Edmund's face fell suddenly. 
 
DONNA DIANA 133 
 
 1 Ah, it is for Lino's sake ! 9 he said. ' Well, even that 
 is better than nothing, Donna Diana, But I want more 
 than that. You know what I asked you to do for me just 
 now?' 
 
 ' That, if I ever change my mind, I would remember 
 what you have offered me ? ' said Diana slowly. 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 She looked at him gravely and steadily. 
 
 ' I will promise that/ she continued ; ' but you must 
 not think I shall change my mind. All the same, I shall 
 never forget.' 
 
 Vane took her hand and raised it for a moment to his 
 lips. 
 
 ' That is all I ask of you,' he said very gently. ' And I, 
 too I shall never forget ! ' 
 
 And then he left her, and passed across the lawn among 
 the palm-trees and the roses towards the gate by which he 
 and Lino Savelli had entered the gardens. 
 
 The latter was waiting for him impatiently. 
 
 ' We have been here long enough, Eddie,' he exclaimed, 
 ' and I have smoked at least a dozen cigarettes while you 
 and Diana have been talking nonsense to each other. It 
 is all horribly improper, and you seem to have forgotten 
 that you are not in England.' 
 
 He looked at Vane curiously as he spoke, and the latter 
 laughed nervously. 
 
 ' I don't think we talked much nonsense,' he replied. 
 
 ' I am glad of that,' said Lino dryly. ( But may one 
 know the result of the conversation? Are you and Diana 
 going to ask me to help you to run away with each 
 other?' 
 
 Vane shook his head. 
 
 ( If Donna Diana ever needs a man's love,' he answered, 
 ' she knows now where to find it. But,' he added, ' I don't 
 think she ever will need it. They have killed her woman's 
 nature.' 
 
 Lino smiled. 
 
 'Vedremo/ he said, ' nature, especially our Italian na- 
 
134 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ture, is not so easy to kill. That Diana's nature is numbed 
 and deadened is very probable; but we must continue to 
 fight the influences that are paralyzing it.' 
 
 At this moment Ersilia joined them. From the posi- 
 tion she had taken up on the steps of the palace she had 
 seen Vane leave the group of palms. 
 
 ' The signorino said ten minutes/ she grumbled, looking 
 at Lino disapprovingly, ' and the clocks have struck the 
 quarter three times. It is a thing unheard of,' she added, 
 ' and their Excellencies will please to go at once, before 
 harm comes of it.' 
 
 She opened the door, and peered cautiously up and down 
 the narrow street. Only a cart laden with artichokes was 
 visible, and a lad beside it singing to himself. 
 
 e For the love of God, go ! ' she exclaimed, almost push- 
 ing the two men through the gateway. ' I go back to the 
 signorina; she should be at home by now.' 
 
 She found Diana sitting where Vane had left her. The 
 -girl was very pale and sat looking straight before her, ap- 
 parently lost in thought. 
 
 ' It is certain that . she has been listening to other tales 
 than those of the Madonna and the saints,' said Ersilia to 
 herself. ' And a very good thing, too/ she added, f so long 
 as nothing else has happened; but that is impossible, for 
 the Englishman is not a mascalzone.' 
 
 Diana started as the woman approached her. 
 
 'I am going home, Ersilia/ she said, 'and you did 
 wrong to let them come.' 
 
 Ersilia looked at her confusedly. 
 
 6 It was no harm/ she said ; ' Don Michelangelo and the 
 other wanted to see you so much I had not the heart to 
 refuse them, signorina/ 
 
 * It was wrong/ repeated Diana, ' but since they have 
 come there is no more to be said. I will not come here 
 again, Ersilia these gardens are not healthy. I feel so 
 ill that I am sure I have the fever, and my head throbs so.' 
 
 She shivered as she spoke, though Ersilia, taking one of 
 her hands, found it burning hot. 
 
DONNA DIANA 135 
 
 'Let us come at once, signorina/ said the latter, and 
 they left the gardens together, the porter letting them out 
 through the court-yard of the Palazzo Castelnuovo. 
 
 ' It must certainly be a terno/ said Ersilia to herself 
 as they drove to the Palazzo San Rocco. ' Love, a nun 
 and an Englishman; the devil is in, the middle of it if 
 the numbers do not come out to-morrow. But two lire 
 are a great deal of money.' 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 MONSIGNOR TOMEI belonged to the Church Militant. 
 
 The pen being mightier than the sword, and also much 
 safer, he preferred the former weapon, and had succeeded 
 in making some reputation for himself in the ranks of 
 Italian clerical journalists. His particular province in 
 Catholic journalism might have been described as finan- 
 cial rather than political; although, in recent years, the 
 haute politique and the haute finance of the infallible 
 Church have become strangely dependent on each other, 
 and prices have risen since Christ was sold for thirty pieces 
 of silver. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei, indeed, owed his honorary title of 
 monsignore to his ability in writing up spiritual specu- 
 lations in a manner so convincing as to contribute to their 
 pecuniary success. 
 
 Besides his journalistic occupations, Monsignor Tomei 
 filled the office of deputato ecdesiastico to more than one 
 conventual establishment a post best defined as that of 
 financial manager and adviser to female religious com- 
 munities in need of a man of business who is at the same 
 time a priest. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei inhabited a little apartment on the 
 third floor of a house in the Via della Croce, consisting 
 of a bedroom and sitting-room, and a small kitchen, out 
 of which opened a still smaller room occupied by the 
 woman who acted as his housekeeper, cook, and general 
 attendant. 
 
 Like Mrs. Tinker at Sir Pitt Crawley's mansion in 
 Great Gaunt Street, Monsignor Tomei's housekeeper gen- 
 erally ' dined with the family' when he was alone and, 
 unless they came on business, Monsignor Tomei rarely had 
 visitors. 
 
 136 
 
DONNA DIANA 137 
 
 It was an hour after mid-day, and the family had dined 
 off a large dish of rice, in the midst of which were scat- 
 tered morsels of the interior organs belonging to more 
 than one species of animal; a frittura, also composed of 
 interiors with an occasional piece of exterior flesh; a dish 
 of artichokes fried in oil alia Giudea, or according to the 
 Jewish taste ; a piece of Gorgonzola cheese, and a consider- 
 able quantity of red wine of the Castelli Komani. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei had retired into his sitting-room, leav- 
 ing his housekeeper to clear away the empty plates and 
 dishes and sweep the breadcrumbs off the wine-stained 
 tablecloth. It was the room in which he received such 
 as came to consult him upon their temporal affairs. The 
 only signs of his priestly calling were a crucifix occupy- 
 ing a prominent position over the writing-table, and a pic- 
 ture of the Assumption, that left the beholder in some 
 doubt as to whether the original model selected by the 
 artist to represent the central figure had been altogether 
 justified in sitting for the subject. 
 
 The writing-table itself was as untidy and unpractical 
 as is so often the case with the writing-tables of Italian 
 business men. An ink-bottle standing in a dirty white 
 saucer and a few impossible-looking steel-nibbed pens 
 formed its furniture. In the place of blotting-paper, a 
 second saucer containing some sand stood in the midst 
 of letters, pamphlets, and newspaper cuttings. The cruci- 
 fix looked decidedly out of place among its surroundings, 
 but Monsignor Tomei was of opinion, and perhaps rightly 
 so, that it inspired his clients with confidence. 
 
 The mid-day meal completed, it was the hour when 
 Monsignor Tomei was in the habit of indulging in a siesta. 
 He settled himself in his arm-chair, and, placing a sec- 
 ond chair in front of him, put his large feet upon it. His 
 soutane was scarcely adapted to a recumbent posture, for 
 the ends of a pair of long white drawers, tied at the ex- 
 tremities by pieces of tape, protruded beyond its dusty, 
 black edges. When, after smoking the half of a black 
 toscano cigar, he felt sleep overpowering him, he would 
 
138 DONNA DIANA 
 
 place his snuff-stained silk pocket-handkerchief lightly 
 over his face. 
 
 But to-day sleep did not seem inclined to visit Mon- 
 signor Tomei. He had spent a busy morning. The nuns 
 of a convent, the affairs of which he managed, had laid 
 up for themselves treasure in this world in the shape of 
 a house and church in an eligible quarter of Rome. The 
 property in question had been bought from another relig- 
 ious community, which, owing to a lack of interest on the 
 part of the faithful in its patron saint, had found itself 
 involved in pecuniary difficulties. The saint, 'indeed, was 
 no longer in fashion ; he had become a bore an unpardon- 
 able error in a saint. The convent buildings had been 
 completed and occupied, but the church attached to them 
 remained half built, the Superior of the community being 
 well aware that an unfinished church was more likely to 
 appeal to the pockets of the faithful than an unfinished 
 residence. But it was after the disposal of their property 
 that pecuniary troubles had arisen. The purchasers, as 
 time went on, fell into arrear in the payment of the instal- 
 ments of the purchase-money, and finally found themselves 
 unable to pay at all. Then followed disputes, -and, on the 
 part of the vendors, threats of eviction and appeals to the 
 Italian law-courts. At a critical moment the Reverend 
 Mother of the defaulting community had sought the ad- 
 vice and assistance of Monsignor Tomei, who had been 
 formally appointed deputato ecdesiastico to the convent. 
 It was to the interests of both parties to find a way out of 
 the difficulties if possible, and this without having re- 
 course to the Italian tribunals, the more so because, partly 
 from a reluctance to acknowledge the authority of Italian 
 civil institutions in Rome, but still more from a desire 
 to evade the duties levied by the Government on the sale of 
 their property, the transfer of the latter had never been 
 legally registered, and the actual occupants were therefore, 
 in the eyes of the law, rightful possessors of land and 
 fabrics for which they had never paid. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei had spent an anxious and somewhat 
 
DONNA DIANA 139 
 
 stormy morning at the convent in question, which occu- 
 pied a site where a few years ago the cypress and ilex-trees 
 of a famous villa cast their grateful shade over cool glades, 
 now replaced by broad modern thoroughfares; where, in- 
 stead of the song of birds and the murmur of fountains, 
 the rattle of wheels and the discordant clanging of the 
 gongs of electric trams fall hideously on the ear. 
 
 The representatives of the contending parties had met 
 not exactly in the spirit of charity, and still less in accord- 
 ance with the teaching of certain parables to be found in 
 Holy Writ and Monsignor Tomei had striven to tem- 
 porize on behalf of the nuns for whom he acted. 
 
 One of the chief difficulties with which he had to deal 
 was the fact that the nuns had improved the property. 
 They had, indeed, completed the building of the church, 
 thereby impoverishing themselves to the extent of being 
 unable to complete the payments for their tenement. It 
 soon became clear to Monsignore Tomei that the nuns had 
 been far from wise, for their creditors were doubly anxious 
 to regain possession of an improved tenement. 
 
 Nevertheless, scandal must be avoided if it were possible 
 to avoid it. Such were the orders from official quarters, 
 not to be ignored or disobeyed. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei did not remember having had to deal 
 with a more complicated piece of business. He had used 
 every argument to induce the aggrieved community in 
 question to delay taking any action against the Mother Su- 
 perior of the convent until he should have exhausted every 
 effort to find money sufficient at least to pay up the ar- 
 rears already owing, if not to guarantee the remainder of 
 the sum still due. If he had been successful in delaying 
 any extreme measures being taken, it was largely owing 
 to the reputation he possessed of being an able man of 
 business, and to the fact of his being known to be in Car- 
 dinal Savelli's confidence. The latter, indeed, had brought 
 his influence to bear on the creditors in favour of the 
 Mother Superior. He had advocated delay in taking legal 
 proceedings, and suggested that some compromise might 
 
140 DONNA DIANA 
 
 be arrived at whereby the scandal of publicity might be 
 avoided. 
 
 It is all very well, however, to talk of compromise and 
 delay. The nuns had no money left to pay the daily ex- 
 penses of life, so great had been their eagerness to finish 
 and decorate their church. It had not seemed good to the 
 Mother Superior that the house of the community should 
 be complete in every detail, while the House of God lacked 
 a roof and much else besides. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli had sympathized with the nuns in the 
 matter, and had even encouraged them to resume building 
 operation on the church, but Monsignor Tomei did not 
 look at bricks and mortar with a spiritual eye. 
 
 Had he been consulted at the time, he certainly would 
 have advised the Mother Superior to continue the policy 
 of the former possessors of the convent, and allow its roof- 
 less church to stand as a reproach to the God-fearing 
 public. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei puffed at his cigar and moved rest- 
 lessly in his chair. He did not care about the nuns, and 
 he certainly did not care about the body of foreign monks 
 which was proposing to evict them from their convent. 
 But he did care about the commission he would have re- 
 ceived had he been able to bring the matter to a settlement. 
 He did not advise his clients for nothing, or accept their 
 offers of praying for him at the altar in part payment 
 of his services, any more than he wrote articles in the re- 
 ligious newspapers for nothing. The latter, it is true, 
 paid very badly; but, then, it sometimes happened that 
 his writings brought him cheques from persons other than 
 the editors for whose newspapers they were written. Dur- 
 ing the last year or so his articles on the marvellous answers 
 to prayer, and on the cures vouchsafed at the recently 
 erected shrine of the Madonna delle Ceneri, not far from 
 Naples, had received due acknowledgment from its grate- 
 ful guardians. The latter dreamed of a new Lourdes 
 arising under the shadows of Vesuvius; of an improved 
 railway service; of hotels, hospitals, shops for the sale of 
 
DONNA DIANA 141 
 
 religious bric-a-brac, and all the other incentives to com- 
 merce similar to those which had changed the little Pyren- 
 nean village into a prosperous watering-place. 
 
 Finding sleep to be out of the question, Monsignor 
 Tomei left his arm-chair and sat himself down at his writ- 
 ing-table, proposing to correct a paper he had written for a 
 Roman journal on ( The Progress and Prospects of Cathol- 
 icism in England/ He knew absolutely nothing about 
 England, and had never visited that country; but he had 
 acquaintances among the English Roman Catholics in 
 Rome, whose statements on the subject he believed to be 
 correct. Besides, periodical returns of the number of con- 
 verts made in that heretical land were to be read in the 
 columns of the organs of the Vatican returns forwarded 
 from an official Catholic quarter in London, and, emanat- 
 ing from such a source, surely beyond suspicion as to their 
 veracity. The subject was not one that greatly interested 
 Monsignor Tomei, but it had to be written -up, and he 
 wrote it up. 
 
 He was engaged in this occupation, and was reading, 
 with some satisfaction, through a paragraph describing 
 the approaching formation of a Catholic Central Party 
 in the British Parliament, which was to exercise the same 
 control as its counterpart in the German Reichstag. An 
 English constituency in the North had returned a Roman 
 Catholic candidate, and it was upon this foundation that 
 Monsignor Tomei's article was built. .It was quite a con- 
 vincing piece of work, however ; and as he read it he smiled 
 at his own ability as a journalist. 
 
 A ring at the bell of the entrance-door disturbed him, 
 and a moment afterwards he heard his housekeeper expos- 
 tulating with the visitor. 
 
 e Monsignore was out/ he heard her declare e had been 
 out since the early morning. When would he return? 
 Mat how could one know? Perhaps not till the Ave 
 Maria. 9 
 
 Monsignor Tomei listened approvingly. He was very 
 seldom at home to those who came without having made 
 
DONNA DIANA 
 
 an appointment, and anybody who arrived at an hour 
 when Christians were taking a little repose must want to 
 be paid, and not to pay. 
 
 He rose from his chair and opened the door just suf- 
 ficiently to enable him to peer out into the little pas- 
 sage. 
 
 6 Of course, if he 'is out, he is out/ responded a man's 
 voice impatiently. ( But if it is merely that he is not re- 
 ceiving, kindly tell him that Don Marco Savelli wishes to 
 speak with him.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei opened the door wider and stepped 
 into the passage. 
 
 ' A thousand pardons ! ' he exclaimed. ' But I was oc- 
 cupied, deeply occupied, and I had given orders that no- 
 body should be admitted. Of course, to you, Don Marco, 
 it is a different thing. Come in, I beg of you; I am en- 
 tirely at your service.' 
 
 'You are alone?' asked Marco. 
 
 c Yes, I am alone;' and Monsignor Tomei ushered his 
 visitor into his study. ' One moment,' he added, opening 
 the window. ' The room is full of cigar-smoke my after- 
 breakfast cigar, you know, that I permit myself when I am 
 alone, except in Lent and on fast-days, when we should 
 deprive ourselves of such indulgences.' 
 
 The fresher atmosphere was welcome, but Monsignor 
 Tomei speedily reclosed the window. 
 
 ' Nothing is so dangerous as a current of air,' he ob- 
 served, and then he drew a chair forward for his visitor. 
 
 There was a pause, during which the two men looked at 
 each other. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei leaned back in his chair and crossed 
 his feet, rubbing his hands gently together, while his small 
 black eyes travelled furtively over the other's face. 
 
 'A most unexpected honour,' he observed. 'I regret 
 that you should have been kept waiting. Had I known 
 beforehand ' 
 
 Marco bowed gracefully. 
 
 ' Do not mention it,' he replied. ( I know that I come at 
 
DONNA DIANA 143 
 
 a most inconvenient hour, monsignore; but I wished to be 
 sure of finding you/ 
 
 ' His Eminence ? ' asked Monsignor Tomei. ' You come 
 from him I have no doubt, Don Marco. He is well, I 
 hope?' 
 
 6 My uncle is very well/ returned Marco ; ' but I am not 
 here on any business of his. Indeed, he has no idea that 
 I have come to see you. And you will oblige me, mon- 
 signore, by not mentioning my visit to him not, at all 
 events, for the present.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei bowed. 
 
 ' Certainly I will not mention it/ he began, ' if you pre- 
 fer that I should not do so ; ' and then he paused in- 
 quiringly. 
 
 ' You can understand that I wish to save him from any 
 unnecessary annoyances/ continued Marco suavely. ' My 
 uncle is not so young as he was, and well, as people grow 
 older they sometimes forget that they were once young 
 themselves.' 
 
 6 It is perhaps as well/ observed Monsignor Tomei dryly. 
 
 Marco Savelli laughed. 
 
 6 Oh, for themselves no doubt it is as well/ he replied ; 
 ' but for others who are still young it is embarrassing, you 
 know, and leads to misunderstandings. You are in my 
 uncle's confidence, monsignore, so I have come to consult 
 you before approaching him with my difficulties.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked at him. 
 
 ' I need not ask the nature of your difficulties, Don 
 Marco/ he said with a smile. ' It is the privilege of youth 
 to be in difficulties. But I do not see how I can assist 
 you, if, as I conclude, they are of a worldly nature; and 
 if they are of another kind, I do not think you would 
 come to me to seek spiritual advice.' 
 
 c I do not need any advice/ answered Marco a little 
 sulkily. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's slightly sarcastic tone irritated him. 
 He felt that the priest distrusted him, and the distrust 
 was certainly mutual. It is unpleasant to be obliged to 
 
144 DONNA DIANA 
 
 confide in a person in whom one has no faith ; but, after 
 all, confidences in this world are not always prompted by 
 trust in the confidant. 
 
 *I do not need advice/ he repeated, 'but money/ 
 
 < You mean/ said Monsignor Tomei, ' that you need ad- 
 vice as to how to get money.' 
 
 ' Well, yes, if you choose to put it so/ returned Marco. 
 
 6 It should be very simple for you/ remarked Monsignor 
 Tomei. ( You are Don Marco Savelli. Why do you not 
 marry one of these rich Americans who come to the Grand 
 Hotel ? Or you could even go to New York or London, 
 and call yourself Prince or Marchese, as other young men 
 like you have done. Even if you could not marry dollars, 
 you might borrow some on the strength of your title; and 
 as for the repayment well, you could do as other young 
 men have done. It is not at all incumbent upon you to 
 recognise your creditors when they come to Rome at 
 least, so I have heard.' 
 
 Marco looked at him without betraying any surprise. 
 
 ' Of course/ he replied, ' with my name I could always 
 marry a rich wife. After all, one gives these nobodies a 
 very good return for their money. But at present it would 
 not suit me to marry.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's manner became more ecclesiastical. 
 
 e Marriage is a great safeguard/ he observed, helping 
 himself to a pinch of snuff; 'the passions of youth are 
 very insidious. It is often less expensive, too, in the long- 
 run than than other entanglements/ he added, relapsing 
 into worldliness. 
 
 Marco looked down. 
 
 * It does not always prevent other entanglements/ he 
 said. 
 
 ' Ah no unhappily not ! A deplorable fact, my dear 
 Don Marco, but human nature is weak very weak. We 
 read that the spirit is willing, -but that the flesh is weak. 
 But in reality it is generally the other way ! At any rate, 
 a rich marriage smooths many difficulties you will not 
 deny that. Why not contract one?' 
 
DONNA DIANA 145 
 
 Marco shrugged his shoulders impatiently. 
 
 ' It would not suit me/ he repeated. 6 In course of time, 
 perhaps who knows?' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei tapped his snuff-box. 
 
 ' It is worth thinking about/ he observed. ' In the 
 meantime, Don Marco, what do you wish me to do for 
 you?' 
 
 ' I am in want of ready money/ replied Marco Savelli 
 hurriedly, ' and there is plenty of ready money in the fam- 
 ily, as you know, monsignore. My uncle found it for me 
 once. I want him to do so again.' 
 
 ' More unlucky speculations ? ' asked Monsignor Tomei, 
 with a somewhat enigmatical smile. 
 
 Marco hesitated. 
 
 ' Obligations of a private nature/ he replied. ' My uncle 
 would not understand.' 
 
 ' I think that His Eminence would understand perfectly 
 well, said Monsignor Tomei. e It is possible that he might 
 sympathize for, as you said just now, he is no longer 
 young. But I fear that the Cardinal is in no position to 
 help you/ he added. ' There have been many calls upon 
 him lately, Don Marco; and you must remember that it is 
 not so very long ago since he consented to take a step which 
 was somewhat irregular in order to enable you to meet 
 certain demands upon you.' 
 
 ' They were debts of honour/ said Marco. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei glanced at him, and his thick lips 
 curled a little. 
 
 6 No doubt ! ' he replied quietly. ' But you could scarcely 
 expect His Eminence to draw from the same source a sec- 
 ond time in order to defray these debts.' 
 
 ' I do not see why he should object to do so/ returned 
 Marco. ' My cousin Diana will not require the money for 
 three years.' 
 
 6 And what do you require at this moment ? ' asked Mon- 
 signor Tomei. 
 
 Marco paused for an instant before replying. 
 
 ' Twenty-five thousand francs/ he said briefly. 
 
146 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Monsignor Tomei shook his head. 
 
 ( It is impossible/ he answered. ' The Cardinal would 
 never consent. He has already taken too much from Donna 
 Diana Savelli's fortune'; and here he checked himself 
 abruptly. 
 
 Marco looked at him suspiciously. 
 
 f He has taken a hundred thousand francs before on my 
 account/ he said; 'and if he took twenty-five thousand 
 more, that would only make a hundred and twenty-five 
 thousand. It is not much out of the capital sum/ 
 
 6 It is not much to take, but it is a good deal to replace/ 
 replied Monsignor Tomei. ' Besides/ he added, 'your 
 uncle very naturally has scruples of conscience the money 
 is in trust for Donna Diana. It is very true that she is 
 going to be a nun, but she will need her fortune all the 
 same. Her convent will require it.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei spoke with some eagerness, and Marco 
 Savelli fixed a scrutinizing gaze upon him. The suspi- 
 cion that Diana's fortune had been tampered with by his 
 uncle for other purposes than to provide him with money 
 deepened in his mind. Monsignor Tomei's embarrassment, 
 slight as it was, and hidden beneath a ready flow of lan- 
 guage, had not escaped him. None knew better than he 
 how lavishly words are employed in Kome to conceal 
 facts. 
 
 ' I quite understand my uncle's feelings/ he observed 
 quietly. c Of course, had any part of Donna Diana's for- 
 tune been used for other than purely family motives, it 
 would be very reprehensible. That, however, is not to be 
 thought of for a moment the very idea of it is an injus- 
 tice to the Cardinal. You say that Diana's convent will 
 require her money, monsignor.' 
 
 ' Certainly/ replied the latter. * It is customary for a 
 nun to bring a dot with her. And in the case of a lady of 
 Donna Diana Savelli's name and rank, known to possess 
 money of her own, no doubt a larger sum would be expected 
 than from more ordinary individuals. His Eminence, of 
 course, is well aware of this.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 147 
 
 ' It is also customary for a young girl to bring a dot to 
 her husband/ said Marco dryly. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei gave a very visible start. Then he 
 recovered himself and laughed gently. 
 
 6 Just so, my dear Don Marco just so ! ' he replied. 
 ' That, if you remember, is exactly what I ventured to sug- 
 gest to you a few minutes ago. After all, it is the same 
 thing, only in the case of the nun the bridegroom is the 
 Church/ And he laughed again. 
 
 ' Precisely/ replied Marco Savelli ; c but a spiritual bride- 
 groom is sometimes more accommodating than a bride- 
 groom of flesh and blood/ 
 
 'No doubt/ answered Monsignor Tomei; 'but the latter 
 in the present instance need not enter into our calcula- 
 tions/ 
 
 ' I am not so sure of that, monsignore/ said Marco 
 meaningly. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei gave a little exclamation of surprise. 
 
 'But, Don Marco ' he began. 
 
 Marco Savelli sprang up from his chair impetuously. 
 
 c Yes/ he continued, f I am not at all sure that we shall 
 not have to deal with another aspirant to my cousin Diana's 
 fortune. In that case the whole of her capital would have 
 to be forthcoming. You are aware that it is in trust until 
 she is twenty-one only in the event of her being unmar- 
 ried. Should she marry, she could demand its release, 
 provided she married with the consent of her family/ 
 
 i Diavolo ! 9 exclaimed Monsignor Tomei. ( No, Don 
 Marco, I was not aware of that. His Eminence has con- 
 sulted me about Donna Diana Savelli's affairs, but he 
 omitted to mention what you tell me/ 
 
 e He thought it of no importance, I conclude/ said 
 Marco carelessly. { Nevertheless, the fact is so ; and, mon- 
 signore, the Church is not the only suitor in the field. 
 You will understand, therefore, that it may become of im- 
 portance at any moment/ 
 
 e Donna Diana has a lover, then ? ' asked Monsignor 
 Tomei. 
 
148 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Oh yes, she has a lover/ answered Marco bitterly ' a 
 foreigner, who has fallen in love with her face, or with 
 her money what do I know? She thinks nothing about 
 him, and my aunt San Kocco has been warned, so they 
 have had no opportunity of meeting lately. But love is 
 infectious, as well as contagious, and if she gets ideas into 
 her head ' 
 
 ' But she must not get ideas into her head/ interrupted 
 Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 ' No/ agreed Marco. c It would be a very dreadful thing 
 a sacrilege as I have explained to my uncle and to my 
 aunt San Kocco. They quite agree. So decided a voca- 
 tion as that of Diana should be guarded as a sacred thing. 
 Do you not agree with me also, monsignore?' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's eyes contracted until the two pupils 
 looked like two points of black steel. 
 
 ' The thought is horrible ! ' he said. ' The girl pardon 
 me if I speak so unceremoniously of your cousin, Donna 
 Diana is already as it were vowed to the service of Al- 
 mighty God. Ah no; certainly His Eminence will not 
 see her ravished from the arms of her lawful spouse ! You 
 have spoken to him, you say?' 
 
 'Yes/ replied Marco; 'and not I only, but also Frau 
 von Eaben, whom you know. But there are dangerous 
 influences at work, monsignore. This foreigner is an Eng- 
 lishman Vane of whom you have heard, of course.' 
 
 'Ah, Don Michelangelo's friend!' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's countenance assumed an expression 
 far from pleasing. He hated Lino Savelli as only some 
 priests and the professionally pious can hate those who 
 spoil the market by thinking for themselves in matters of 
 faith. 
 
 Marco Savelli looked at him with a slight smile, scarcely 
 less disagreeable than the scowl which overspread the 
 coarser features o'f the other. 
 
 'You can hardly expect my brother Lino to be on the 
 side of religion/ he said. ' The business is of his making. 
 He introduced this foreigner into Palazzo San Eocco, and 
 
DONNA DIANA 149 
 
 my aunt was not suspicious at first, because Vane is a 
 Catholic, although he is an Englishman. It was supposed 
 that he would not think of Diana when he knew she was 
 to be a nun. But how can anyone know what an English- 
 man will do? The two have been acting in collusion, of 
 course, and had it not been for Frau von Kaben's watch- 
 fulness more harm might have been done/ 
 
 'They are great friends, I have heard/ observed Mon- 
 signor Tomei meditatively. 
 
 Marco shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ' Yes/ he replied contemptuously ; ( it is very romantic. 
 My brother gives out that this Englishman saved his life. 
 I do not believe in these great friendships. However, it 
 is no affair of mine. I dare say that they are tired of it, 
 and probably the Englishman thinks he might as well 
 marry and get Diana's dot' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei rubbed his hands together with a little 
 more alacrity. 
 
 c It is very curious/ he remarked, glancing at Marco 
 from under his eyelids ' very curious indeed ! ' 
 
 c Naturally/ pursued Marco, ' Lino would feel bound 
 to help him to do so/ 
 
 Monsignor Tornei nodded. 
 
 ' Naturally/ he assented. Then he added somewhat ab- 
 ruptly: 'But I do not see what all this has to do with 
 what I understand to be the object of your visit, Don 
 Marco. You want His Eminence to advance you a further 
 sum of money, and you are aware that in order to do so he 
 would be obliged again to draw upon Donna Diana's for- 
 tune. If, as you say, the Cardinal has been warned that 
 his ward has a suitor, he will be all the more reluctant 
 further to diminish capital that he might be required to 
 produce at any moment/ 
 
 Marco Savelli muttered an oath under his breath. 
 
 c He must not be required to produce it to any suitor! ' 
 he exclaimed angrily. e There is no real likelihood of such 
 a thing. If I thought that Diana were in love with this 
 canaglia of a foreigner, I would soon find means to pre- 
 
150 DONNA DIANA 
 
 vent him from troubling her peace of mind any more. 
 No, no, monsignore; things are not gone so far as that 
 yet! Diana is not in love with him, and is still in love 
 with the idea of entering religion. If I believed she was 
 
 thinking about him ' and he paused abruptly, while 
 
 an evil look of hatred and anger crossed his countenance. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei watched him quietly. 
 
 ' Of course/ he said calmly, ' you would be perfectly 
 right to prevent such a scandal ; ' it would be an affair of 
 honour to do so.' 
 
 ' I do not want any publicity/ muttered Marco. ' There 
 are other ways ' 
 
 'Yes, certainly there are other ways/ returned Mon- 
 signor Tomei. 
 
 6 But if Diana adheres to her determination there is no 
 fear of the emergency arising/ said Marco slowly. ' It 
 is our duty to guard her from anything that might make 
 her waver from anything that might interfere with the 
 holy state of her mind. Do you not agree with me?' 
 
 * Undoubtedly, Don Marco/ 
 
 'I have thought the whole matter over very carefully/ 
 Marco continued, ' and it seems to me that Diana's money 
 is likely to prove a great temptation to well, to men like 
 this Vane, for instance. Probably, if he were to hear that 
 she had no fortune to bring to a husband, he would soon 
 turn his attention elsewhere/ 
 
 'But I do not understand/ said Monsignor Tomei. 
 'Donna Diana cannot make away with her own for- 
 tune ' He was about to add 'whatever others may 
 
 do for her/ but checked himself in time. 
 
 Marco Savelli glanced at him. 
 
 'Nevertheless/ he replied, 'that is exactly what she 
 can do ! 9 
 
 Monsignor Tomei leaned forward in his chair and gazed 
 at him inquiringly. 
 
 ' She is giving herself to religion/ proceeded Marco, 
 ' so why should she not make arrangements to devote her 
 fortune to the convent she means to enter? Of course, 
 
DONNA DIANA 151 
 
 the money could not be paid over until she was of age ; but 
 she would regard an anticipatory deed of gift as binding 
 upon her, though, as signed by a minor, it would have no. 
 legal value. The convent, no doubt, would feel justified 
 in enlarging its property, or in incurring greater outlay, 
 should the authorities know that in a few years the extra 
 capital would fall in.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomer's eyes gleamed, and his expression be- 
 came keen and alert as he listened. 
 
 'But,' he interposed, 'I do not see how such a scheme 
 would help you. And you must recollect that Donna 
 Diana has still to pass through her novitiate. She might 
 change her mind during its course, and refuse to take the 
 final vows. If she did take them, and insisted upon ful- 
 filling her promise to endow the convent with a part, 
 or with the whole, of her fortune, you would merely be 
 placing some old Mother Superior in the place of a hus- 
 band. I do not see your point, Don Marco.' 
 
 Marco hesitated for a moment or two. 
 
 6 1 thought,' he said at length, ' that, in the event of my 
 cousin showing a disposition to benefit her community, 
 the latter would be likely to be more accommodating should 
 there be some little delay in paying over the money, or 
 some deficit in the capital when paid, than a husband 
 would be in the case of a dot' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked at his visitor almost ad- 
 miringly. 
 
 ' Ah,' he exclaimed, ( I begin to see your meaning ! It 
 is certainly an idea. Between ourselves, Don Marco, I 
 may tell you that the longer your cousin Donna Diana's 
 capital can remain in the hands of His Eminence, the 
 better; and I gather that delay in finally paying it over 
 is the chief object you have in view. If she should really 
 form the laudable desire to endow the community she en- 
 ters, no doubt some understanding could be arrived at 
 with the representatives of that community which would 
 be beneficial to all parties/ 
 
 'And in that case,' said Marco, c my uncle would no 
 
152 DONNA DIANA 
 
 doubt be more willing to repeat what he did for me on a 
 
 former occasion/ 
 
 . Monsignor Tomei shook his head. 
 
 ' Ah/ he replied, ' I fear that it would be very difficult 
 to persuade His Eminence as to the advisability of such a 
 course. Besides, if you will forgive me for asking the 
 question, what reasons would you give for needing the 
 money? You could scarcely plead financial losses a sec- 
 ond time. The Cardinal would begin to make inquiries, 
 
 and Well, Rome is a small place, Don Marco, and 
 
 there are always people ready to talk.' 
 
 ( One has obligations ' began Marco. 
 
 ' Of course of course ! * interrupted Monsignor Tomei, 
 with a wave of his hand. ' That is the unfortunate part 
 of being born of being a man, in short a layman, I 
 mean. However, we need not discuss the subject. I would 
 readily help you if I could; but what can I do? 5 
 
 f You said just now that the longer Donna Diana's cap- 
 ital can remain in my uncle's hands, the better,' replied 
 Marco. ' Can you not tell him so, monsignore ? ' 
 
 ' Oh/ said Monsignor Tomei, ' I think His Eminence 
 fully realizes that fact.' 
 
 Marco gave him a rapid glance. 
 
 'If that is the case/ he observed, ' cannot you impress 
 upon him that the best way to insure delay in accounting 
 for it is to encourage my cousin to adopt the course I have 
 described ? She will listen to him, and my aunt, Princess 
 San Rocco, will listen also. Perhaps, monsignore, you 
 may even know of some religious community to which 
 Diana's money, or such part of it as she desired to bestow, 
 might be very useful in the future.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei did not reply immediately. He re- 
 sorted again to his snuff-box, and took one or two liberal 
 pinches, after which he blew his nose loudly. 
 
 ' His Eminence told me some time ago that he had ar- 
 ranged for Donna Diana Savelli to pass her novitiate in a 
 convent out of Rome/ he remarked presently ; e but he did 
 not tell me where, or even tell me the name of the Order.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 153 
 
 6 1 believe/ said Marco, ( that the convent is at Florence 
 the ' Monsignor Tomei looked up quickly. 
 
 ' Ah yes/ he observed, and then he added, ' Of course, 
 in my business capacity I have the management of the 
 financial affairs of more than one conventual establish- 
 ment in my business capacity, my dear Don Marco. Che . 
 vuole ? a man must live, and it is not every priest who can 
 live by the altar, as was intended by Domeneddio!' 
 
 Marco Savelli looked at him and smiled quietly. 
 
 ( Naturally/ he said, i it is in your business capacity that 
 I am seeking your co-operation, monsignore.' 
 
 The words were very simple, but Monsignor Tomei un- 
 derstood them in the sense they were intended. to convey. 
 
 The two men gazed at each other steadily for an instant, 
 and it was characteristic of the Roman love of intrigue 
 that mutual contempt was more than tempered by a cer- 
 tain mutual admiration of the means employed to arrive 
 at a good understanding. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE opening year, of the new century had not been en- 
 tirely propitious to Cardinal Savelli. In common with 
 the majority of the Cardinals of the Curia, he had his 
 enemies. The Papal Court, its spiritual pretensions not- 
 withstanding, is no freer from petty jealousies and back- 
 stair intrigues than the Court of any ruler in no wise 
 claiming Divine vicegerence. In the silent halls of the 
 vast palace that seems to stand in dignified seclusion a 
 perpetual protest against the new Rome and all that the 
 latter represents the threads of the world's webs are be- 
 ing gathered up as carefully and as indefatigably as once 
 they were in that other pontifical and imperial palace on 
 the Palatine Hill. 
 
 Of the varied objects that arrest the attention of the 
 thoughtful walker through the streets of Rome, surely 
 none can do so more forcibly than the Vatican. Believer 
 or unbeliever, saint or cynic, who can contemplate it un- 
 moved ? unless, indeed, he belong to that vast body which 
 chiefly associates it with Baedeker, and wanders through 
 its galleries, gazing on the beautiful, lifeless things of 
 marble- and paint, without bestowing a thought on the 
 great living machine silently working around him; on the 
 sublime strength and the pitiful weakness of humanity 
 from which that machine draws its universal power. 
 
 Within the halls of the Vatican are all the pomp and 
 circumstance of a Court. Prelates and Cardinals, richly 
 robed, move through the ante-chambers, and Ambassadors 
 from the monarchs of the world pass to audience. The 
 clash of swords borne by the soldiers on guard resounds 
 in the palace of the representative of the Prince of Peace. 
 The cynic smiles and the unbeliever scoffs. The believer 
 
 154 
 
DONNA DIANA 155 
 
 in the teaching of Christ, even if he be a Catholic nay, 
 perhaps because he is a Catholic goes away saddened 
 with the words 'My kingdom is not of this world ' ring- 
 ing in his ears. Where are the poor and the sick, the halt, 
 the maimed, and the blind? 
 
 These do not go to Court, but the wise men who bring 
 presents realizable commodities, such as gold, frankin- 
 cense, and myrrh. 
 
 But the true power of the Vatican the spiritual power 
 is not here. You may see its reflection in the faces of 
 some among those who pass on their way to the presence- 
 chamber. They bring no gifts, and perchance they have 
 waited years for the crowning moment of their lives the 
 moment when they shall kneel before the Vicar of Christ 
 and receive his benediction. On the countenances of the 
 courtiers you may read the love of the Church; but on 
 the faces of these, the humble labourers in God's vineyard, 
 is written a very different love the love of God. They 
 are toil-stained, these workers, and seem to bear with them 
 the atmosphere of the surroundings in which they labour. 
 You may look into eyes that have grown weary with gazing 
 on suffering, and on sin that has produced it. You may 
 study features of men and women, both young and old, 
 and read what has been written by care, responsibility, 
 and sympathy. 
 
 This Bishop of a far-away diocese, in partibus infide- 
 lium, with pinched, shrivelled face, and hands shaking 
 from fever, has faced more perils than St. Paul. 
 
 That Belgian priest, he has worked unnoticed and with- 
 out thought of reward among the artisans of Liege or 
 Charleroi ; that French nun, she has taken her life in her 
 hand in the Congo or in Tonquin, in order to give a few 
 hours' solace to the wounded and the sick; and there are 
 others more obscure than they, wrestling with the evil of 
 drink in the slums of some Northern city, or wearing out 
 their lives in combating the monotonous immorality of 
 some country village. 
 
 And so they pass to the presence-room, between the 
 
156 DONNA DIANA 
 
 purple-robed monsignori and the prelates of the pontifical 
 household, humble witnesses to the power of that other 
 kingdom, the Sovereign of which holds His Court in their 
 own hearts. 
 
 But the great machine around them grinds on, crush- 
 ing, absorbing, assimilating. Between the labourer and 
 his Employer there stands the middleman the Church 
 political, the Church financial levying toll on his labours, 
 utilizing them to advance the triumph of a system born 
 less of Christ than of Caesar, even exploiting faith, hope, 
 and charity in order to secure further dominion over the 
 destinies of man. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli had passed the greater part of his life 
 in the atmosphere of the Vatican. The second of four 
 brothers, and member of an old Roman house, he had 
 become a priest more in order to carry on the traditions 
 of the family than from any very decided vocation. The 
 Savelli, indeed, had the reputation of being somewhat 
 wild, and Don Luigi in his youth had lived up to that 
 reputation. 
 
 Even as a monsignore and a handsome man of forty, 
 he had caused tongues in Rome to wag, and on one occa- 
 sion it had been deemed advisable to entrust him with an 
 Apostolic mission, entailing his absence from the Holy 
 City during more than a year. 
 
 There were also stories after his elevation to the purple ; 
 but, then, in Rome there are always stories, and even dear 
 friends not infrequently attribute to each other all the 
 crimes mentioned in the Decalogue, and some that are 
 tactfully omitted therefrom. 
 
 Cardinal Luigi's eldest brother, Prince Savelli, had long 
 ago dissipated his lands and most of his money. For years 
 he had inhabited a small apartment in Paris the casket 
 containing the ashes of certain pleasures, overindulgence 
 in which had wrecked both his constitution and his 
 fortune. 
 
 A son of the house of the Savelli was tolerably sure of 
 making his way in the Church, and promotion had come 
 
DONNA DIANA 157 
 
 easily and quickly to Don Luigi. The Savelli, indeed, had 
 remained faithful in their political adherence to the Holy 
 See, and had never intermarried save with the ' blackest ' 
 Italian families. As he advanced in years, Monsignor 
 Savelli became an ideal courtier as well as ecclesiastic, 
 and it was only after his elevation to the cardinalate 
 that he had begun to make enemies among his fellow- 
 Eminences and the groups devoted to their respective 
 interests. 
 
 Perhaps the fact that he happened to be a gentleman 
 accounted for some of the jealousy with which Cardinal 
 Savelli was regarded in certain ecclesiastical quarters. 
 However this might be, the influence he had at one time 
 undoubtedly possessed had in some mysterious manner 
 seemed to slip away from him without any apparent cause. 
 At one moment, if not actually among the papabili., as 
 those Cardinals supposed to have some probability of elec- 
 tion to the pontifical office are familiarly termed, his 
 name was at least mentioned as a possible successor to the 
 venerable occupant of St. Peter's chair. 
 
 Very soon, however, people who professed to be able to 
 gauge the official atmosphere of the Vatican began to 
 shake their heads when Cardinal Savelli's name was men- 
 tioned in any such connection. Rumour had it, as one 
 of the reasons for his fall from power, that he had been 
 too open in his disapproval of the policy adapted by the 
 Vatican towards the French Republic. It is possible that 
 he had been so, for, like many Romans, he had little love 
 for the French, and certainly none for a Republican Gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 There was, however, another report current among those 
 claiming to be well informed on such matters. It was al- 
 leged that Cardinal Savelli had been, if not culpable of, 
 at least indirectly responsible for, certain financial errors 
 entailing considerable loss to the Papal exchequer. In- 
 stances were not wanting of similar errors on the part of 
 others having been visited by prompt disgrace. So promi- 
 nent a personage as Cardinal Savelli could not, of course, 
 
158 DONNA DIANA 
 
 be openly censured, but it was averred that the necessary 
 scapegoat had been found in the person of an ecclesiastic 
 of lower rank, who had been promptly relegated to take 
 charge of the souls in a distant town in the Abruzzi, a 
 town he would not be likely to leave until, worn out by 
 disappointment and heart-broken by uncongenial sur- 
 roundings, he should be carried to the cemetery beyond its 
 walls. 
 
 The bestowal elsewhere of the office which Cardinal 
 Savelli had hoped to obtain had been the first unmistak- 
 able mark afforded him of the change in his position. 
 Nevertheless, he had been quick to read in a hundred little 
 details, trifling as yet, but significant enough to one versed 
 in the ways of a Court, evidences of his impending loss of 
 favour. 
 
 Perhaps Cardinal Savelli would have felt his altered 
 position less keenly had the latter not called forth other 
 troubles. His adversaries in the ecclesiastical world, not 
 content with intriguing against him within the Vatican, 
 had seized the opportunity to hint that his financial con- 
 ditions were not so prosperous as had hitherto been be- 
 lieved. It was never suggested that Cardinal Savelli had 
 derived any personal advantage from the ill-considered 
 speculations on the part of the Vatican for which he had 
 been held responsible. People shook their heads, and said 
 that he evidently had not so good a head for money as 
 had been generally supposed; and it was only natural, 
 this fact once admitted, that doubt should be cast upon the 
 state of his own pecuniary affairs. 
 
 It is marvellous how rapidly surmises crystallize into 
 assertions. The birds of the air soon carried the matter 
 across the Tiber and into the business circles of the city. 
 Tradesmen began to send their bills in to the Cardinal's 
 secretary; not, as formerly, by post at the usual seasons, 
 but by hand, with a receipt stamp already affixed. Of 
 greater inconvenience was the pressure for the repayment 
 of the principal of certain loans, a renewal of which, 
 hitherto granted without difficulty, was now declared to 
 
DONNA DIANA 159 
 
 be impossible. It was in vain that Cardinal Savelli called 
 Monsignor Tomei to his assistance. The latter had hitherto 
 treated his patron's embarrassments as passing matters of 
 no great gravity. He had always succeeded by one means 
 or another in enabling the Cardinal to meet the calls made 
 upon him. It is true that old obligations were discharged 
 by incurring new ones, but Cardinal Savelli, being of a 
 Roman princely family, was not greatly disturbed by such 
 petty detail as this. Of late, however, Monsignor Tomei 
 had assumed a more apprehensive attitude. 
 
 It had been somewhat of a shock to the Cardinal when 
 Monsignor Tomei had frankly informed him that he had, 
 so to speak, touched the extreme limit of his credit, and 
 that he, Monsignor Tomei, could do no more in the way 
 of negotiating further loans on his behalf. The more 
 immediate result of this piece of intelligence was that 
 Cardinal Savelli reduced the number of his men-servants 
 by one; changed his cook, to whom he had given a hun- 
 dred lire a month, and engaged another at a salary of sev- 
 enty lire; and commissioned Monsignor Tomei to sell for 
 him one of his jewelled episcopal rings. 
 
 After making these domestic economies he had felt 
 easier in his mind. 
 
 ' I suppose I ought to sell my horses/ he observed plain- 
 tively to Monsignor Tomei when they were discussing the 
 situation together, 'and hire a pair of hearse-horses by 
 the month.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli could scarcely have given a more con- 
 vincing sign that he realized the gravity of his financial 
 position than by making a similar suggestion. In other 
 capitals the suppression of carriages and horses is the 
 first step on the road to retrenchment, but in Eome it is 
 one of the very last. There are families who will live in 
 absolute discomfort, and yet maintain a carriage and pair 
 with which to impress the loungers in the Corso. 
 
 * Of course,' replied Monsignor Tomei to this remark. 
 'Your Eminence cannot walk within the city, and as you 
 certainly cannot take a cab or the tram to one of the 
 
160 DONNA DIANA 
 
 gates, a carriage is a necessity. But hiring is cheaper. 
 You could then put down your stables.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sighed impatiently. 
 
 ' No doubt/ he replied, with a wave of his hand. ' We 
 will consider it, monsignore we will consider it. One is 
 forced to keep up appearances, you know/ 
 
 'Your Eminence will do well to consider any step that 
 will curtail current expenses/ observed Monsignor Tomei 
 gloomily. ' It is certainly very unfortunate/ he added, 
 and then he checked himself and glanced at Cardinal 
 Savelli apologetically. 
 
 'What is very unfortunate?' asked the Cardinal. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei hesitated. 
 
 ' I was about to say/ he replied, ' that it is certainly 
 annoying to think of the money which is in your Em- 
 inence's hands money which might be of so much use 
 at the present moment if it could be touched.' 
 
 ' It is useless to think of that/ said Cardinal Savelli. 
 * One of the things which troubles me the most is finding 
 myself unable as yet to replace what has been already 
 taken from that money/ he added. 'But by strict 
 economy during the next three years much may be 
 done.' 
 
 ' Unless Donna Diana Savelli should require her fortune 
 before the expiration of that time/ observed Monsignor 
 Tomei. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at him quickly. 
 
 ' She is not entitled to it before she is of age/ he re- 
 turned. 
 
 'But if she were to marry?' 
 
 ' To marry ! ' re-echoed the Cardinal. ' Why should she 
 marry? The idea is preposterous! Besides, she cannot 
 do so without my consent as her guardian.' 
 
 'But somebody might want to marry her/ suggested 
 Monsignor Tomei. ' She is known to have money, and 
 your Eminence is aware that young people are apt to fall 
 in love.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli frowned. 
 
DONNA DIANA 161 
 
 c Love is for those who live in the world/ he replied. 
 ' My niece, monsignore, will not be of the world. In a 
 few weeks' time she will commence her novitiate. I have 
 already arranged for her reception into a convent at Flor- 
 ence. Between ourselves, I shall be relieved when she is 
 there. It is a responsibility for my sister to have her at 
 the Palazzo San Kocco, and I fear some silly things have 
 already been said in her presence by her cousins. They 
 have got an idea into their heads that a young English- 
 man who has visited there admires her.' 
 
 e Precisely/ observed Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 The Cardinal glanced at him. 
 
 * You have heard of it ? ' he asked with some surprise. 
 
 * I have certainly heard it remarked that a friend of 
 Don Michelangelo appeared to admire her/ answered Mon- 
 signor Tomei. 
 
 ' Ah, I wonder whom you heard this from ? ' asked Car- 
 dinal Savelli curiously. ' I did not suppose that it had 
 been talked about out of the family/ he added. 
 
 ' I do not remember who my informant was/ said Mon- 
 signor Tomei carelessly; 'but those things are always 
 talked about. Some servant has gossiped, probably, or 
 perhaps the young man himself. Indeed, now I come to 
 think of it, I believe Don Michelangelo has spoken openly 
 about it/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli tapped his foot impatiently on the 
 ground. 
 
 ' A ridiculous idea ! ' he exclaimed ; ' but, luckily, as 
 I was saying, in a few weeks my niece will be out of 
 harm's way/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei was silent, but he gave his shoulders 
 a barely perceptible shrug. 
 
 'You surely do not suppose that there is anything in 
 it?' demanded Cardinal Savelli quickly. 
 
 6 There is generally something in a young man ! ' Mon- 
 signor Tomei observed, with an expressive gesture. 
 
 The Cardinal smiled faintly. 
 
 * Si capisce ! ' he replied. ' But they have had little or 
 
162 DONNA DIANA 
 
 no opportunity of seeing each other and my niece is a 
 mere child still.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli hesitated a little as he uttered these 
 words. He suddenly recollected his last interview with 
 Diana, and how he had then realized that she was a 
 child no longer, but a girl fast developing into woman- 
 hood. 
 
 ( A very little is needed to arouse a young girl's sus- 
 ceptibilities/ said Monsignor Tomei, ' and Donna Diana 
 Savelli is, I am told, beautiful enough to make any man 
 fall in love with her at first sight at least, any one of 
 our young men. But in this case we are dealing with an 
 Englishman. Is it not. so, Eminence?' 
 
 ' Yes/ replied the Cardinal, ' and that makes the affair 
 still more impossible. To be sure, he is not a Protestant; 
 but there is something of the Protestant in all English- 
 men, unless they are converts and then they are much 
 more Catholic than we are. It is the land of exaggera- 
 tions.' 
 
 'If he had really fallen in love with Donna Diana on 
 account of her beauty, one could sympathize with him/ 
 proceeded Monsignor Tomei. * It would be less serious, 
 too, for there is plenty of beauty to be had in the world, 
 when one is young and a layman.' 
 
 'Less serious?' repeated the Cardinal. 
 
 * I should say so, Eminence. A pretty face is easy to 
 find, but a million of francs are another affair altogether. 
 And they are practical, the English.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli turned quickly towards him. 
 
 'Ah/ he exclaimed, 'you think this Englishman wants 
 her money ? and yet they say he is rich. Whom have you 
 heard this from, monsignore?' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's manner became slightly mysterious. 
 
 'In my world, Eminence, one hears many things/ he 
 replied evasively, 'especially things relating to the moral 
 and financial difficulties of people in what is called so- 
 ciety. This Mr. Vane 
 
 ' But Mr. Vane is a foreigner/ interrupted the Cardinal. 
 
DONNA DIANA 163 
 
 ' True, Eminence ; but Don Michelangelo Savelli is not 
 a foreigner/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked perplexed. 
 
 ' What has Don Michelangelo Savelli got to do with it ? ' 
 he asked. ' The two are friends, certainly, and one can 
 understand that he might like to take Vane's part.' 
 
 6 Exactly. It might be worth his while to do so. Self- 
 interest, Eminence, is not invariably dissociated from 
 friendship.' 
 
 ' No, indeed,' remarked Cardinal Savelli dryly. ' I have 
 had lately to learn the truth of your observation. But you 
 arouse my curiosity, monsignore. As you know, I am in 
 entire ignorance of my nephew Michelangelo's affairs. He 
 has chosen to throw in his lot with our adversaries, and to 
 take up a position of which I strongly disapprove. The 
 little that reaches me concerning his mode of life certainly 
 does not tend to lessen my disapproval. No doubt you 
 know considerably more about him than I do.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei coughed discreetly. 
 
 ( Of course,' he replied, ' it is no affair of mine ; and if 
 one was to listen to all the tales one hears of the pecuniary 
 straits in which young men like Don Michelangelo find 
 themselves, there would be enough to do/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked genuinely astonished. 
 
 ( Pecuniary straits ? ' he repeated. ' I have been told 
 that he gambles. His brother has often deplored the fact ; 
 but, then, Marco declares that he is very lucky, and that 
 he usually wins. I have never heard of him asking for 
 help from any of the family. To be sure, he would not 
 apply to me, but I should certainly have been told had 
 he done so elsewhere.' 
 
 'I think,' said Monsignor Tomei slowly, 'that Don 
 Michelangelo has been more fortunate in his friends than 
 in his cards.' 
 
 ' Friends do not pay one's debts,' said Cardinal Savelli 
 curtly; 'they only help one to add to them.' 
 
 e Perhaps I should have said in his friend,' proceeded 
 Monsignor Tomei. 
 
164 DONNA DIANA 
 
 'Do you mean to say that this Englishman has paid 
 my nephew's debts ? 9 exclaimed the Cardinal. ' But it is 
 ridiculous, monsignore! Those are things which are not 
 done/ 
 
 He paused, and his face, naturally high-coloured, be- 
 came redder. His pride was touched. It was not fitting 
 that a Savelli should take money from a stranger. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked at him with an expression of 
 mingled curiosity and amusement, much as a cat looks at 
 the mouse it has maimed. 
 
 'Don Michelangelo's life is well, like the life of any 
 other young man of the world,' he said. ' Your Eminence 
 knows that his income is not large. In the last few 
 months more than one inquiry has been addressed to me 
 as to his solvency. It seems that credit has been given 
 to him the more readily owing to the fact that he is your 
 Eminence's nephew/ 
 
 'Ah/ exclaimed Cardinal Savelli, 'he has traded upon 
 that ! ' 
 
 ' I would not do him an injustice,' returned Monsignor 
 Tomei. ' The money-lenders, of course, make it their 
 business to learn all they can about their clients. In the 
 case of Don Michelangelo, the fact of his being so closely 
 connected with your Eminence would naturally give them 
 confidence in dealing with him. I do not mean to imply 
 that he has wilfully traded upon the relationship.' 
 
 * It is the same thing/ said the Cardinal angrily. 
 
 'Whether he has or has not done so is a detail/ re- 
 sumed Monsignor Tomei. 'The fact remains/ he con- 
 tinued, 'that Don Michelangelo's more pressing debts 
 have been paid. Your Eminence, as you said just now, 
 would doubtless have been aware of it had they been settled 
 by any member of the family. The inference is that they 
 have been paid by his English friend.' 
 
 ' It is incredible ! ' muttered the Cardinal. 
 
 ' Such friendships are unusual, certainly/ said Mon- 
 signor Tomei dryly. ' They are even romantic. But the 
 English are very eccentric, and well, it may be a case 
 
DONNA DIANA 165 
 
 of David and Jonathan/ he concluded, with an almost 
 imperceptible shrug of the shoulders and raising of his 
 black eyebrows. 
 
 'But the motive ' began Cardinal Savelli. 
 
 'Oh, as to the motive, one can never tell/ interrupted 
 Monsignor Tomei. ' It is a matter which rests between 
 Don Michelangelo and Mr. Vane. People do not pay 
 money for nothing, that is certain; they need repayment 
 in some form or another. If Mr. Vane has fallen in love 
 with Donna Diana Savelli, it is not difficult to conceive 
 that he may have found it convenient to remind her cousin 
 of the latter's obligations towards him.' 
 
 ' I see/ replied the Cardinal thoughtfully. ' He would 
 consider himself repaid by gaining my niece's affec- 
 tions/ 
 
 ' And her dot' supplemented Monsignor Tomei. ' ' Don 
 Michelangelo could hardly refuse his assistance under the 
 circumstances. Besides, one never knows; this Mr. Vane 
 may have some other hold over him/ 
 
 'But I would never consent to such a marriage/ said 
 Cardinal Savelli decidedly; 'and without my consent it 
 could not take place.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei remained silent for a few moments. 
 
 e If I might venture to make a suggestion/ he began 
 presently. 
 
 'My dear friend/ returned the Cardinal, 'make any 
 suggestions you please. I had never given this matter 
 any great attention, believing it to be merely a question 
 of a young man's very natural admiration for a pretty 
 girl, an admiration that would speedily be transferred 
 elsewhere when the object of it was removed. From what 
 you tell me, however, it would seem to be as much a 
 matter of money as of love, and the collusion you have 
 hinted at is disgraceful. What is your suggestion?' 
 
 'Your Eminence has already forestalled it/ answered 
 Monsignor Tomei. 'It is that you should remove the 
 object of admiration elsewhere.' 
 
 'But if I am removing it? In a few weeks, as I say, 
 
166 DONNA DIANA 
 
 my niece will be in a convent, and in the meantime Vane 
 has no chance of seeing her/ 
 
 ' I was not alluding to Donna Diana's person/ said 
 Monsignor Tomei, 'but to her dot. The latter might be 
 removed to a convent also. Then we should see whether 
 the Englishman would continue to fancy himself in love. 
 We should see also whether Don Michelangelo would be 
 so anxious to assist his friend/ 
 
 ' But it is impossible ! ' exclaimed the Cardinal. ' I 
 could only hand over my niece's fortune to a convent 
 when she becomes a professed nun. Besides, you, of all 
 people, monsignore, know how inconvenient it would be 
 to do anything of the kind before I am legally bound to 
 do it/ 
 
 ' Nevertheless,' persisted Monsignor Tomei quietly, ' I 
 think that by a little careful management an arrangement 
 might be made whereby Donna Diana would be protected 
 from these intrigues, and your Eminence relieved from 
 the financial difficulties in which you find yourself 
 involved/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sighed. 
 
 'I wish I could see how such a combination is to be 
 arrived at/ he replied. 
 
 ' In any case, Donna Diana would be expected to bring 
 her dowry to the convent she elects to enter/ said Mon- 
 signor Tomei. * A portion of it might be reserved for 
 her to dispose of at death, but your Eminence is aware 
 that such a practice is not looked upon with favour by 
 the heads of religious communities. When they are so 
 fortunate as to secure a rich recruit, it is natural that 
 they should prefer his or her capital to remain intact. 
 This being so, an anticipatory note executed by Donna 
 Diana pledging herself to endow the Order she eventually 
 joins with her fortune would be of great practical value 
 to that Order, though it would have no legal value, being 
 executed by a minor. Of course, I am basing my argu- 
 ment on the supposition that she remains firm in her 
 determination to take her final vows. The only two things 
 
DONNA DIANA 167 
 
 that could interfere with that determination would be, to 
 speak plainly, love or death/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli gave a slight shudder. 
 
 ' It is true/ he said in a low voice, and then he glanced 
 at Monsignor Tomei uneasily. ' The latter is not in our 
 hands/ he continued ; e but have we any right to prevent 
 the former from ever reaching her ? ' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked at him with an air of surprise, 
 which, if not genuine, was at least well feigned. 
 
 'But, Eminence/ he replied, 'who can presume to in- 
 terfere with the ways of Almighty God? He has thought 
 fit to endow Donna Diana with a vocation to a higher life 
 to choose her for Himself/ 
 
 'He has endowed her with human nature as well a 
 woman's nature/ answered the Cardinal, and there was 
 a touch of impatience in his voice and manner. ' As 
 long as she was a child/ he added, 'it did not seem un- 
 fitting this destiny she has chosen. Children are nearer 
 to God than grown-up people. But now, when one looks 
 at her, it is another thing. One looks, and thinks of 
 how it might be with her, and of the joys that she will 
 never know in this life the joys of love, of maternity, 
 the satisfying of her womanhood/ And he sighed again. 
 
 ' The Church advocates the repression of human nature, 
 not its satisfaction/ observed Monsignor Tomei somewhat 
 unctuously. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli gave him a quick look, in which there 
 was a momentary expression of contempt. 
 
 ' I was not thinking of the Church, monsignore/ he 
 replied coldly. ' In our predecessors' days, here in Eome, 
 we are told that the augurs occasionally laid aside their 
 supernatural pretensions when in each other's company/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei affected not to notice the sarcasm, 
 although he appreciated it. 
 
 ' It is very natural that your Eminence should regret 
 Donna Diana's determination to enter religion when you 
 consider it from a worldly point of view/ he remarked 
 suavely. 'If there are any grounds for supposing her to 
 
168 DONNA DIANA 
 
 be in love, it would, of course, be most unfair not to 
 leave her absolutely free to decide as her conscience might 
 dictate. But I imagine that there are no such grounds/ 
 he added. 
 
 6 Certainly not/ replied the Cardinal. ' So far, al- 
 though the state of my niece's mind has been very care- 
 fully watched by those around her, there is nothing to 
 lead to the suspicion- that any conception of material 
 love has disturbed it.' 
 
 'A clear proof of Almighty God's intentions regarding 
 her/ said Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 'It may be so/ returned Cardinal Savelli. 'As you 
 say, we dare not presume to interfere with a genuine voca- 
 tion, and my niece has certainly given us every reason to 
 believe her vocation to be genuine. At any rate, mon- 
 signore, it shall not be disturbed by a fortune-hunter.' 
 
 6 1 should not go so far as to say that this Englishman 
 is a mere fortune-hunter/ said Monsignor Tomei, 'for 
 we know him to be rich. It is conceivable that he ad- 
 mires Donna Diana Savelli quite apart from her money.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at him doubtfully. 
 
 'I do not understand/ he said. 'A few moments ago 
 you advocated the immediate surrender of my niece's for- 
 tune to a religious community on the grounds that the 
 knowledge of her dot being disposed of would frighten 
 away this admirer of hers; now you confess that you 
 believe him to be in love with her, and not with her 
 money.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei attempted to speak, but the Cardinal 
 silenced him with a wave of his hand. 
 
 'In any case/ he continued, 'your suggestion does 
 not seem to me to be very sound, monsignore. Both 
 Mr. Vane and my nephew Michelangelo would be per- 
 fectly well aware that the money could not legally be 
 disposed of by Donna Diana until she was of age. More- 
 over, though I quite understand that my nephew might 
 desire to help his friend to attain his object, I do not 
 see what pecuniary advantages he would gain by doing so.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 169 
 
 Monsignor Tomei began to lose his patience. 
 
 'Listen, Eminence/ he replied. 'If you permit this 
 intrigue for it is an intrigue to continue, you may find 
 yourself confronted at any moment by grave difficulties. 
 The paying over of Donna Diana's do t to a husband would 
 mean ruin. You would have to produce the whole of it, 
 and, let us speak frankly, the whole of it is no longer in 
 existence to produce. You do not understand how Don 
 Michelangelo Savelli benefits by endeavouring to bring 
 about an alliance between his friend and his cousin. I 
 will tell your Eminence. Don Michelangelo is in his 
 friend's debt. Horses, cards, women these things run 
 away with money; and the Englishman has paid, on the 
 understanding, no doubt, that Don Michelangelo helps 
 him to gain Donna Diana's love. And Don Michelangelo, 
 as your Eminence knows, is no good Catholic. Having 
 failed to influence his cousin against our holy religion 
 in other ways, he is now endeavouring to prevent her from 
 fulfilling her vocation by throwing in her path tempta- 
 tion to carnal desires.' 
 
 ' But he will not succeed,' said Cardinal Savelli. ' God 
 will protect His own.' 
 
 6 He is doing so by placing in your Eminence's hands 
 a means whereby his aims may be defeated,' returned 
 Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sighed. 
 
 ' It is strange,' he said, ' how different Michelangelo is 
 from his brother. My niece must indeed be protected, 
 monsignore, and I shall take steps to hasten her recep- 
 tion into the convent at Florence. The sooner she com- 
 mences her novitiate, the better.' 
 
 e I quite agree with your Eminence,' said Monsignor 
 Tomei, * and I would add, The sooner Donna Diana's 
 fortune is safely disposed of, the better. Its bestowal 
 upon a religious community could not, of course, take 
 effect for the present; nevertheless ' 
 
 e I have never discussed the question of her fortune 
 with my niece,' interrupted Cardinal Savelli. 'A girl 
 
170 DONNA DIANA 
 
 of her age does not' trouble her head about such mat- 
 ters.' , 
 
 ' She would probably have no objection to sign any 
 document concerning it that your Eminence advised/ 
 suggested Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 6 No/ replied the Cardinal hesitatingly. ' But why 
 make any change in the situation ? It will be time enough 
 to discuss those matters with her when she is about to 
 take her vows.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei spread out his hands with an apol- 
 ogetic gesture. 
 
 6 Of course/ he said, ' your Eminence knows best. I 
 only presume to offer a suggestion from a business point 
 of view, feeling that its adoption would not only serve 
 as a check to certain designs upon Diana's happiness and 
 peace of mind, but also afford you a guarantee that you 
 would not be called upon to disburse a sum of money 
 which is not available.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli passed the gold chain to which his 
 jewelled cross was attached nervously through his hands. 
 
 ' Naturally/ he replied, * one must look at these things 
 from a business point of view/ 
 
 ' Precisely, Eminence ; it is only right to do so. Per- 
 haps you will allow me to explain more fully my sugges- 
 tion that Donna Diana Savelli should be brought to see 
 the advisability of signing an anticipatory note testify- 
 ing to her intention of endowing her Order with her 
 fortune, when the latter is no longer in trust.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli nodded silently. 
 
 ' It is a matter of business/ repeated Monsignor Tomei, 
 'and I speak as a business man. Your Eminence is in 
 possession of the facts concerning the unfortunate dispute 
 in connection with the convent in Via Lombardia.' 
 
 'Altro!' exclaimed the Cardinal. ' I do not know 
 which of the contending communities is the more tire- 
 some ! ' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei laughed gently. 
 
 * We have succeeded in effecting a compromise/ he con- 
 
DONNA DIANA 171 
 
 tinned, 'and the nuns will remain where they are. At 
 least, I have prevented the quarrel from becoming a public 
 scandal.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli nodded approvingly. 
 
 ' Bene, bene ! ' he murmured. ' Nothing is so deplor- 
 able as publicity. But what have the nuns in the Via 
 Lombardia to do with our subject, monsignore ? ' 
 
 1 They need money/ replied Monsignor Tomei. ( The 
 property is valuable, and will increase in value. Your 
 Eminence knows the Reverend Mother a most estimable 
 person. A nun with such a dowry as Donna Diana Sa- 
 velli could bring would be very welcome there/ he added 
 abruptly. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli shaded his eyes with his hand, a habit 
 with him when thinking deeply. 
 
 'But the money/ he said presently in a low voice. 
 6 That would always have to be paid. You are merely 
 substituting the Mother Superior for Mr. Vane; that is 
 all your scheme results in, monsignore/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei smiled. It was the same objection 
 that he had himself made to Marco. 
 
 ' Not at any rate for three years/ he replied ; c and even 
 then arrangements might be made. It is on this point 
 that I venture to believe I might be of some service to 
 your Eminence. My idea would be that Donna Diana's 
 promise to make over the whole of her fortune to the 
 convent should not take effect for another three years 
 after her final entry into the community.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli lookecl up quickly. 
 
 ' Ah ! ' he exclaimed with an accent as if of relief. ' It 
 would indeed give me breathing - space ! Six years so 
 much may happen in six years ! ' 
 
 e Exactly/ said Monsignor Tomei. ' It is, if one may 
 say so, a respite.' 
 
 The tone of his voice was scarcely pleasant; but Car- 
 dinal Savelli, occupied with his own thoughts, did not 
 notice this. 
 
 ' The certainty that in a few years' time so considerable 
 
172 DONNA DIANA 
 
 a sum would fall in would be of great pecuniary value to 
 the community in the present/ added Monsignor Tomei. 
 'As much can sometimes be done in Eome by promising 
 to pay money as by actually paying it,' he added with a 
 short, harsh laugh. e It is a question of judicious manage- 
 ment.' 
 
 'It would necessitate a change of plans,' said the Car- 
 dinal. ' I had intended that my niece should undergo 
 her novitiate at Florence, as I have told you.' 
 
 ' Tinder the circumstances,' replied Monsignor Tomei, 
 ' I should suggest that Donna Diana should pass her 
 novitiate with the nuns in Via Lombardia.' 
 
 f We must consider it, monsignore,' said Cardinal Sa- 
 velli. ' I am beyond measure disgusted at what I hear 
 from you concerning my nephew Michelangelo,' he added; 
 ' but it only coincides with hints which his brother Marco 
 has given me from time to time as to the wildness of his 
 life. Of course, Marco has not said anything definite. 
 He is generous, and though he disapproves of his brother, 
 he would not wish to injure him. Indeed, he says all he 
 can say in his favour. However, we will dismiss the sub- 
 ject for the present. It becomes doubly my duty to pro- 
 tect my niece from these discreditable intrigues.' 
 
 ' The more so because Don Michelangelo is striving not 
 only to advance his own interest at his cousin Donna 
 Diana's expense, but to prevent her from obeying the voice 
 of her conscience/ said Monsignor Tomei. ' Your Em- 
 inence/ he added, 'is def ending % not only the welfare of 
 your niece's soul, but also the authority of the Church.' 
 
 ( Yes/ returned Cardinal Savelli decidedly, ' the author- 
 ity of the Church my nephew has too little respect for 
 that. I suppose, monsignore/ he continued suddenly, 
 ' that Marco has no knowledge of what you have told me. 
 It would be as well, perhaps, for me to consult him before 
 taking any decided steps.' 
 
 'I never see Don Marco/ replied Monsignor Tomei, 
 ' except on the rare occasions when we meet in your Em- 
 inence's presence. He may, of course, have heard what 
 
DONNA DIANA 173 
 
 I have heard, but I do not think it probable. My infor- 
 mation comes to me quite accidentally. There is no 
 reason why I should not be frank with your Eminence. 
 A well-known money-lender in this city referred to me 
 through a mutual acquaintance, as being a person likely 
 to be well informed as to Don Michelangelo's affairs. It 
 appears that Don Michelangelo had asked for the renewal 
 of certain bills drawn by him that had become due. Nat- 
 urally, I declined to furnish any information. Soon after- 
 wards I heard, to my surprise, that the bills had been 
 redeemed, and that Don Michelangelo had presented a 
 cheque for their amount, drawn in his favour on a London 
 bank by an Englishman named Vane, of whose solvency 
 the money-lender had assured himself by making inquiries 
 of an English banker here in Kome.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose from his chair and extended his 
 hand. 
 
 ' It is an extraordinary story,' he said, c and had it not 
 been for you, monsignore, I should probably not have 
 heard of it. Marco would not care to mention anything 
 so little to his brother's credit, even if he were aware of 
 it, which, you say, is not at all likely. I will speak to 
 him about it, and we can then decide as to what should 
 be done.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei took his leave. He was on the whole 
 very well satisfied with the result of his interview. Car- 
 dinal Savelli, it was clear, was suspicious and mortified 
 in his family pride. It would only need a little more 
 tightening of the bonds in which he held him, Monsignor 
 Tomei thought, and the reinvestment of Donna Diana 
 Savelli's fortune might be regarded as already confided 
 to his management. 
 
CHAPTEK XV 
 
 THE month of May was already well advanced, and Home 
 was fast assuming its summer aspect. The sunny sides 
 of the streets and piazze were deserted, save, perhaps, by 
 a few English tourists and an occasional dog. From mid- 
 day until four o'clock an unusual silence seemed to pos- 
 sess the city, broken only by the monotonous cries of the 
 sellers of acqua acetosa to cool the blood, or the vendors 
 of strawberries from Nemi, and fresh vegetables from the 
 market-gardens without the walls. The foreign society 
 was rapidly dispersing, and though the Eoman and official 
 world yet remained, the yearly round of social functions 
 was over, and people had leisure to realize how weary they 
 had become of each other. 
 
 It was the season when Eome is pleasantest when no- 
 body wants to be taken round the Forum or into St. 
 Peter's, and the ' days ' of Eoman hostesses have become 
 as nightmares of the past. 
 
 After his meeting with Donna Diana Savelli in the 
 gardens of the Palazzo Castelnuovo, Edmund Vane had 
 become unusually restless. The thought that Eome held 
 within its walls the being he longed to possess that she 
 was so near and yet so inaccessible to him was a per- 
 petual torture. Since that day he had never beheld Diana. 
 The idea of again attempting to see her at the Palazzo 
 Castelnuovo he had dismissed from his mind as not only 
 imprudent, but also unfair upon her. He could not doubt 
 but that she had understood him, and he felt that his only 
 hopes of arousing her love lay in showing her his deter- 
 mination not to attempt to force his own upon her. It 
 might be that she would reflect over what she had heard 
 from him, and that, through reflection, doubts would arise 
 
 174 
 
DONNA DIANA 175 
 
 in her mind as to whether she had not been too precipitate 
 in electing to abjure all earthly love. That some such 
 doubts should come to her was the most he at present 
 dared to hope. 
 
 In the meantime, no tidings of any sort concerning 
 Diana had reached him. To Lino Savelli's annoyance and 
 his own, the former had been obliged to leave Eome in 
 order to go through a short course of cavalry manoeuvres 
 with his late regiment at Turin. This course was merely 
 one of the periodical recalls to military duty to which 
 officers and men who have undergone their term of service 
 with the colours are liable. It would not entail an absence 
 of more than three weeks ; nevertheless, Vane could not but 
 feel that Lino's departure had come at a singularly in- 
 opportune moment. As long as the latter was in Eome 
 there was always a link with the Palazzo San Eocco; for 
 even if all other sources of information as to the doings 
 of its inmates were temporarily closed to him, a few min- 
 utes' conversation with the old porter, Antonio, would 
 speedily have made Lino acquainted with all that might be 
 happening within its walls. Edmund had hoped that pos- 
 sibly Ersilia might have made some communication to Lino* 
 before the latter's departure, but no word had come from 
 her; and, to make matters worse, Lino, on going to the 
 porter's lodge in the courtyard of the Palazzo San Eocco, 
 had found Antonio absent from his post, being confined 
 to bed with lumbago. 
 
 Sometimes Vane thought that he, too, would leave Eome. 
 He tried to force an interest in its art and antiquities, in 
 which he had once found pleasure. He would wander 
 through the cool galleries of the Vatican under the im- 
 pression that he was looking at the sculptures; but would 
 usually end by finding himself dreaming in the little court 
 of Belvedere, where the fountain, gurgling in its marble 
 basin, and the joyous screaming of the swifts, circling in 
 the blue sky above him, seemed to soothe his restless 
 thoughts. He had even pretended to a well-known archae- 
 ologist that he was interested in ancient Eoman remains, 
 
176 DONNA DIANA 
 
 with the result that he had been compelled to stand for 
 hours under a broiling sun, while the latest discoveries 
 unearthed in the Forum were restored to their pristine con- 
 dition through the erudite imagination of the enthusiastic 
 professor. 
 
 Edmund Vane would certainly not have ventured to con- 
 fess to his guide that the principal impression derived 
 from such visits was as of having spent some hours in an 
 ill-ventilated main-drain with somebody at his elbow at- 
 tempting to explain away bad smells by means of Roman 
 history. 
 
 It was with no archaeological interest that Vane wan- 
 dered on to the Palatine one warm afternoon towards the 
 end of May. The Palatine was one of his favourite resorts 
 in Rome, especially in late spring-time, when the bases of 
 the brown ruins are wreathed in wildflowers; when the 
 nightingales and thrushes make music in the halls of the 
 Cassars as the long shadows of evening fall across the 
 Forum; when the cool breeze sweeps up from the sea, 
 gently swaying the tops of the cypress-trees and causing 
 the roses to scatter their red petals on the old mosaic 
 floors, to be gathered up, perchance, in the night-time by 
 ghostly hands, and strewn before imperial guests at some 
 spectral banquet. 
 
 Vane strolled carelessly onwards towards the top of the 
 hill, and turned down the narrow pathway that leads along 
 its edge. The massive arches at its extremity shone, golden- 
 coloured, in the westering sun, and through them, fitting 
 frames to water-colour sketches fairer and more delicate 
 than ever limned by mortal artist, he could discern the blue 
 distances of the Alban Hills and the great green plain 
 stretching away to Ostia and the sea. 
 
 The Palatine was almost deserted. A civil custode came 
 up to him and offered his services, retiring with a laugh 
 when Vane explained that he had come to enjoy the fresh 
 air and the view, and not to reconstruct the palace of the 
 emperors. 
 
 It was with a start of surprise, therefore, that, after he 
 
DONNA DIANA 177 
 
 had been sitting for some minutes on the capital of a 
 shattered column, he heard a voice behind him pronounce 
 his name, and, turning, found himself confronted by 
 Monsieur de Villebois. 
 
 ' Good-evening, my dear Vane/ the latter said, with a 
 quiet smile. ' You are brooding over the past ? I did not 
 know you studied the antiquities.' 
 
 tf And you ? ' replied Edmund, as he shook hands with 
 him. 
 
 ' I ? I have studied them during the last six months 
 in the drawing-rooms of my acquaintances. Next winter 
 I shall study them again. As you are aware, my dear 
 friend, the Roman season is over, and the antiquities are 
 resting/ 
 
 Edmund laughed. Monsieur de Villebois' little cyni- 
 cisms were always refreshing. 
 
 ' I came to the Palatine to enjoy Nature,' he said. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois chuckled. 
 
 'For an Englishman,' he observed, 'that reply is ad- 
 mirable. But I have always said it you have de I'esprit. 
 And what have you been doing with yourself lately? I 
 have not seen you in the world. I hear that Lino Savelli 
 has gone to Turin. And you are you not going to do as 
 everybody else, and leave Rome just as the life here be- 
 comes tolerable ? ' 
 
 f No,' replied Vane ; ( I am not thinking of leaving 
 Rome at present.' 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois looked at him shrewdly. 
 
 ( Ah ! ' he said ; ' even though the Princess San Rocco no 
 longer receives ? ' 
 
 e I have not been to the Palazzo San Rocco since Easter,' 
 said Edmund. 
 
 ' That is what comes of being indiscreet,' returned Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois. * You should have pretended to be in 
 love with Donna Giulia, or with Donna Maria. Then 
 your visits would have been encouraged. I have heard 
 that you are in disgrace ; and not you only, but your friend 
 Lino also,' 
 
178 DONNA DIANA 
 
 f Do you mean to say that Princess San Kocco has talked 
 about it ? ' asked Vane quickly. 
 
 ' The Princess ? Oh no, not that I know of ; but other 
 people have talked about it. The Countess Verini has a 
 story but it is no use repeating what one hears in Borne/ 
 broke off Monsieur de Villebois abruptly. 
 
 ' Countess Verini ! ' exclaimed Edmund. ' What can she 
 know of my motive for not going to the Palazzo San 
 Rocco?' 
 
 ' Very little, probably/ said Monsieur de Villebois dryly. 
 6 A sufficient reason to make a woman talk/ 
 
 ' I should very much like to hear what she has said/ re- 
 turned Edmund. 
 
 The other hesitated for a moment. 
 
 ' Well/ he replied, ' I do not see why you should not 
 know. Indeed, it would only be friendly on my part to 
 tell you, for very often the person chiefly concerned in a 
 story is the last to hear it. Only, my dear Vane, you must 
 not be offended; and, above all, you must not lose your 
 temper. You will not commit either folly? Then I will 
 tell you what Countess Verini says about you. It appears 
 I am only quoting her, remember that Donna Diana 
 Savelli complained to her aunt, Princess San Rocco, that 
 you were making love to her/ 
 
 Edmund gave utterance to his feelings in English. 
 
 ( Damn Countess Verini ! ' he muttered. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois smiled. He did not know much 
 of the English language, but he was acquainted with its 
 most popular expression. 
 
 ' I quite agree with you/ he said ; * but it is no use being 
 premature. Yes, you made love to Donna Diana Savelli 
 but in your brutal English way, you know. You did not 
 explain the state of your feelings to her relatives before 
 approaching her, and you tried to take advantage of her 
 inexperience to force your affections upon her, though you 
 knew that she was destined to a religious life. Naturally, 
 Countess Verini is deeply shocked at your attempts to cor- 
 rupt the mind of a young girl about to enter a convent. I 
 
DONNA DIANA 179 
 
 think I once explained to you that she is very punctual 
 in her attendance upon what she calls her religious 
 duties/ 
 
 * Go on, De Villebois/ said Vane shortly, as Monsieur 
 de Villebois paused. 'What else does Countess Verini 
 say?' 
 
 ' Oh, a great deal,' continued the latter ( some things, 
 indeed, which I should prefer not to tell you/ 
 
 6 But I would rather hear them/ said Edmund. ' I re- 
 gard it as a friendly act on your part to tell me what is 
 being said. Probably, as you observed just now, I should 
 be the last person to hear it. It is amusing, though/ he 
 added suddenly ; ( for only a day or two ago I met Countess 
 Verini walking in the Piazza di Spagna, and she upbraided 
 me for not coming to see her. Why should she wish to see 
 a person whom she is abusing so freely ? ' 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ' My dear Vane/ he replied, ( it is not at all diverting to 
 abuse one's enemies; the real pleasure is to take away the 
 characters of one's friends. Countess Verini in that re- 
 spect resembles another lady with whom both you and I 
 are acquainted. I have seen the latter kiss a dear friend 
 on both cheeks, and give her at least two illegitimate babies 
 before she had got downstairs. But I am wrong to say that 
 Countess Verini is mauvaise langue, like our friend the 
 Principessa Giannini. Eeally clever women are seldom ill- 
 natured; it does not pay well in the long-run. Countess 
 Verini knows her world, and generally has a good word to 
 say for everybody in it. But, being a religious woman, she 
 is scandalized at your behaviour. To meet a young girl 
 dedicated to the service of the Church ' 
 
 Edmund started guiltily. 
 
 ' How on earth did she know ? ' he broke in. Then, con- 
 scious of Monsieur de Villebois' calm, penetrating gaze, he 
 checked himself abruptly. 
 
 ' I was about to say/ proceeded the latter quietly, ' that 
 to meet a young girl of whose intention to become a nun 
 you had been duly informed, and immediately to try to 
 
180 DONNA DIANA 
 
 make love to her, is naturally shocking to religious people 
 such as the Countess Verini.' 
 
 Vane breathed more freely. He had wondered for a 
 moment whether Ersilia had betrayed the fact of Lino and 
 himself having met Diana in the gardens of the Palazzo 
 Castelnuovo. For Diana's sake he did not wish that it- 
 should be known he had ever spoken with her except in her 
 aunt's house. Nevertheless, his uneasiness had not escaped 
 the observation of the diplomatist at his elbow. 
 
 ' Decidedly/ thought Monsieur de Villebois, 'they have 
 met in secret and he has spoken to her. Of course, my dear 
 Vane/ he continued, lighting a cigarette with some de- 
 liberation as he spoke, ' you are as well able as I am to put 
 two and two together. It is no business of mine whether 
 Countess Verini's stories are true or false. I may have my 
 own opinion as to their veracity, but that is another matter.' 
 
 ' I should like to know your opinion/ said Edmund. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois glanced at him with a slight smile. 
 
 6 My opinion is/ he replied, ' that there is a great deal of 
 smoke and some fire. In other words, Countess Verini's 
 assertions are based upon facts. Naturally, her informant 
 is Marco Savelli, and Marco Savelli is not likely to look 
 favourably on your enterprise. It is not you, however, who 
 are likely to be most damaged by these stories.' 
 
 ' That is the worst of it/ said Edmund. ' I should not 
 care at all what stories might be circulated in Eome con- 
 cerning me, but I do care that Donna Diana Savelli should 
 not be gossiped about.' 
 
 f Donna Diana will not suffer either/ returned Monsieur 
 de Villebois. ' There are plenty of people who would be 
 ready to sympathize with you both, if it were not for other 
 tales which are being spread. Your friend Lino will suffer 
 more than either of you/ 
 
 ( Lino ! ' exclaimed Vane. < Why should he be dragged 
 into the business ? ' 
 
 'But he is very much dragged in/ said Monsieur de 
 Villebois. ' Shall I be frank with you ? ' he continued. ' It 
 is said that in order to gain his goodwill and assistance 
 
DONNA DIANA 181 
 
 you have paid his debts. Had people thought it an affair 
 of love, their sympathies would have been aroused. There 
 are not wanting those who look with little approval on girls 
 like Donna Diana Savelli being encouraged to go into con- 
 vents ; but it has been made to figure as an affair of money.' 
 
 Vane's face flushed angrily. 
 
 e I should be glad if you would explain/ he said briefly. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois lighted another cigarette. 
 
 ' Certainly/ he repeated ; ( an affair of money. You can 
 understand how such an aspect of the case kills the 
 romance of it, and, therefore, any sympathy it might have 
 excited. Unfortunately for you, and for herself poor 
 child! Donna Diana has a good dot, as dots go in this 
 country. If you think that ces messieurs of the Church are 
 going to let a million of francs fall into the pockets of a 
 husband you are very much mistaken. Of course, you and 
 Lino Savelli are held up to obloquy for presuming to inter- 
 fere with the ways of Almighty God, whereas in reality 
 you are interfering with the course of the almighty 
 dollar." 
 
 ' And so I have bought Lino's assistance by paying his 
 debts/ said Vane, with a short laugh, ( and am to be repaid 
 by his cousin's dot. A very honourable arrangement, and 
 equally creditable both to Lino and to myself.' 
 
 f That is what has been said/ replied Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois quietly. ' I need hardly say," he added, ( that I do not 
 believe a word of it. Had I done so, I should not have 
 mentioned the story to you.' 
 
 ' The thing would be absurd were it not insulting/ said 
 Edmund angrily. ' To begin with, I don't believe Lino has 
 any debts to speak of, and if he had, he certainly would not 
 have allowed me to pay them. We can both of us afford 
 to regard the assertion as to our supposed motives as too 
 contemptible to be refuted.' 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois shook his head. 
 
 ' You may ignore it/ he said, ( or contradict it, and 
 prove it to be false, but it will not be of much use. If once 
 you cross the pecuniary or political path of the sacristy in 
 
182 DONNA DIANA 
 
 this country, the basest motives are certain to be imputed 
 to you. In these days it is generally recognised as too 
 dangerous to take away the life of an obnoxious individual. 
 It is safer, and sometimes equally effective, to take away 
 his character. The professionally religious are experts in 
 the latter process : they poison with words now/ 
 
 Vane's face suddenly assumed a dogged expression. 
 
 ' There is one thing they forget/ he said, ' and that is 
 that they are dealing with an English gentleman. I am 
 not at all afraid of ces messieurs, as you call them, and am 
 quite indifferent as to what they may say of me. But it 
 is otherwise as regards Lino Savelli. He belongs to the 
 country, whereas I am merely an independent foreigner, 
 to whom the good or the bad word of Eoman society is a 
 very trifling matter. For Lino's sake, De Villebois, I will 
 find out who has started this story that I have paid his 
 debts, and he or she will have to confess that it is false. 
 Donna Diana's name need not be brought into the affair ; 
 it will be very easy to prove that her cousin has never re- 
 ceived any money from me/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois laid his hand on his companion's 
 arm. 
 
 ' Now you are losing your temper,' he said, ' and the 
 matter is not worth it. Let your friends and Lino's con- 
 tradict the story for you, but take no notice of it yourself. 
 After all, you are dealing with very little dogs, you know ; 
 you can afford to let them yap/ 
 
 ( I can yes ; but Lino 
 
 ' Oh, the very people who will abuse him for taking your 
 money will secretly admire him for having been astute 
 enough to get it out of you. Lino can take very good care 
 of himself. The story is clever, decidedly, because, as I say, 
 it will estrange sympathy from you, if it is true that you 
 wish to marry Donna Diana Savelli. Do you mind telling 
 me if it is true ? ' added Monsieur de Villebois. c Believe 
 me, I do not ask you the question out of mere curiosity/ 
 
 Vane glanced at him for a moment. 
 
 ' It is perfectly true that I want to marry Donna Diana 
 
DONNA DIANA 183 
 
 Savelli/ he replied, after a pause ; ' but it is also true that 
 she does not want to marry me/ 
 
 'How do you know?' returned Monsieur de Villebois 
 abruptly. ' Have you asked her ? ' 
 
 6 Yes/ answered Edmund simply. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois gave a quiet laugh. 
 
 'Do you mean to tell me/ he said, 'that you actually 
 managed to propose to her under the noses of Princess San 
 Eocco and those two Gorgons of daughters ? But it is in- 
 credible. Nobody but an Englishman would have dreamed 
 of attempting such a thing/ 
 
 6 It was not exactly done under Princess San Rocco's 
 nose/ said Edmund, smiling. 'I had an opportunity of 
 speaking to Donna Diana alone, and well, she refused me/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois sniffed impatiently. 
 
 f I suppose she repeated her lesson to you ? ' he said. 
 
 'Her lesson?' 
 
 ' But, of course ! What does she know of love ? ' 
 
 ' That is exactly what she said/ replied Vane dryly. 
 
 'No doubt; they always say it. But pardon me if I 
 am indiscreet did you not give her a little elementary 
 instruction ? ' 
 
 Edmund shook his head. 
 
 ' I tried to make her understand/ he replied ; ' but what 
 can one say to a young girl with such ideals in her mind ? 
 One's tongue is tied. Even to speak to her of love seemed 
 like committing a sacrilege/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois glanced at him. Surprise mingled 
 with something like admiration were expressed in his look. 
 
 ' I understand your delicacy of feeling/ he said. ' I fear 
 that many young men would not have been so scrupulous ; 
 but I think you English respect certain things more than 
 we of the Latin races, and you are chivalrous to women 
 very chivalrous. Then, I am right in doubting the accu- 
 racy of Countess Verini's statement to the effect that 
 Donna Diana Savelli had been alarmed by your protesta- 
 tions, and had complained to her aunt of your conduct to- 
 wards her ? ' 
 
184 DONNA DIANA 
 
 < I feel quite sure that Donna Diana was neither alarmed 
 nor offended by anything I said to her/ replied Vane 
 quietly, ' and I should think it highly improbable that she 
 ever mentioned our interview/ 
 
 ' It was unknown to any third person, then ? ' asked 
 Monsieur de Villebois. 
 
 ' Lino was with me. He left us alone for a few minutes, 
 after having warned his cousin of what I wished to say to 
 her/ 
 
 ' Ah ! Lino was your abettor, and nobody else ? ' 
 
 ' Donna Diana's maid was with her, an old servant de- 
 voted to her and to Lino. I am sure, from what Lino has 
 told me, that she is to be trusted/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois considered for a moment. 
 
 ( It is strange/ he said presently. ' Countess Verini is 
 not likely to get her information from anybody but Marco 
 Savelli. She is not one of the Princess San Eocco's very 
 limited world, and I should doubt her having anything but 
 the barest acquaintance with other members of the family 
 save Marco. With the latter, indeed, her acquaintance can 
 scarcely be called bare/ 
 
 Vane began to laugh. 
 
 ( Well/ he said dryly, ' I don't know, De Villebois/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois chuckled appreciatively. 
 
 ' You are malicious, my dear friend/ he observed. ' I 
 did not intend any jeu de mots. It would be interesting to 
 know Marco Savelli's motive for inventing these stories, for 
 I feel sure that we may assume them to have originated 
 with him/ 
 
 ( I do not know why he should dislike me/ said Edmund ; 
 ( but he certainly does so. I conclude it is simply because I 
 am a friend of his brother. I should not have thought it 
 could matter to him whether his cousin Donna Diana be- 
 comes a nun or marries me/ 
 
 ( It would not matter to him/ replied Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois, 'were it not for the fact that Donna Diana Savelli 
 has a considerable fortune/ 
 
 ' I should not want her fortune/ returned Vane, ' whereas 
 
DONNA DIANA 185 
 
 the convent she enters will want it. I do not see how Marco 
 Savelli benefits by opposing me.' 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois smiled. 
 
 6 There are always arrangements to be made with le bon 
 Dieu' he said, ' and there are sometimes arrangements to 
 be made with His servants/ 
 
 ' What do you mean ? ' asked Edmund. 
 
 ( Merely that those who have the management of Donna 
 Diana's affairs probably prefer dealing with a spiritual 
 spouse to dealing with so material a bridegroom as 
 yourself. Do you remember telling me some months 
 ago that Cardinal Savelli was his niece's guardian and 
 trustee ? ' 
 
 ' Perfectly/ answered Edmund. ' You said that it was 
 an interesting piece of news to you.' 
 
 ' So it was a very interesting piece of news/ said Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois. ' It afforded me a clue to many things 
 that had puzzled me. One of those things was the equa- 
 nimity with which Donna Diana Savelli's determination to 
 abjure the world has been viewed by her relations. Her 
 beauty, her fortune, and her name might surely have made 
 a good marriage almost a certainty for her. I could never 
 understand why her religious mania for I consider re- 
 ligion to be a mania when it interferes with the legitimate 
 development of human nature should have been encour- 
 aged.' 
 
 ' And can you understand now ? ' asked Vane. e I con- 
 fess/ he added, ' that I am always unable to do so.' 
 
 6 Yes/ replied Monsieur de Villebois slowly, ' I think I 
 am able to understand now. I suspect that if Donna Diana 
 had been portionless we should have heard very little of her 
 religious vocation, and a great deal more of her beauty and 
 her charm.' 
 
 ' You think the Church wants to get hold of her money ? ' 
 said Edmund. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 tf The Church has got hold of it/ he replied. 
 
 ' But it is in trust until she is of age/ returned Edmund. 
 
186 DONNA DIANA 
 
 6 You surely do not mean to imply that Cardinal Savelli 
 has tampered with her fortune ? ' he added. 
 
 ' I have no right to imply anything of the kind/ answered 
 Monsieur de Villebois, ' but I have heard reports lately con- 
 cerning His Eminence Savelli that make me suspicious. 1 
 have lived in Eome many years, my dear Vane, and I have 
 known of some very strange things being done for the sake 
 of money in this Holy City, and not a few of them have 
 been done by individuals vowed to poverty.' 
 
 ' But Cardinal Savelli is not vowed to poverty/ objected 
 Vane. 
 
 ' Certainly not neither to poverty nor to chastity, but 
 only to celibacy/ replied Monsieur de Villebois. ' As I said 
 before, there are always des accommodements avec le del. 
 I do not mean to suggest that Cardinal Savelli has used his 
 niece's money for private purposes, but he is, after all, an 
 ecclesiastic. In these days the religious congregations are 
 many times richer and more powerful in Rome than they 
 were under the temporal sovereignty of the popes, notwith- 
 standing the persecutions which Leo XIII. is obliged to 
 deplore at stated intervals with his tongue in his cheek. 
 Cardinal Savelli, you must know, is not too well looked 
 upon by some of the more influential French communities 
 but that is neither here nor there.' 
 
 ( I do not see why it should signify to him whether Donna 
 Diana enters a religious community or not/ said Edmund. 
 
 'In Rome/ replied Monsieur de Villebois, 'it is never 
 of any use to look at things on the surface. The under- 
 currents should be studied. In this case reports have been 
 spread about you and Donna Diana Savelli. Lino Savelli 
 and yourself are alleged to have entered into an arrange- 
 ment which, did it exist, would certainly not be very credit- 
 able to either of you. I can assure you that these stories 
 originate with Countess Verini. I have heard them from 
 several people, each of whom has heard them in her house. 
 The coincidence interested me, for I have always noticed 
 that Countess Verini is one of the few who know how to 
 live in a glass house comfortably and without fear of being 
 
DONNA DIANA 187 
 
 disturbed. I paid her a visit one evening and told her the 
 stories in strict confidence, of course. It is a plan which 
 seldom fails, that of confiding a story to the person with 
 whom you have reason to suspect it originates.' 
 
 ' And what did Countess Verini say ? ' asked Vane. 
 
 ' Quite enough to show me that my suspicions were cor- 
 rect/ answered Monsieur de Villebois. ' For some reason/ 
 he continued, ' it is fairly certain that Marco Savelli has 
 told her to circulate these reports/ 
 
 ' But for what reason ? ' 
 
 ' That/ replied Monsieur de Villebois, ' remains to be dis- 
 covered. You must remember that Cardinal Savelli keeps 
 Marco, and that Marco ' 
 
 ' Exactly/ interrupted Edmund. 
 
 "'You can never tell what influences may be at work/ 
 Monsieur de Villebois proceeded. ' One thing is very 
 clear, namely, that it is not intended Donna Diana should 
 marry. Your appearance on the scene has frightened Marco 
 Savelli, and possibly the Cardinal also. You tell me that 
 the girl has refused you, but, all the same, she will think 
 of what she has learned from you. Oh yes, she will think 
 of it, my friend, for she is a woman/ 
 
 ' I wish I could believe that/ said Vane. 
 
 ' You may be certain of it/ returned Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois. ' Very likely you will not have succeeded in arous- 
 ing her love, but you will have aroused her curiosity. It is 
 the first step. It was so with Eve, was it not? That is 
 why they are all afraid of you/ 
 
 ' There is not much to be afraid of/ said Edmund. ' I 
 am powerless. I dare say I shall never see Donna Diana 
 again ; and she will be told that I am after her money, no 
 doubt, if she is suspected of thinking about me at all. But 
 I do not suppose that my name will ever be mentioned to 
 her/ he added, after a pause. ' Nobody is likely to know of 
 our having met elsewhere than in Palazzo San Eocco/ 
 
 'We will hope not/ remarked Monsieur de Villebois 
 gravely. c In the meantime/ he continued, ' take my ad- 
 vice and ignore these stories. Above all, do not tell your 
 
188 DONNA DIANA 
 
 friend Lino of them. He would fly in a rage, and then 
 there is no knowing what might happen.' 
 
 * " Chi va piano, va sano." To quote such a copy-book 
 proverb is almost as bad as uttering a platitude; but, all 
 the same, it is an excellent maxim, especially here in 
 Rome/ 
 
 ' I am likely to go very piano, for lack of opportunity to 
 do otherwise/ said Vane, a little bitterly. 
 
 ( The opportunity may come/ replied Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois. ' Perhaps Donna Diana will reconsider her determi- 
 nation. When Lino returns, he should be able to help your 
 cause, even if only indirectly. Perhaps I, too, may be able 
 to discover some clue to Marco Savelli's motives for seeking 
 to prejudice people against his brother and you. I am con- 
 vinced that, whatever part the Cardinal may be playing, he 
 is largely influenced by Marco, and that money is at the 
 bottom of it all/ 
 
 At this moment the distant sound of a bell ringing at 
 the gates of the Palatine warned them that the latter was 
 about to be closed to the public, and they hastened down 
 the hill towards the entrance, turning every now and then 
 to look at the evening lights falling on the ruins of the 
 Imperial palace. The nightingales were answering each 
 other in the gardens around them, and already the bats 
 were beginning to flutter out from the crannies of the 
 masonry, while every now and then the melancholy notes 
 of the little owls that haunt the Palatine and the Colos- 
 seum fell upon their ears. From the city below rose the 
 confused clangour of church-bells ringing the Ave Maria. 
 The red glow on the ruins gradually faded away, to be re- 
 placed by a ghostly gray, and the cypresses stood out against 
 the darkening sky like sombre mourners watching over the 
 grave of a mighty past. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois and Edmund Vane passed out of 
 the iron gates and turned towards the Capitol, pausing for 
 a moment to look down on the Forum. As they leaned 
 against the parapet, a man who had been standing a few 
 paces off moved up nearer to them. Vane looked at him, 
 
DONNA DIANA 189 
 
 and then turned away with a little exclamation of im- 
 patience. 
 
 ' What is the matter ? ' asked Monsieur de Villebois, 
 who overheard it. 
 
 ' Oh, nothing/ said Edmund carelessly, as they walked 
 away together, ' only that fellow who came towards us 
 annoys me. I am always running up against him, and he 
 stares at one rather unpleasantly. Some guide, I suppose, 
 who wants employment/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois turned round sharply, but the man 
 had disappeared from the spot where he had been standing. 
 
 ' How often have you noticed him ? ' he asked. 
 
 ' At least four or five times during the last few days,' 
 replied Vane. ( I conclude that we take our walks in the 
 same direction, but it is an odd coincidence/ 
 
 ( Very odd/ said his companion thoughtfully. ' You do 
 not wander in out-of-the-way places by yourself, I sup- 
 pose ? ' he added. 
 
 ( I wander where the spirit moves me/ answered Vane, 
 laughing. 
 
 ' Then/ observed Monsieur de Villebois, ( if I were you, 
 I should carry a revolver/ 
 
 Edmund Vane looked at him with astonishment. 
 
 ( A revolver ! ' he repeated. ' Why should I carry a re- 
 volver ? I have never had the least annoyance in Rome. I 
 should say the town was as safe as London indeed, much 
 safer. It is far better lighted, to begin with/ 
 
 ( It is quite safe for ordinary people, certainly/ 
 
 ' And am I not an ordinary person ? ' 
 
 ( It is safe for those who go about their own business, 
 provided that business does not clash with other people's 
 interests/ said Monsieur de Villebois quietly. 
 
 ' Do you mean to say you think that fellow is watching 
 me ? ' exclaimed Edmund. 
 
 'We are in Borne/ replied the other, 'and mediaeval 
 customs have not quite died out. That is one of the charms 
 of the place. I do not suppose the fellow would interfere 
 with you, but he may be employed to watch your move- 
 
190 DONNA DIANA 
 
 merits. In any case, I recommend a revolver. You are not 
 obliged to use it, but the sight of one has a very salutary 
 effect sometimes/ 
 
 Edmund laughed again. 
 
 ' It is probably a mere coincidence/ he observed. e I sup- 
 pose/ he added, ( that in former times I should have gone 
 about in fear for my life from bravos hired by Marco Sa- 
 velli. But, as you say, in modern Eome people's characters 
 are taken away when they make themselves obnoxious, not 
 their lives/ 
 
 ' There have been instances of both being taken at the 
 same time/ replied Monsieur de Villebois dryly, 'even in 
 modern Rome/ 
 
 The two walked on together till they reached the Piazza 
 d'Ara Cceli, and there Monsieur de Villebois bade Ed- 
 mund good-night. The latter continued his way and 
 crossed the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, turning down one 
 of the side-streets leading in the direction of the Piazza San 
 Luigi dei Francesi, where he wished to leave a card. His 
 errand accomplished, he walked through some of the vicoli 
 towards the Piazza Colonna, and, somewhat to his surprise, 
 suddenly found himself opposite to the Palazzo San Eocco, 
 having followed a narrow street that he imagined would 
 prove to be a short-cut. The porter was standing at the 
 entrance to the palace, and Edmund felt inclined to cross 
 the little piazza to ask him if he had recovered from his 
 lumbago. Prudence, however, decided him to continue on 
 his way, and though old Antonio looked across at him, he 
 apparently did not recognise Vane. 
 
 Edmund had walked some yards, when he heard steps 
 following him, and presently a low Pss-t! arrested his 
 attention. Turning round, he saw Antonio hurrying after 
 him. 
 
 'I saw your Excellency passing/ the old man said 
 quickly. ' Perhaps you will see Don Michelangelo to- 
 night?' 
 
 ' Don Michelangelo is not in Rome/ said Edmund ; < he 
 has gone to Turin for a few weeks. Are they all well in 
 
DONNA DIANA 191 
 
 Casa San Eocco? I am glad to see you about again/ he 
 added. 
 
 The old porter looked round him suspiciously, as though 
 to make sure that he was not observed. 
 
 ' I wanted your Excellency to give this to Don Michel- 
 angelo/ he said, holding a note out to Edmund ; ' but if he 
 
 is out of Eome ' and he stopped and rubbed his head 
 
 doubtfully. 
 
 f He is certainly out of Rome, but I can send it to him/ 
 said Vane. ' Are they all well in casa ? ' he repeated. 
 
 ' The note, Eccellenza/ said Antonio hurriedly ' if your 
 Excellency will read it you will know, and you will tell 
 Don Michelangelo but you will not tell anybody else that 
 I gave it to you ? ' And, without waiting for Vane's reply, 
 he thrust the paper into the latter's hand and walked away 
 as fast as age and infirmity would allow. 
 
 Edmund also walked on before opening the missive. His 
 eyes had no sooner fallen on the contents than he stopped 
 short with an exclamation of dismay. The note bore no 
 signature, and was evidently written by a servant, but it 
 informed Don Michelangelo Savelli that his cousin Donna 
 Diana was ill with typhoid fever. 
 
 For a moment Edmund hesitated as to whether he would 
 not retrace his steps and question the porter. Antonio's 
 dread of being seen speaking to him, however, had been so 
 evident that Vane decided not to do so. The first thing to 
 be done was to communicate with Lino, and Edmund 
 walked hastily on, resolved to telegraph to him from the 
 nearest office. The sound of wheels behind him caused 
 him to turn round suddenly, thinking that if it proved to 
 be an empty cab he would jump into it and drive direct to 
 the central telegraph office at San Silvestro. The cab was 
 unoccupied, and as he stopped the driver he saw a few 
 yards away from him the individual whose frequent appear- 
 ance he had been inclined to attribute to chance. 
 
 That the man had been following him Vane had now no 
 doubt, and he must have seen Antonio hurry after him and 
 give him the note. The certainty that he was being ( shad- 
 
192 DONNA DIANA 
 
 owed' was distinctly an unpleasant feeling, and Edmund 
 was conscious of a slight shiver as he recollected Monsieur 
 de Villebois' warning. The man, whoever he might be, 
 had as good a right to be walking in that particular street 
 as Edmund himself, and had done nothing to justify any 
 remonstrance on his part. Affecting not to have observed 
 him, Edmund jumped into the cab and directed the coach- 
 man in a loud voice to drive to the Piazza di Spagna. It 
 was only when he had gone some distance that he changed 
 the direction for that of San Silvestro. 
 
 The fact that he was being watched, however, was of very 
 secondary importance, and the tidings of Diana's illness 
 drove all other thoughts from his mind. He felt tolerably 
 certain that the note had been written by Ersilia, and that 
 she had confided it to Antonio to convey to Lino Savelli 
 as quickly as possible. Vane read it again, and saw that it 
 bore the date of the day before. This, at least, was some 
 consolation, for it enabled him to hope that Diana had not 
 been lying ill many days. He remembered her sudden at- 
 tack of faintness in the Castelnuovo Gardens, and how she 
 had complained of the pain in her head. The fever had 
 evidently been coming on then, and might not actually have 
 declared itself until some days later. But Edmund was 
 haunted by the sense of some mystery, some evil hanging 
 over both Diana and himself, that he could not clearly dis- 
 tinguish. 
 
 He thought of De Villebois' hints of intrigues being car- 
 ried on for the purpose of acquiring power over Diana's 
 fortune. Somewhat of a cynic and distrustful of things 
 Koman the French ex-diplomat might be, and Vane made 
 full allowance for his prejudices as a foreigner and a 
 Frenchman. He had frequently heard his own compa- 
 triots misjudge the Italians, and had marvelled at their 
 stupidity in venturing sweepingly to condemn a race of 
 whose very language they were usually ignorant, and whose 
 innate refinement was by no means always appreciable to 
 their Anglo-Saxon nature. 
 
 But he was obliged to confess that De Villebois at least 
 
DONNA DIANA 193 
 
 Had experience and some right to express his opinions. The 
 latter not only knew the Italian language well, but his of- 
 ficial position during long years of residence in Rome had 
 brought him into contact with all classes of the community. 
 Edmund Vane despatched his telegram to Lino, briefly 
 acquainting him with the fact of Diana's illness, and tell- 
 ing him that he was writing to him by that evening's post. 
 Having done this, he drove on to his apartment. He would, 
 he thought, try to find Monsieur de Villebois at home after 
 dinner, and consult him as to the latest development of 
 affairs, in which that elderly man of the world had shown 
 himself disposed to take so kindly an interest. 
 
CHAPTEE XVI 
 
 FRAU VON RABEN had been praying in the Church of San 
 Luigi dei Francesi. She did not attend that place of 
 worship out of affection for the French, but because it 
 happened to be situated conveniently near the Palazzo 
 San Rocco. It was late in the afternoon,, and -the church 
 was almost deserted. A few women were kneeling before 
 the various altars, and one or two old men were dozing 
 upon their chairs, waking up every now and then with a 
 start to cross themselves. 
 
 Her devotions concluded, Frau von Raben rose, and 
 went to an iron stand on which candles were burning in 
 front of a statue of Notre Dame de Lourdes. In a long 
 box divided into three partitions were candles varying in 
 size according to their price. Frau von Raben looked at 
 them and hesitated. Finally she chose one from among 
 those of medium length, and, after dropping her fifty 
 centimes into the tronc, lighted it and fixed it in a vacant 
 socket. She felt a little thrill of self-complacency as she 
 did so.. Instincts due to both sex and race had prompted 
 the selection of the cheapest size of votive candle, but un- 
 willingness to risk the efficacy of her prayer for the sake 
 of saving twenty-five centimes triumphed. 
 
 The fact was that Frau von Raben's prayers had not 
 been conceived in a purely altruistic spirit; hence the 
 dilemma that had arisen regarding the choice of candles. 
 Like the latter, her needs were of a composite nature. 
 She had prayed that Diana Savelli might be brought 
 safely through the dangerous illness from which she was 
 suffering, and that the fever in which the girl was lying 
 helpless and half delirious might leave her. 
 
 But Frau von Raben had also prayed that Diana should 
 
 194 
 
DONNA DIANA 195 
 
 not lose her vocation, and that nothing should be per- 
 mitted to interfere with her entering into religion. 
 
 She had never really liked Diana, and during the few 
 weeks that the latter had been under her charge in the 
 Palazzo San Rocco she had liked her less than ever. 
 
 Frau von Raben prided herself upon her influence over 
 young people, and upon her capacity for reading their 
 characters. 
 
 She had soon become aware, however, that Diana was 
 not disposed to be susceptible to this influence, and the 
 discovery had annoyed her considerably. There is little 
 doubt that, had her prayers been offered solely for Diana's 
 recovery, Frau von Raben would have contented herself 
 with a candle priced at twenty-five centimes, and would 
 have taken the risks entailed by the shorter period it 
 occupied in burning. She did not wish Diana to die, 
 certainly, since to do so would have been distinctly un- 
 christian. 
 
 Moreover, she had no very sure idea as to what would 
 become of Diana's money should she succumb to her illness. 
 
 Frau von Raben had quite persuaded herself that it 
 was her duty both towards Diana Savelli, and towards 
 the Church to which she was so zealous a convert, to do 
 all in her power to encourage the former in her deter- 
 mination to take the veil. She had persuaded herself, 
 also, that Marco Savelli's evident anxiety lest his cousin 
 should change her mind proceeded from a laudable desire 
 that no worldly considerations should triumph over a 
 religious vocation. 
 
 In the course of their conversations together concern- 
 ing the state of Diana's mind, and the spiritual dangers 
 to which she was being exposed from Edmund Vane's un- 
 concealed admiration, Frau von Raben had not failed to 
 gather from Marco that she would be laying both Cardinal 
 Savelli and himself under a deep debt of obligation to her 
 should she succeed in counteracting any influence that 
 either his brother or his brother's friend might have gained 
 over Diana. Marco, indeed, had hinted at some tangible 
 
196 DONNA DIANA 
 
 recognition of this obligation something of more present 
 utility than being remembered by the Cardinal at his 
 daily Mass, though the latter privilege had also been as- 
 sured to her. 
 
 Marco Savelli had speedily discovered the keen interest 
 taken by the elderly German lady in those simple matters 
 of e very-day life that are now dignified by the name of 
 sexual problems. His experience and training had been 
 such as to cause him to feel no surprise that so pious a 
 person as Frau von Eaben should possess this interest. 
 Having unravelled most of these problems, at first theo- 
 retically in the lecture-rooms of his seminary, and after- 
 wards more practically elsewhere, with greater or less satis- 
 faction to himself, he was able partly to assuage Frau von 
 Raben's thirst for knowledge as to how best to deal with 
 them. The two had discussed these questions in so far 
 as they affected t)iana with much of that freedom which 
 has invariably been conceded to the religious investigator. 
 The result had been a conviction on Frau von Raben's 
 part that she had a mission, which mission was to consist 
 in protecting from violation a sanctuary specially chosen 
 by Almighty God for His own. That this sanctuary hap- 
 pened to be nothing more nor less than Diana's body was 
 a detail which, to be fair upon them, neither Frau von 
 Raben nor Marco Savelli suffered to enter into their argu- 
 ment. They preferred to call it her soul; for Frau von 
 Raben, like many of her race, was metaphysical, and Marco 
 had to recollect that he was not conversing with a theo- 
 logical student. 
 
 For some little time Frau von Raben, her senses being 
 keenly alert to detect any signs of incipient problems, had 
 thought that she had perceived in Diana symptoms which 
 aroused her suspicions. It had not escaped her that the 
 girl betrayed a certain unwillingness to talk about her 
 vocation for religion which gave place to a marked im- 
 patience when the subject was insisted upon. Only a few 
 months previously, Diana had been wont to become en- 
 thusiastic on the advantages and joys of the life to which 
 
DONNA DIANA 197 
 
 she proposed to devote herself so much so, indeed, that 
 Frau von Eaben sometimes found herself regretting that 
 the Princess San Rocco's daughters had not some of the 
 beauty which had been lavished upon their cousin. She 
 did not, indeed, venture to confess even to herself that 
 she thought Donna Maria or Donna Giulia Petrucci would 
 have made a better use of it; but, all the same, when 
 she looked at Diana, the latters beauty certainly did seem 
 to be a little superfluous under the circumstances, and 
 Frau von Eaben would smother a sigh born of a sentimen- 
 tality partly pious, but also partly profane. 
 
 A few days before her illness had finally declared itself 
 in the form of typhoid, Diana Savelli had displayed an 
 irritability at the mention of her approaching departure 
 for the convent in which she was to pass her novitiate that 
 had surprised and startled not only Frau von Raben, but 
 also Princess San Rocco. The latter had expostulated 
 with her niece, and recommended a visit to Father Ghe- 
 rardi in his confessional at the Church of the Gesu, a 
 Jesuit Father who had been for many years the spiritual 
 adviser to the San Rocco family. Frau von Raben had 
 abstained from open reproof, but had emitted sighs at 
 intervals, accompanied by mysterious allusions to the weak- 
 ness of the flesh. It was certainly not without premedi- 
 tation that she repeatedly dragged up the name of Edmund 
 Vane, and encouraged Donna Maria and Donna Giulia to 
 abuse the English generally and Vane in particular. 
 
 The manoeuvre had succeeded only too well. Diana, 
 already feverish and really ill, completely lost control over 
 herself, and turned upon Frau von Raben and her cousins 
 in a whirlwind of indignation, upbraiding the latter for 
 their ingratitude towards the man who had saved the life 
 of a member of their family. Winged words passed, 
 and matters reached a climax when Donna Giulia sneer- 
 ingly observed that, after all, it was very natural that 
 Diana should defend her admirer. Diana, white and 
 trembling with rage, laughed in her cousin's face. 
 
 ' You are jealous,' she exclaimed ' jealous ! If Mr. 
 
198 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Vane had ever taken the trouble to notice you, you would 
 have declared that the English were perfect ! ' And then 
 she had burst into a hysterical fit of crying. 
 
 It was not a very dignified scene, and Frau von Kaben 
 led Diana away to her room. That evening the girl grew 
 rapidly worse, and it soon became evident that she was in 
 a high fever. The doctor who attended Casa San Eocco 
 was sent for, and shook his head when he examined her. 
 She was certainly going to have an illness, he declared, 
 but until another twenty-four hours had elapsed he could 
 not determine what that illness might be. 
 
 In the meantime, Frau von Eaben congratulated her- 
 self upon her perspicacity. She had proved to her com- 
 plete satisfaction the connection she had suspected to exist 
 between Diana's sudden loss of enthusiasm for her reli- 
 gious vocation and her defence of this Englishman whose 
 name she had embraced with so much fervour. 
 
 It is not too much to say that Frau von Eaben thor- 
 oughly enjoyed the situation. She felt that she was about 
 to take part in a spiritual contest in which there was a 
 sufficient amount of material element to make it inter- 
 esting. The girl's nature was asserting itself, and every 
 good Christian knew that nature must, or should be, 
 crushed. That Diana's interest in her cousin Lino Sa- 
 velli's friend was anything more than a passing fancy on 
 her part for the man who so evidently admired her, Frau 
 von Eaben had no cause to suspect. She could not, 
 indeed, have been inspired to know how a spiritual enemy 
 had utilized so very material a weapon as a chill upon her 
 own stomach in order to carry on the warfare. It was 
 clear to her that Diana's mind was being influenced by 
 carnal desires, and that Diana had yet to learn how these 
 jould be satisfied by other than purely carnal means. 
 
 Frau von Eaben lost no time in informing Don Marco 
 Savelli of her conviction that his brother's friend had made 
 a greater impression upon Diana than she had hitherto 
 believed to be the case. In her note describing the scene 
 which had taken place between Diana and her cousins 
 
DONNA DIANA 199 
 
 she likewise acquainted him with the fact of the girl's 
 illness, which on the following day the doctor formally 
 pronounced to be typhoid fever. 
 
 Her letter brought an urgent request from Marco Sa- 
 velli that she would come to the Via Giulia, where he 
 would be sure to be able to speak with her alone, if she 
 would time her visit so as to arrive while the Cardinal 
 was taking his usual drive. 
 
 Frau von Eaben was only too ready to discuss the latest 
 developments of Diana's 'case/ as she called it, and the 
 following afternoon found her at Cardinal Savelli's house. 
 The Cardinal's carriage, with the black Hungarian horses, 
 unsold as yet, was standing in the porte cochere when she 
 reached his residence. Mindful of Marco's hint, she 
 walked up and down the street until she saw it drive 
 away, and caught a glimpse of its occupant as it passed 
 her. Then she entered the house, and rang at the door 
 of the Cardinal's apartment. 
 
 In reply to her question as to whether the Cardinal was 
 at home, and whether he would receive her, the servant 
 informed her that His Eminence had gone out only a 
 few minutes since. 
 
 Frau von Eaben expressed surprise and disappointment. 
 
 ( Perhaps Don Marco is at home ? ' she asked. ' My 
 business was with His Eminence,' she continued, 'but no 
 doubt Don Marco will see me if you will tell him that 
 I am here.' 
 
 She followed the man into the reception-room, and sat 
 down while he went to acquaint Marco Savelli of her 
 arrival. 
 
 In a few minutes the latter joined her. 
 
 6 My uncle will not be back for two hours/ he said, ' so 
 we shall be quite undisturbed. I am yery glad that you 
 have been able to come, madame. I fear that my cousin 
 Diana is very seriously ill ; ? and he looked at Frau von 
 Eaben inquisitively. 
 
 Frau von Eaben nodded. 
 
 ' She is certainly very ill/ she replied, ' and she must 
 
200 DONNA DIANA 
 
 be worse before she is better if she gets over the crisis 
 when it comes. But it is not the state of her body that 
 gives me the most uneasiness/ she added, sighing. 
 
 'Do you mean to say that you think she is really in 
 love with that cursed foreigner ? ' asked Marco. 
 
 Frau von Eaben pursed up her lips and hesitated for 
 a moment. 
 
 ' In love ? ' she repeated. ' It depends on what you call 
 love. You must remember that Diana has reached an age 
 when girls become susceptible to er the calls of nature. 
 No, Don Marco, I do not think Diana has really fallen 
 in love with that bear of an Englishman. She has had 
 no opportunity of doing so, fortunately. But he has suc- 
 ceeded in awakening her curiosity/ 
 
 6 Oh, her curiosity/ said Marco significantly. ' That is 
 generally a very good beginning/ 
 
 Frau von Raben dropped her eyes. 
 
 ( Exactly/ she replied. ( It is always dangerous when 
 young people begin to inquire into well, into things, you 
 know. Besides, Diana is devoted to Don Michelangelo, 
 and the idea that this Englishman saved his life naturally 
 surrounds him with a halo of romance in her eyes. As I 
 told you in my note, there was quite a scene when your 
 cousins laughed at him. It is evident to me that she ' 
 
 ' Has been making him the object of her virginal cu- 
 riosity/ supplemented Marco Savelli, as Frau von Raben 
 paused and hesitated. 
 
 ( Well, yes/ she resumed. ' She might very easily do 
 that without being consciously in love with him/ 
 
 Marco looked at her and smiled. It was not a very 
 pleasant smile. 
 
 'You seem to have studied the subject/ he observed. 
 
 Frau von Raben's sallow face momentarily assumed a 
 salmon-coloured hue. 
 
 ' I have had so much to do with young people/ she re- 
 plied, ' and of course, I understand the nature of my own 
 sex. If Diana had seen more of this young man if she 
 had ever been alone with him I should be more uneasy. 
 
DONNA DIANA 201 
 
 As it is, I regard the matter as merely due to natural 
 development. It is impossible that she can be actually in 
 love, either with him or with any other man. Moreover, 
 I have had many conversations with her, and have often 
 been struck by the complete indifference she formerly dis- 
 played towards such subjects.' 
 
 Marco Savelli did not reply for a moment. 
 
 f And what do you think has caused her to lose that in- 
 difference ? ' he asked presently. 
 
 'But I have told you. A girl's curiosity, developed 
 under purely physical conditions. What else would have 
 caused her to lose it? Indeed, as Diana has this voca- 
 tion, it will not be a bad thing, perhaps, if she has lost it. 
 She will turn to the consolation of a spiritual love the 
 more readily if her imagination becomes more intense/ 
 
 ' Of course, that is quite true/ replied Marco. ' But 
 I do not see/ he added, 'how spiritual embraces could 
 be properly appreciated by anybody who had never known 
 the desire for material ones/ 
 
 Frau von Raben, notwithstanding the number of years 
 she had spent in a Roman household, had never been able 
 to detect the native irony. 
 
 ' Ah/ she said, with a sigh, ' it is no doubt a compensa- 
 tion that ecstasy of feeling the embraces of a spiritual 
 bridegroom. This is just what I meant when I said per- 
 haps Diana's loss of indifference would not be a misfor- 
 tune for her. After all, the body and the soul must be 
 united in this life, and the sexual desires of the one, 
 rightly employed, may serve to render more ardent the 
 spiritual longings of the other.' 
 
 It was Frau von Raben's favourite subject, and she had 
 ceased to feel any shyness in discussing it with Marco 
 Savelli in connection with Diana's future. If she could 
 have known that her observations were repeated, with a 
 mimicry of her voice, manner, and Teutonic accent, for 
 the delectation of Countess Verini in the privacy of the 
 latter's sitting-room, it is probable that she might have 
 been more reticent. 
 
202 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' It must be most interesting/ said Marco Savelli, as 
 Frau von Raben, with folded hands, sat and gazed at 
 him; 'and anyone like myself, who has studied certain 
 branches of theology, knows that you have excellent au- 
 thority for what you say/ . 
 
 'What must be most interesting?' asked Frau von 
 Raben, a little puzzled. 
 
 e Well, the process of attempting to combine sacred and 
 profane love. Now I come to think of it, I never am 
 quite sure which is which when I look at Titian's rep- 
 resentations of them in the Borghese Gallery. It shows 
 what a philosopher the man must have been/ 
 
 * Ah, yes ! ' exclaimed Frau von Raben. ' It is a ques- 
 tion of psychology such holy men as St. Alfonso Liguori 
 and St. Ignatius understood that.' 
 
 'It is certainly a question of psychology,' said Marco. 
 'But,' he continued, 'to return to Diana is it not a 
 little sudden, this curiosity concerning things to which 
 she has hitherto been indifferent? I confess I do not 
 understand her outburst of indignation on this English- 
 man's behalf, unless she is more in love with him than 
 we think. You say that since Easter she has never seen 
 him ; but are you quite sure of this, madame ? ' 
 
 ' Of course I am sure,' replied Frau von Raben. ' How 
 could she have seen him? Diana has never left Palazzo 
 San Rocco unless accompanied by the Princess or myself. 
 The thing is impossible.' 
 
 'Ah! Either you or my aunt have always been with 
 her you are quite sure of that?' returned Marco. 
 
 'But perfectly sure! Twice, or perhaps three times, 
 she went to spend the afternoon in the Castelnuovo Gar- 
 dens, accompanied by the Princess's maid, old Ersilia; 
 but, of course, there she would be quite safe, and Ersilia 
 is trustworthy.' 
 
 'Nevertheless,' returned Marco, 'I am convinced that 
 they have met. You must question Ersilia, madame. As 
 for Vane, I will have him watched. We must find out 
 where he goes, and what he does. I meant to have it 
 
DONNA DIANA 203 
 
 done before, but,, knowing that he could not go to Palazzo 
 San Eocco any more, I thought he might be let alone.' 
 
 ' It is impossible/ repeated Frau von Kaben. f He 
 could never have seen Diana again. But I will talk to 
 Ersilia. She had strict orders never to lose sight of Diana, 
 even when they were inside the gardens of Palazzo Castel- 
 nuovo. But why does this Englishman remain in Eome ? ' 
 she added impatiently. 
 
 ' That is what I mean to find out,' said Marco dryly. 
 6 He has been here too long, and he may find the air of 
 Rome unhealthy if he stays much longer. I suppose,' he 
 added abruptly, 'that Diana's fever is not so high as to 
 make her at all delirious?' 
 
 ' I am told that she wanders at intervals/ replied Frau 
 von Raben. 
 
 e You are told ? Then you do not go to her room ? ' 
 
 Frau von Raben looked a little confused. 
 
 ' Sick people take strange fancies into their heads/ she 
 replied. ( Of course, my wish was to nurse Diana, but 
 she becomes so excited whenever I approach her that the 
 doctor says it is better she should not see me in the room.' 
 
 'But she has a nurse, I suppose?' 
 
 'Yes a nun, and Ersilia. She is impatient even of 
 the Princess being with her, and is always begging that 
 Madame de Bonneval may come to her.' 
 
 'Madame de Bonneval?' 
 
 ' One of the ladies of the Sacre Cceur/ exclaimed Frau 
 von Raben. ' Diana is always talking of her. I saw her 
 once a hideous woman; but they say that she is a great 
 lady. Of course, she cannot come, for, as you know, the 
 ladies of the Sacre Cceur cannot go out for such objects 
 unless by special permission of the Superior, and such 
 permissions are only given under extremely exceptional 
 circumstances. Besides, any affection for a pupil in the 
 Sacre Cceur is at once remarked, and the lady, whoever 
 she may be, who manifests it is transferred to another 
 house. Madame de Bonneval would probably not care to 
 risk such a rebuke by asking for leave to visit Diana.' 
 
204 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ( So/ observed Marco Savelli thoughtfully, ' the only 
 people who are likely to hear anything Diana may say 
 when she is delirious are Ersilia and this nursing- 
 Sister.' 
 
 6 For the moment yes. But she may get over her ob- 
 jection to my being in her room.' 
 
 ( Or, if the fever increases, she will not know whether 
 you are in it or not,' rejoined Marco. * It is unfortunate/ 
 he added, ' for we should very likely learn something 
 from what she says.' 
 
 ( You may be sure that I shall keep my ears open,' said 
 Frau von Eaben. 'But I cannot believe that any com- 
 munications have passed between Mr. Vane and Diana. 
 She has been weaving a little romance around him that 
 is all. As for the Englishman, why do you not get him 
 out of Eome ? Then there would be an end to everything. 
 Do you know how he employs his time here ? ' 
 
 Marco Savelli shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ' Che ne so io ! ' he replied contemptuously. ( You must 
 ask my brother Lino about that. I believe that he leads 
 a very quiet life, as far as one knows.' 
 
 * Oh, as far as one knows, I dare say/ returned Frau 
 von Eaben. 
 
 Marco glanced at her inquiringly. 
 
 6 It will not be difficult to find out his habits/ he said ; 
 'but when they are found out I do not see what good it 
 will do to know them.' 
 
 'Unless they are bad.' 
 
 Marco smiled slightly. 
 
 'And if they are not bad?' he asked. 
 
 'But they are sure to be bad. Why is he not in his 
 own country, or murdering those poor Boers in the Trans- 
 vaal, if they are not bad?' demanded Frau von Eaben, 
 with unconscious inconsistency. 'If they are not bad/ 
 she added, ' it will be very easy to say that they are/ 
 
 ' That is true/ said Marco thoughtfully. ' He might 
 be compromised in some way. It would be very useful, 
 in case of Diana's recovery, for then it could be explained 
 
DONNA DIANA 205 
 
 to her that he was a mauvais sujet, and that nobody would 
 have anything to do with him/ 
 
 ' Precisely/ observed Frau von Eaben dryly. ' There 
 are so many things that may be said of a man which can- 
 not easily be disproved; and if Diana has any romantic 
 ideas about him, a little scandal would be very useful, as 
 you say/ 
 
 Marco Savelli nodded. 
 
 ' You are quite right/ he said, with a short laugh. ' We 
 must be prepared for all emergencies; and in these days 
 much the best way of dealing with troublesome people is 
 to discredit them. But do you really think that Diana 
 is beginning to regret her decision to become a nun?' he 
 continued. 
 
 Frau von Eaben hesitated. 
 
 ' I am not sure/ she replied. ' She appears to shrink 
 from talking about it, which she was formerly always 
 ready to do. Something has certainty unsettled her. I 
 was very much struck by a remark she made to Maria 
 during the scene I told you of. She accused Maria of 
 being jealous/ 
 
 ' That is the remark of a woman, not of a child/ said 
 Marco. 
 
 'Exactly. It tells its own story/ 
 
 ' Vane must be got out of the way ! ' exclaimed Marco 
 angrily. ( If she dies, of course it will not matter ; we 
 need not trouble ourselves any more about him. But if 
 she lives ' 
 
 ' Ah, if she lives and there is no reason why she should 
 not live he will always be a danger, until she has actually 
 taken her vows/ 
 
 ' This Madame de Bonneval had she a great influence 
 over Diana at the Sacre Cceur ? ' asked Marco. 
 
 ' Diana was certainly very fond of her/ Frau von Eaben 
 replied. ( As to influence/ she added, ' that I cannot tell 
 you. As I said just now, anything like favouritism is 
 severely discouraged in the Sacre Cceur/ 
 
 6 1 will ask my uncle about her/ said Marco. ' He will 
 
206 DONNA DIANA 
 
 be able to ascertain who and what she is. If permission 
 could be obtained for her to do so, it might have a good 
 effect if she visited Diana. She would hardly be likely 
 to say anything to dissuade her from entering religion; 
 and if Diana has developed difficulties in her own 
 mind, Madame de Bonneval might help her to get rid of 
 them/ 
 
 ' Possibly/ answered Frau von Eaben. ' When Diana 
 is convalescent she might be useful. But the permission 
 will have to be demanded through very high quarters. 
 No doubt His Eminence could have the matter so rep- 
 resented to the Mother Superior that an exception might 
 be made. After all, it would be for the good of the 
 Church and for the welfare of the poor child's soul. And 
 now, Don Marco, I must leave you. I shall be wanted 
 at Palazzo San Eocco. I will keep you duly informed of 
 what may happen, and, naturally, you will hear from His 
 Eminence how Diana's illness progresses. He is informed 
 of her state every two or three hours, and yesterday he 
 came himself/ 
 
 ' So he told me/ said Marco. ' My uncle is really ter- 
 ribly anxious about her, madame. I had no idea he had 
 so deep an affection for her. It is really quite pathetic. 
 You can understand my wish that he should not have the 
 additional sorrow of feeling that anything had occurred 
 to disturb Diana's peace of mind. He has so often told 
 me how thankful he was that she had such a marvellous 
 vocation. If he thought she was being tempted to re- 
 nounce it, I believe it would have a most serious effect 
 upon him.' 
 
 ' Ah, yes, indeed ! ' sighed Frau von Eaben, as she rose 
 from her chair and commenced putting on a pair of well- 
 worn black gloves. ' It would be a terrible shock to His 
 Eminence. Of course, as Diana's guardian, he feels 
 doubly responsible for her spiritual welfare. But you 
 must not be uneasy, Don Marco. I feel sure that we shall 
 succeed in guarding Diana from harm, and that the Car- 
 dinal will have the joy of seeing her being led in her 
 
DONNA DIANA 20? 
 
 bridal clothes to the embraces of her spiritual Spouse, who 
 will initiate her into the highest mysteries of love/ 
 
 Marco Savelli accompanied her to the ante-room, where 
 he took leave of her, and returned to his own sitting-room. 
 Then he lighted a cigarette and laughed gently. 
 
 6 She is really very droll ! ' he said to himself. ' Such 
 a delightful mixture of piety and prurience. I wish I 
 could take her to see Laura. She would certainly amuse 
 Laura very much/ 
 
CHAPTEE XVII 
 
 DIANA'S illness was so far pursuing a normal course. The 
 fever was high, but she had never as yet lost consciousness, 
 and though at times she would become slightly delirious, 
 she soon regained her lucidity. As long as Ersilia and 
 the nurse were in attendance upon her, she would remain 
 tranquil, but when Princess San Rocco visited her, as she 
 did several times in the course of the day, Diana soon 
 became restless and uneasy, while any attempt on the part 
 of Frau von Raben to enter the room invariably excited 
 her and caused her temperature to rise. 
 
 She seemed, indeed, to have a nervous dread of being 
 left alone with Fran von Raben, and implored both Ersilia 
 and the Sister not to allow the latter to approach her. 
 At first Frau von Raben had insisted on taking her share 
 of the nursing; but Ersilia represented to the doctor the 
 bad effect that her presence had upon the patient, and he 
 in turn suggested to the Princess that Frau von Raben 
 would do better to keep away from the sick-room until 
 Donna Diana should be more herself. 
 
 Frau von Raben expressed herself as bitterly hurt by 
 Diana's extraordinary conduct. She had always suspected 
 that Diana disliked her, and thought it quite probable that 
 in her lucid moments the girl was afraid of what she 
 might unconsciously reveal in her presence should she 
 begin to wander in her mind. 
 
 Under pretence of trying to ascertain how Diana had 
 contracted her fever, Frau von Raben had questioned 
 Ersilia very sharply as to what had happened at the Pa- 
 lazzo Castelnuovo on the days when she had been in her 
 charge. 
 
 Ersilia, however, was more than equal to the occasion. 
 
DONNA DIANA 209 
 
 She detested Frau von Eaben. To begin with, the latter 
 was a German, and Ersilia hated the sight of a German, 
 for had they not killed her -young brother at Solferino? 
 It was quite in vain that the Princess had tried to ex- 
 plain to her that Austria had been the guilty party, and 
 that Frau von Eaben was not an Austrian. They all 
 spoke the same barbarous language, which sounded like 
 dogs snarling over a bone, and that was quite enough for 
 Ersilia. 
 
 In the next place, Frau von Eaben hated Ersilia's fa- 
 vourite, Lino Savelli. Even had there been nothing else 
 against her, these two facts were sufficient to cause the 
 old Eoman servant to regard lying to the dame de com- 
 pagnie as almost a matter of duty, and she lied accord- 
 ingly, with all the simple dignity in which a Eoman 
 knows how to clothe a lie, when absolutely necessary to 
 tell one ; for a Eoman . of the people is high bred and 
 courteous in lying as in many other things. 
 
 Moreover, Ersilia had given her word to Lino Savelii 
 that she would help him to bring about a meeting between 
 his friend and his cousin Diana, and she would have suf- 
 fered her tongue to be torn from her mouth rather than 
 betray him. 
 
 * I was told never to lose sight of Donna Diana, and 
 I never did lose sight of her/ she replied, in answer to 
 Frau von Eaben's repeated questions. ' As to the fever/ 
 she added, 'it is very natural that she should take it, 
 sitting all the afternoon over those tiresome ponds. In 
 the streets, now, there would be no danger, and she would 
 have had men and women to look at instead of stupid 
 fish/ 
 
 ( And nobody came into the garden you were quite 
 undisturbed?' Frau von Eaben had asked finally. 
 
 Ersilia looked at her stolidly. 
 
 'But certainly people came/ she said tranquilly. 
 
 ' Ah ! 9 exclaimed Frau von Eaben eagerly. ( And who 
 were these people? It is your duty to tell me, you know, 
 Ersilia. You should have reported it before. But you 
 
210 DONNA DIANA 
 
 need not be afraid; only you must tell me truthfully who 
 they were/ 
 
 ' Of course it is my duty to tell you/ said Ersilia. ' I 
 do not know how it is that I forgot to mention it. Sicuro ! 
 Two men came, and they certainly disturbed us very much. 
 It was very unpleasant ' 
 
 'Yes, yes, but who were they?' repeated Frau von 
 Raben. 'I insist upon knowing who they were. If you 
 do not tell me, I shall speak to Her Excellency.' 
 
 e Oh/ replied Ersilia, ' they were gardeners, and they 
 were carting manure. It smelt very bad. I have since 
 thought that perhaps it was from this Donna Diana took 
 the fever.' 
 
 Frau von Raben turned away impatiently. 
 
 c Stupid idiot ! ' she muttered to herself in German, 
 while Ersilia walked composedly out of the room. Her 
 suspicions were quite set at rest, however, by Ersilia's 
 stupidity. Indeed, she had never believed that there 
 could have been any clandestine meeting between Diana 
 and Edmund Vane, and she had questioned the old serv- 
 ant more in order to be able to satisfy Marco Savelli that 
 she had done so than from expectation of learning any- 
 thing from her. 
 
 Diana was approaching the end of the second week of 
 her illness. During the last three or four days there had 
 been a satisfactory diminution in her temperature, and 
 she appeared to be stronger and better in consequence. 
 
 Frau von Raben had not attempted to enter the sick- 
 room since the Princess had conveyed to her the doctor's 
 suggestion that she should not do so. She had contented 
 herself with asking stiffly as to Diana's progress, and 
 with assuming an air of one who had received an un- 
 merited injury. This attitude caused Princess San Rocco 
 to feel sorry that Diana should have taken a nervous dis- 
 like to her, a feeling which became accentuated when Frau 
 von Raben would announce her intention of going to 
 church to pray for Diana's restoration to health. 
 
 As Diana was less feverish,, Princess San Rocco thought 
 
DONNA DIANA 
 
 that, in fairness to Frau von Raben, she should try to 
 reason with her on the subject, and to make her under- 
 stand that it was a little unkind to exclude from her room 
 anyone who had been so good to her. 
 
 Diana was filled with compunction and remorse. She 
 did not like Frau von Raben that was perfectly true; 
 but she did not want to hurt her feelings, and it disturbed 
 her to think that she had done so. 
 
 ' Of course she can come and see me,' she said to the 
 Princess; and then she hesitated a little. There had 
 never been any great sympathy between Diana and her 
 aunt, notwithstanding the latter's kindness towards her 
 niece and sincere affection for her. As Diana had told 
 Cardinal Savelli, the Princess could never realize that she 
 was no longer a child. The consequence was that the girl 
 was reserved with her. Princess San Rocco had fallen 
 into the error of thinking that her niece had not much in 
 her, and, this being the case, the Princess thought it was 
 no doubt all for the best that she should have preferred 
 the peaceful life of the cloister. 
 
 Princess San Rocco herself was an indolent woman, 
 rather bored with life in general, and yet not particularly 
 inclined to make it more interesting. Nevertheless, she 
 was kind-hearted, and, though by no means bigoted, sjn- 
 cerely attached to her religion. Her niece's vocation for 
 a religious life had been a source of genuine satisfaction 
 to her. She was convinced that such vocations were among 
 the highest gifts of God, and that they should be honoured 
 and encouraged accordingly. 
 
 It was natural, perhaps, that Princess San Rocco should 
 have formed her judgment upon Diana's vocation more or 
 less according to Cardinal Savelli's ideas upon the sub- 
 ject. She was fond of her brother, and proud of the high 
 position he had attained in the Church, while his opinion 
 and episcopal authority carried greater weight with her 
 than she was perhaps fully aware of. If there had ever 
 been a time when she had been inclined to regret that 
 Diana, instead of making some brilliant marriage such 
 
212 DONNA DIANA 
 
 as her beauty and name might well have secured her, 
 had elected to abandon the world for the sake of her 
 religion, the knowledge that her brother approved the 
 step and considered that it would be wrong to restrain 
 the girPs enthusiasm had been sufficient to convince her 
 that her niece was indeed singularly favoured. 
 
 Princess San Eocco was grieved, therefore, when Diana, 
 after hesitating for a moment, said shyly: 
 
 ' Will you ask Frau von Raben not to talk to me about 
 the convent? I do not want to speak about those things 
 with her/ 
 
 The Princess had received more than one mysterious 
 hint from Frau von Eaben as to the change she had no- 
 ticed in Diana, and her fears that some evil influences 
 were at work to upset the girl's peace of mind. 
 
 ' I will tell her so if you wish it,' she said to her niece 
 gravely. 'But I cannot understand why you should want 
 to avoid the subject with Frau von Raben. Hitherto you 
 have always liked to talk about it.' 
 
 ' I know/ answered Diana ; 6 but Frau von Raben does 
 not understand, and she makes me think of things I do 
 not want to think of.' 
 
 ' What do you mean, Diana ? ' asked the Princess, with 
 some astonishment. 
 
 Diana's face flushed suddenly. 
 
 ' I cannot explain, aunt,' she said slowly, ' but she al- 
 ways talks to me of things I do not understand and 
 and I do not like it. Madame de Bonneval never talked 
 to me like that. But Frau von Raben always seems to 
 think I must have feelings which I have not got, and tries 
 to explain them to me. They trouble me/ she added 
 wearily, ' and I do not want to think about them.' 
 
 'But what things?' asked the Princess. 
 
 e Oh, all sorts of things/ said Diana vaguely. ' It does 
 not matter, and I am sure she means to be very kind.' 
 
 Princess San Rocco looked at her inquiringly, and then 
 she passed her hand gently over Diana's brow. 
 
 ' Do not trouble yourself about it, f iglia mia ! ' she said 
 
DONNA DIANA 213 
 
 soothingly. ' You must only think of getting well now. 
 Poor Frau von Raben was sorry that you did not want her 
 to come to see you; she has thought so much of you. 
 Every day she goes to pray for you, and she has had Mass 
 said that you may soon be well, so you must not be un- 
 grateful to her. And I think that you should not be 
 afraid of talking to her about your vocation when you are 
 better, as you have always done. You should keep it ever 
 before you, Diana, and always remember what a privilege 
 has been granted to you. For it would be a dreadful 
 thing if you allowed worldly thoughts to upset your mind, 
 when, please God, you will so soon begin your novitiate/ 
 
 Diana did not reply, and the Princess, looking at her 
 again, saw that she was flushed and was growing restless. 
 
 ' The child is not herself from the fever/ she thought. 
 e She has taken some strange ideas into her head about 
 poor Von Raben, and has very likely dreamed them. Per- 
 haps Frau von Raben perplexed her with some of her 
 arguments before she was taken ill. I often tell her she 
 forgets what a child Diana really is. It is not like talking 
 to Maria or Griulia. I must give her a hint to avoid speak- 
 ing of anything to Diana that may exite her. If anybody 
 is to talk to her about religion, my brother had far better 
 do so/ 
 
 ' I will tell Frau von Raben she may come to you later 
 on/ she said aloud to Diana. ( She will not remain long, 
 but I know it will be a great pleasure to her to see you, 
 now that you are a little better. She will feel that her 
 prayers for you have been heard, poor thing! Now you 
 must keep quite quiet, and I will send Ersilia to sit with 
 you, for Sister Agnese has gone to get some sleep.' And 
 Princess San Rocco, after adjusting Diana's pillows, kissed 
 her and left the room to summon her maid. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE improvement in Diana's condition was maintained, 
 and on the following day she told Ersilia that she hoped 
 Fran von Raben would pay her a visit. The first expres- 
 sion of this wish brought no response. Ersilia pretended 
 not to hear, and suddenly discovered that it was time for 
 Diana to take some nourishment, while a repetition of the 
 suggestion elicited distinct disapproval. 
 
 Madama, Ersilia declared, could very well remain where 
 she was. Neither she nor Sister Agnese wanted her in 
 the sick-room, and the fewer people the signorina saw the 
 better. 
 
 Diana smiled a little. She felt very weak, and in her 
 heart quite agreed with Ersilia; but Princess San Rocco's 
 observation that she should not be ungrateful had dwelt in 
 her mind. After all, she was ungrateful. Frau von Raben 
 had been praying for her, though she, Diana, had fretfully 
 implored that she might be kept away from her room. 
 That Ersilia shared her dislike of Frau von Raben was no 
 secret to her, and, indeed, she had overheard her telling 
 Sister Agnese that madama was an old busybody. 
 
 6 But, Ersilia/ she demurred, ( I should like Frau von 
 Raben to come. Now I am better it would be very unkind 
 not to see her. A few days ago I felt so ill, and I really 
 don't believe I always knew what I was talking about/ 
 
 ' Altro ! ' said Ersilia dryly. ' What you talked about 
 does not matter at all ; but it is just as well that madama 
 did not hear you.' 
 
 e Oh ! ' exclaimed Diana. ' I hope I did not say unkind 
 things of her! I seem to remember now; I had horrid 
 dreams about her and Lino and ' 
 
 She broke off abruptly, and looked at Ersilia almost 
 timidly. 
 
 814 
 
DONNA DIANA 215 
 
 No allusion to the meeting with Lino Savelli and Vane 
 had ever been made to her by Ersilia, and she herself had 
 shrunk from mentioning the subject to the old servant. 
 The latter glanced at her shrewdly. 
 
 ' You talked a great deal/ she said ; ' but there was no- 
 body to hear you except Sister Agnese and myself, and 
 Sister Agnese does not pay much attention to what sick 
 people say. She has had too much to do with them. She 
 told me of a young lady she nursed not long ago who used 
 the most dreadful language when she was delirious but 
 language to make an ox-driver feel ashamed ! Che vuole ? 
 it only shows that we are all alike at bottom ! ' and Ersilia 
 shrugged her shoulders philosophically. 
 
 Diana lay still and looked at her. She was conscious of 
 a strange indifference as to whether she had used bad lan- 
 guage or not, but was too weak to be surprised at it. It 
 seemed to her that she had a vague recollection of plead- 
 ing with Lino's English friend not to make her think of 
 things which troubled her new things to which she had 
 formerly given only passing thoughts as being outside her 
 world. She remembered the look in his eyes, the tones of 
 his voice as he told her of his love for her. The feeling 
 that something was wanted of her, something that she alone 
 had power to give or to withhold, had been a fresh expe- 
 rience, a sensation wholly delightful because so mysterious 
 and unfathomable a glimpse, as it were, through a half- 
 opened door of pleasant ways, leading she knew not whither. 
 Yes ! she had something to give which was desired by this 
 man who had been so strong and yet so tender in the plead- 
 ing of his cause. Of course, she remembered now. It had 
 all come back to her as a dream, indeed, but as a dream 
 that had stirred in her strange fancies, half -acknowledged 
 longings to be free to tread the paths suddenly revealed 
 to her. 
 
 She wondered if she had spoken aloud in these dreams, 
 and wished that she could bring herself to ask Ersilia the 
 question. If only Madame de Bonneval had been with her 
 it would have been easier, for she would have understood. 
 
216 DONNA DIANA 
 
 But Frau von Eaben! Diana shivered a little as she 
 thought of Frau von Eaben's curiosity, and of the ques- 
 tions she would be sure to ask. It would seem like a 
 sacrilege to allow her access to her thought, and she gave a 
 sigh of relief that she had been kept away from her room, 
 little suspecting that it was owing to Ersilia's diplomacy 
 with the doctor and Sister Agnese if madama's attempts 
 to share in her nursing had hitherto been frustrated. 
 
 ' This afternoon, Ersilia/ Diana said presently, ' I will 
 see Frau von Eaben. I do not want her to think me un- 
 grateful. You will tell her, will you not ? ' 
 
 Ersilia sniffed contemptuously. 
 
 ' If the signorina insists/ she answered unwillingly ; ' but 
 it would be better to wait. The doctor orders complete 
 quiet, and madama's voice is like a barrel-organ with the 
 rain in it.' 
 
 Diana smiled. 
 
 ( I will ask her not to stop very long/ she said ; ' but it 
 would be unkind not to see her, and, besides, my aunt 
 wishes it. 9 
 
 Ersilia looked at her, and hesitated for a moment. 
 
 ' You are very weak, signorina/ she said at length, ' and, 
 ebbene ! I will tell you. Madama is a mischief-maker ! She 
 has been trying to find out from me whom you saw in the 
 Castelnuovo Gardens the other day. Not that she learned 
 anything, for, God be praised ! a Eoman can outwit a Ger- 
 man any day. But you must be on your guard. Madama 
 hates Don Michelangelo, and the Englishman also, and she 
 will work them ill if she can. Do not let her question you, 
 signorina. You can always pretend not to understand 
 what she means. God knows what suspicions she has got 
 into her head; but you have only to say nothing, and all 
 will be well/ 
 
 Diana blushed violently. 
 
 ' I wish they had never come to the garden ! 9 she mur- 
 mured. 
 
 Ersilia shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 ' Why shouldn't they have come ? ' she retorted. ' You 
 
DONNA DIANA 217 
 
 are not a prisoner, and you are not a nun yet. I dare 
 say the Englishman does not intend that you ever shall 
 be a nun, and small blame to him ! ' 
 
 ' Ersilia ! > 
 
 'But certainly I say small blame to him/ repeated Er- 
 silia stolidly. Having once broken silence, she was deter- 
 mined to speak her mind, even at the risk of exciting her 
 patient. ( Nuns are all very well, and I have nothing 
 against them, but it is women like madama who should be 
 nuns old women, dried up. Oh, you need not be horri- 
 fied, signorina ! What do you suppose Domeneddio made 
 young men and young women for simply to make fools 
 of them and of Himself too ? ' And Ersilia ended with an 
 abrupt recommendation to her amazed listener to 'go out 
 fishing/ a contemptuous Romanesco form of dismissing an 
 untenable proposition. 
 
 Diana closed her eyes wearily. 
 
 ' Do not talk to me any more, Ersilia/ she said. ' I am 
 so tired; I want to sleep/ 
 
 Late in the afternoon, after the doctor had visited her 
 and had pronounced himself satisfied with her condition, 
 Diana again insisted upon seeing Frau von Raben, and 
 Ersilia was reluctantly obliged to take her message. 
 
 Frau von Raben entered her room soon afterwards and 
 sat down at her bedside, after remarking somewhat huf- 
 fily that she was very pleased Diana now felt equal to re- 
 ceiving a visit from her. 
 
 Diana noticed that she had brought her knitting, and 
 for some time she lay in silence, watching with a kind of 
 fascination the stitches diminishing on the needles, for 
 Frau von Raben was, as usual, engaged upon turning a heel. 
 
 Every now and then Diana would look up from the stock- 
 ing to find Frau von Raben's gaze fixed upon her curiously, 
 and when their eyes met the latter would sigh deeply. The 
 heel, the silence, and the sighs combined had a distinctly 
 depressing effect, and made Diana feel extremely nervous. 
 
 It was a relief when Frau von Raben observed : 
 
 ' I have been trying to think how you could have caught 
 
218 DONNA DIANA 
 
 your illness, Diana. It is very mysterious, for you have 
 not been away from Palazzo San Rocco, and nobody has 
 ever caught a fever here/ 
 
 ( The doctor says I may have had it in me for some time/ 
 answered Diana. ' I have often felt unwell of late. Per- 
 haps at the Sacre Cceur -' 
 
 ' Oh, no, the Sacre Cceur is healthy enough/ said Frau 
 von Eaben decidedly. ' If you had caught it there other 
 girls would probably have contracted it also ; but we have 
 made inquiries, and none of them have been ill. Of course, 
 you may have got it in the gardens at the Palazzo Castel- 
 nuovo. For instance, you and Ersilia noticed a very bad 
 smell, did you not, on the last afternoon you were there, 
 when those men were carrying some manure ? ' 
 
 Diana looked at her with surprise. 
 
 ' No/ she replied, ' I do not remember noticing any bad 
 smell. Besides, there were no men carrying manure/ 
 
 Frau von Raben's needles worked more quickly than 
 ever. 
 
 'You must have forgotten/ she said quietly. 'Do you 
 mean to say that you saw no men in the gardens that 
 afternoon ? ' 
 
 Diana was conscious that Frau von Raben was looking 
 at her closely. 
 
 6 1 certainly did not see them or smell any bad smell/ 
 she repeated. 
 
 'You saw no men nobody at all?' persisted Frau von 
 Raben. 
 
 Diana remembered Ersilia's warning. 
 
 6 1 don't know what you mean/ she said, with an effort, 
 and her face flushed painfully as she uttered the words. 
 
 ' But it is very simple. You can surely remember 
 whether you saw anybody in the gardens or not/ 
 
 Diana's eyes flashed with a sudden anger. 
 
 ' I saw nobody/ she said sullenly. 
 
 For a minute or two neither spoke again, and Frau von 
 Raben knitted rapidly. 
 
 'It is very odd/ she remarked presently, 'that Ersilia 
 
DONNA DIANA 219 
 
 should remember seeing two men two gardeners, she says 
 and that you should recollect nothing about it.' 
 
 Diana did not reply. 
 
 ' However/ proceeded Frau von Eaben, ' no doubt your 
 memory is confused, and, after all, it does not much mat- 
 ter where or how you got this illness. As it was Almighty 
 God's will that you should have it, we may be sure it was 
 sent you for some merciful purpose. We have so much 
 time for meditation, for reflection, in sickness, and the de- 
 sires of the flesh, to which we have perhaps attached so 
 much importance when we were in health, become marvel- 
 lously insignificant when we are ill.' 
 
 ' I can think better when I am well/ said Diana. 
 
 Frau von Eaben moved impatiently in her chair. Diana 
 was certainly a very difficult person to talk to, she thought. 
 
 ( Ah/ she replied, ( that is a proof that when you are in 
 health you should strive never to give way to unworthy 
 thoughts, for then they will not trouble you when illness 
 overtakes you. I do not wish to say anything that may 
 distress you, Diana, but I cannot help feeling that you have 
 been unsettled in your mind of late. Perhaps you have 
 thought me unsympathetic, but if you have you have 
 wronged me very much. You must recollect that I have 
 been a girl myself oh, some years ago, of course but still, 
 one remembers a girl's feelings, a girl's temptations. I 
 have thought lately that those temptations have been 
 threatening to become too strong for you, and that you 
 have been in danger of forgetting your vocation to higher 
 things than earthly love.' 
 
 Frau von Eaben paused, and, laying down her knitting, 
 looked at Diana searchingly. 
 
 ' Of course/ she resumed, ' we cannot help our human 
 nature ; it is a burden that we must bear. And when we 
 grow to womanhood it makes itself felt oh yes, decidedly 
 it makes itself felt! But we need not seek to satisfy it 
 materially, even though others may tempt us to do so ; that 
 is reserved for lower natures natures which have never 
 felt the yearning for spiritual love. But think how dif- 
 
220 DONNA DIANA 
 
 f erent it has been with you, Diana ! You have a Lover 
 who will satisfy all your longings, who will give you de- 
 lights that no mere carnal love could ever afford you.' 
 
 Diana raised herself in her bed and pushed her hair 
 nervously off her forehead while Frau von Eaben was 
 speaking. Her eyes grew bright and restless, and her breath 
 came in short, hurried gasps. 
 
 6 Why do you talk to me about it ? ' she exclaimed 
 ' why, why ? Do you want to force me to think of those 
 things ? I never did think of them until you began to speak 
 of them to me. But now I wish I had known yes, I 
 wish I had known. Do you suppose I thought about love 
 when I wished to give myself to God ? Did God look at me, 
 speak to me, tell me that He wanted me myself? And 
 now, what has come to me I do not know, but I cannot 
 love God not like that and I dare not love a man, for 
 God would be angry/ 
 
 She sank back on the pillows trembling, and the bright 
 red flush on her face faded, to be replaced by a deadly 
 pallor. For once in her life Frau von Eaben was 
 frightened. 
 
 6 Diana/ she said hurriedly, ' you misunderstand me. I 
 did not mean to excite you. I ' 
 
 But Diana did not notice her. She lay exhausted, with 
 closed eyes, breathing rapidly. Suddenly she raised herself 
 again, and looked at Frau von Eaben, her large brown eyes 
 blazing with an angry scorn. 
 
 6 Madame de Bonneval ! I want Madame de Bonneval ! 
 She is a good woman, and she will understand. But you 
 you are a devil ! What was it Lino said ? " Men want 
 good women in the world." Ah, but I am not good any 
 more ' 
 
 She broke off suddenly, and began to sob convulsively. 
 Frau von Eaben looked at her for a moment in bewilder- 
 ment, and, turning, hurried to the door in order to sum- 
 mon Ersilia or the nurse. She saw the latter sitting by an 
 open window at the end of a long passage outside the room 
 Diana occupied. 
 
DONNA DIANA 221 
 
 ' I fear Donna Diana is not so well/ she called to her. 
 ' I have been sitting with her, and suddenly she became ter- 
 ribly excited. You had better go to her at once/ 
 
 Sister Agnese looked very grave. 
 
 'I hope she has not been talking too much/ she said. 
 ( Her temperature was scarcely above normal when I left 
 her, but anything that excited her would send it up, and 
 might bring on a relapse/ 
 
 She hurried to Diana's room, followed by Frau von 
 Eaben, and when they reached it they found Diana talking 
 wildly to herself. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE modern substitute for the cavaliere servente in Rome 
 enjoys an office that cannot, assuredly, be called a sine- 
 cure. 
 
 Who of us, happening to explore the by-paths of Roman 
 society, has not been struck with the infinite patience of the 
 genus a patience irresistibly calling to mind the long- 
 sufferance of that other creature whose loves at least in 
 Italy are popularly supposed to kindle in the month of 
 May ? Who among us, again, has not wondered at the dis- 
 cipline to which Tizio or Caio is subjected by his mistress 
 pitied him for being obliged to follow her to tea-parties, 
 to receptions, to so-called charity balls, her tickets for which 
 he has to pay as well as his own ? 
 
 The Countess Verini was no exception to the generality 
 of those ladies in Rome who find a husband insufficient 
 to their needs and requirements. To be sure, Count Verini, 
 instead of living with his wife and Marco Savelli, preferred, 
 as Monsieur de Villebois had been careful to explain to 
 Edmund Vane shortly after the latter had made her ac- 
 quaintance, to reside in Persia or Japan, although there 
 was really no necessity for his doing so at any rate, so 
 far as Rome was concerned. Having her cavaliere servente, 
 Countess Verini took very good care that he should serve 
 her out of doors as well as in. She did not care to afficlier 
 herself with him to any great extent in society, and thus 
 Marco Savelli was saved from the necessity to trot about 
 Rome at her heels, a walking advertisement of his mistress's 
 charms, in the same way that others in his position were 
 compelled to do. 
 
 There was a very good reason, indeed, why neither of 
 them desired that their relations towards each other should 
 
DONNA DIANA 223 
 
 be too much criticised. Cardinal Savelli would not, per- 
 haps, have felt called upon to protest otherwise than of- 
 ficially, should the fact that his nephew had a liaison with 
 a married woman reach his ears. But, were the Cardinal 
 once to suspect that the liaison was of a somewhat costly 
 nature, he might consider it to be his duty to regard the 
 matter from a moral point of view, and pecuniary complica- 
 tions might arise in consequence. 
 
 The news of Diana's illness had come as an unpleasant 
 surprise both to Countess Verini and Marco. So far mat- 
 ters had been progressing fairly favourably towards the 
 realization of their scheme. Monsignor Tomei had proved 
 himself to be an invaluable coadjutor, for not only had he 
 succeeded in convincing Cardinal Savelli that it would be 
 an admirable thing for Diana to endow with her fortune 
 the convent she was about to enter, but he had actually been 
 able to place before the Cardinal a proposition whereby her 
 capital might remain undisturbed until three years should 
 have elapsed from the time of the pronouncement of her 
 final vows as a cloistered nun. 
 
 Marco Savelli had not deemed it either necessary or 
 prudent to inquire too particularly as to the nature of the 
 arguments used by Monsignor Tomei to persuade the Car- 
 dinal as to the advantages of the proposal in question. In- 
 deed, as the monsignore had given him to understand, 
 Cardinal Savelli had not as yet definitely consented to the 
 scheme ; but Monsignor Tomei also hinted that it was ab- 
 solutely necessary for His Eminence to delay as long as pos- 
 sible the moment when he should be obliged to pay over 
 to his ward her million of francs. He had, further, pointed 
 out that as, in any case, the convent which Donna Diana 
 finally entered would expect to see her dot, the Cardinal 
 would almost certainly recognise the. advantages of con- 
 cluding negotiations which he, Monsignor Tomei, in his 
 capacity of financial adviser to a convent willing to re- 
 ceive Donna Diana on the terms mentioned, was empowered 
 to arrange. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's hopeful view of the situation had 
 
224: DONNA DIANA 
 
 relieved Marco's mind considerably. To say the truth, he 
 was terribly in need of a little ready money, and, between 
 pressure on the part of his creditors and reproaches on the 
 part of Laura Verini for not enabling her to satisfy the 
 demands of her own creditors, life had of late become decid- 
 edly difficult. 
 
 Countess Verini's influence over Marco had increased not 
 a little in the course of the last year or so. She knew how 
 to humour him, and she never made him jealous, even when 
 she stroked poets' hands. He had become accustomed to 
 his life with her, and custom counts for a good deal in un- 
 lawful as well as in lawful love. Lately, however, it had 
 become evident to Marco Savelli that, if harmony was to 
 reign between himself and Laura, he must assist her to 
 clear herself from certain pecuniary entanglements which 
 threatened to become serious. Count Verini, it is true, 
 made his wife a very fair allowance with which to conduct 
 her establishment during his absence. But Countess Verini 
 was of too artistic a temperament to trouble herself much 
 about economy, and rarely paid a bill if she could possibly 
 avoid doing so. 
 
 As long as it had seemed probable that Monsignor Tomei 
 would succeed in persuading Cardinal Savelli of the ad- 
 vantages of dealing with Diana's capital in the manner 
 suggested, Marco had been comparatively easy in his mind. 
 He had even gone so far as to promise Countess Verini that 
 if she could find means of inducing her more pressing cred- 
 itors to wait until the autumn, he would then be in a posi- 
 tion to prove to her the genuineness of his devotion. Once 
 the manipulation of the capital in question were confided 
 to Monsignor Tomei, he had little doubt of being able to 
 divert a portion of it to his own uses, for Monsignor Tomei 
 and he now understood one another admirably, and neither 
 would feel it necessary to enter into embarrassing ex- 
 planations. 
 
 But Frau von Raben's reports as to the possibility of a 
 change occurring in Diana's mind had disquieted Marco 
 considerably. The only possible cause for such symptoms 
 
DONNA DIANA 225 
 
 as Frau von Raben believed that she discovered in Diana 
 must be attributed to her having been conscious of Vane's 
 admiration for her. Of this Marco felt perfectly sure; 
 and his hatred of the Englishman whom his brother had in- 
 troduced into Palazzo San Eocco increased accordingly, 
 as well as his anger against Lino. 
 
 That in some way or another influences were at work to 
 keep alive in Diana's heart any impression Vane might 
 have made upon it, Marco felt not the slightest doubt ; and 
 his suspicions once aroused, he had determined to find out 
 whether or not they were justified. He would certainly 
 have Vane watched. Such manoeuvres were not unknown in 
 Eome, and it would not be difficult to find persons in the 
 city who, once their man were pointed out to them, would 
 follow him like sleuth-hounds. 
 
 He had communicated this idea both to Monsignor Tomei 
 and to Laura Verini, and they had urged him to. put it into 
 practice without delay. To Monsignor Tomei, indeed, the 
 plan had specially commended itself, and he had been able 
 to suggest an individual who might be trusted to ' shadow ' 
 a suspected person without fear of detection. 
 
 i At least/ the priest had observed, ( we shall find out 
 what this foreigner does with himself, even if we find out 
 nothing else. Foreigners are apt to go in search of very 
 strange adventures in Rome,' he added significantly, e and 
 more than one has lost his life under well, under cir- 
 cumstances into which his relatives found it advisable not 
 to insist upon too close an inquiry. We must find out his 
 tastes. It is tolerably sure that he will have tastes of some 
 kind or other/ 
 
 ' And if they turn out to be altogether harmless ? ' in- 
 quired Marco. 
 
 Monsignore slightly shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ' But they must not turn out to be harmless/ he said 
 briefly. 
 
 Marco Savelli smiled. 
 
 'I see,' he replied. f l had thought of that mysell It 
 is a good way/ 
 
226 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Oh/ returned Monsignor Tomei, ' it is a very good way. 
 I told you so before, Don Marco, if you remember/ 
 
 Diana Savelli's unexpected illness had to a certain extent 
 upset Marco's calculations, and this in a manner which 
 neither he nor Monsignor Tomei could have foreseen. There 
 was, indeed, every reason to believe that Diana would re- 
 cover from it. The reports from Palazzo San Rocco had 
 hitherto been favourable to this supposition; for the pe- 
 riods of fever had sensibly decreased, and, though it had 
 risen at night, Cardinal Savelli had been informed that on 
 the last two mornings his niece's temperature had scarcely 
 been above the normal thirty-seven degrees. The doctor, 
 however, would by no means admit all danger to be passed, 
 since there had been no signs as yet of anything like a crisis 
 having been overcome by his patient. The fever had not 
 yet had time to run its course, and, for another ten days at 
 least, the tendency to relapse, so common in typhoid, would 
 have to be carefully guarded against. 
 
 The extent to which Cardinal Savelli had been affected 
 by Diana's illness had first of all surprised and then 
 alarmed Marco. He had described it to Frau von Raben 
 as pathetic; but, as the days went on, he could not fail to 
 observe that his uncle was distressing himself more deeply 
 than Diana's comparatively satisfactory condition would 
 naturally account for. That this should be so perplexed 
 Marco considerably, and his perplexity gave way to- uneasi- 
 ness and alarm at certain remarks which his uncle more 
 than once let fall in the course of their conversation to- 
 gether about Diana. 
 
 It had almost seemed as if Cardinal Savelli were doubt- 
 ful in his own mind as to the justice of allowing his niece 
 to take the veil while she was as yet so ignorant of the world 
 she wished to renounce. More than once he recurred to the 
 subject of Diana's youth and beauty, to the happy life she 
 might have led in the world with a husband and children, 
 and he would sigh deeply, as though reproaching himself 
 for the part he had taken in encouraging her idea. 
 
 Marco had not failed to inform Monsignor Tomei of the 
 
DONNA DIANA 227 
 
 Cardinal's attitude, and he had at once seen that the former 
 was seriously impressed by what he heard. 
 
 'His Eminence is a man of impulses/ he said, shaking 
 his head. ( I have often noticed/ he continued, looking at 
 Marco furtively, ' that, in his case, the Prince of the Church 
 has not wholly absorbed the aristocrat of the world. It is 
 very natural. Your uncle has lived, Don Marco oh yes, he 
 has certainly lived in his time and the old instincts are 
 strong. After all, one can understand his regrets at Donna 
 Diana's decision, from a worldly point of view. Her beauty, 
 I am told, is marvellous, and it seems a pity that it should 
 be wasted/ 
 
 ' But we cannot venture to oppose the manifest will of 
 God/ said Marco. 
 
 ( Certainly not ! ' replied Monsignor Tomei, rubbing his 
 hands gently together as he spoke. 'Most certainly not! 
 His Eminence, however, will not need to be reminded of 
 that by us. His own sense of what is due to Almighty God 
 of what is due to the Church will cause him to banish 
 from his mind any worldly considerations regarding Donna 
 Diana. But I am glad you have mentioned this fact, Don 
 Marco. His Eminence sometimes does me the honour to 
 listen to my opinions, although I am only a humble priest. 
 It is possible that I may be able to calm his misgivings/ 
 
 e They will pass/ said Marco a little contemptuously. 
 ( Money considerations outweigh sentiment, in the long- 
 run. And you say, monsignore/ he added suddenly, e that 
 it would not be at all convenient to my uncle to produce 
 Donna Diana's capital.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei cleared his throat noisily, and then 
 took a liberal pinch of snuff. 
 
 ' No/ he said slowly, ' it would certainly not be conve- 
 nient. Indeed, I do not think His Eminence quite realizes 
 how inopportune it would be. He is careless about money 
 matters. There, again, his class and training assert them- 
 selves. Our Eomans of the aristocrazia have always con- 
 sidered it to be beneath their dignity to regard such 
 things.' 
 
228 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' I have never asked you why it would be inconvenient to 
 produce the money ? ' observed Marco Savelli. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked at him calmly. He had been 
 expecting the question for a question he felt it to be 
 for some time. 
 
 ' That is a matter I could not fully explain/ he answered, 
 ' without betraying His Eminence's confidence. I think, 
 however, that I may give you some idea of how the Cardinal 
 is situated strictly between ourselves, of course. Some 
 time ago indeed it is now some years ago His Emi- 
 nence, in his desire to prove a faithful steward of Donna 
 Diana's fortune, was prevailed upon to invest a portion of 
 it in securities at that moment returning a considerably 
 higher rate of interest than was being then obtained. He 
 was ill-advised very ill-advised. Payment of interest was 
 virtually suspended, and the shares owned by His Eminence 
 have long since become unsaleable. The money is not lost, 
 for there is every reason to believe that in a few years' time 
 it will prove to have been well invested. But, in the mean- 
 while, it is so much capital locked up. Your uncle natu- 
 rally reproaches himself for having been led into what 
 might be regarded as speculating with his ward's fortune ; 
 and I may say that, had I then been his adviser in such 
 matters, I should have dissuaded him from doing so. More 
 recently His Eminence was obliged to borrow from Donna 
 Diana's money for an object which is already well known 
 to you/ concluded Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 f Of course/ said Marco hurriedly. ' That was purely a 
 family matter; and my cousin, when the circumstances 
 were explained to her, was quite willing that a small sum 
 should be advanced from her fortune.' 
 
 ' The consent of a minor does not hold good/ observed 
 Monsignor Tomei ; ( but it was, as you say, a family affair. 
 Donna Diana, however, could, on attaining her majority, 
 legally demand the payment of her fortune intact plus the 
 interest accumulated during her minority were she dis- 
 posed to do so, or were others, acting on her behalf, to ad- 
 vance the claim. The question is: How could His Emi- 
 
DONNA DIANA 229 
 
 nence find a million and some hundred thousands of 
 francs ? And if he could not produce the sum, what would 
 be said ? ' 
 
 Marco Savelli hesitated for a moment or two before 
 replying. 
 
 ' There have been no other unfortunate investments 
 made., I suppose/ he asked, ' and no further money bor- 
 rowed from my cousin's capital than the sum we already 
 know of ? ' 
 
 The tones of his voice were full of suspicion, and he 
 looked at Monsignor Tomei searchingly. The latter re- 
 turned his gaze unflinchingly. 
 
 ' Most decidedly not/ he replied. ( I am surprised at 
 the suggestion, Don Marco/ 
 
 ' I did not know/ returned Marco somewhat confusedly. 
 i You say that my uncle is so careless about money matters 
 that he does not understand them, in short/ 
 
 ' If the money were not forthcoming/ pursued Mon- 
 signor Tomei, without noticing Marco's remark, ' people 
 would undoubtedly say that His Eminence had made away 
 with it a most unworthy suspicion, and one which His 
 Eminence would naturally make any sacrifice to avoid in- 
 curring. Happily, however, no sacrifice need be made on 
 your uncle's part save that of resigning himself to welcome 
 the destiny our Lord, in His wisdom, has allotted to Donna 
 Diana, if it be His will that she be restored to health/ 
 
 ' In fact/ said Marco, ' he must be shown that pecuniary 
 considerations, as I said just now, outweigh sentiment/ 
 
 His black eyes were fixed on Monsignor Tomei with an 
 expression in which a half-humorous contempt was scarcely 
 concealed, and the latter was conscious of it. Monsignor 
 Tomei was in error, however, in attributing this expression 
 to any disgust that Marco might feel at his dishonesty. It 
 was the contempt of the ex-seminarist for the hypocrisy of 
 the priest. 
 
 ' It is scarcely a pecuniary question/ Monsignor Tomei 
 said quietly ; ' but rather a question of honour, and honour, 
 at least, is of more importance than sentiment. Leaving 
 
230 DONNA DIANA 
 
 aside the spiritual aspect of the affair, His Eminence would 
 have no reason to fear any call being made upon him to 
 produce Donna Diana's capital by the time she attained 
 her majority. It would only be in the case of immediate 
 necessity to pay over that he would find himself embar- 
 rassed. And this immediate necessity, Don Marco, could 
 only arise in the event of marriage settlements having to 
 be made. Of course, if Donna Diana should choose to marry 
 a man sufficiently in love with her to waive all claim to 
 her fortune until she was of age, matters would be perfectly 
 simple so far as your uncle is concerned. But the spiritual 
 side of the question is very different. It would be a 
 grievous sin to throw obstacles in Donna Diana's way, as 
 she has elected to devote herself to religion.' 
 
 ' Quite so,' agreed Marco. ' The obstacles must, on the 
 contrary, be removed. I will be quite open with you, mon- 
 signore. There appear to me to be two obstacles: one of 
 them is this infernal foreigner, and the other, I begin to 
 suspect, will be my uncle's strange hesitation in continuing 
 to encourage Diana to pursue the path she has chosen. As 
 for the Englishman, of course, he wants her money, and, 
 as we know, it is to my brother Lino's interest to help him 
 to get it/ 
 
 ' It should not be difficult to dispose of the Englishman/ 
 observed Monsignor Tomei. ' Socially, if possible ; if not, 
 there are other ways/ 
 
 'But my uncle? If, in his present state of mind, he 
 thought Diana was in love, or even doubtful as to her voca- 
 tion, he might persuade himself that it was his duty to give 
 her opportunities of changing her intentions.' 
 
 ' My dear Don Marco,' replied Monsignor Tomei suavely, 
 'we must protect His Eminence from himself, by which 
 I mean that we must protect him from listening to the 
 dictates of his worldly nature, and remind him of his duty 
 as a Prince c4 the Church. I shall take an early oppor- 
 tunity of going to see him. Indeed, I must do so, for I 
 have several matters of business to discuss with him, among 
 others the proposals of this convent which it has been sug- 
 
DONNA DIANA 231 
 
 gested that Donna Diana Savelli should join. I think 
 you may safely leave me to deal with this obstacle. Of 
 course, you will not neglect opportunities you may have 
 of reasoning with His Eminence as to the spiritual risks 
 of interfering with anything so sacred as a young person's 
 vocation for religion. As to the other obstacle, I think 
 I may safely leave it to you to deal with. You will find 
 the man whose services I recommend thoroughly compe- 
 tent. He possesses,, moreover, a knowledge of the mala vita 
 of this misgoverned city that may be useful should it be- 
 come expedient to well, to compromise your brother's 
 friend. A little money may be necessary, but in Rome a 
 great deal can be accomplished for a hundred francs.' 
 
 Marco Savelli repeated the drift of this conversation 
 with Monsignor Tomei to Countess Verini. 
 
 'Of course Vane wants the girl's money/ she observed, 
 ' and he will get it too, what is left of it, unless you are 
 careful, Marco. It would be interesting to know how much 
 she really thinks of him, though what there is to think 
 about heaven only knows ! ' 
 
 6 You never liked him,' said Marco. 
 
 f I ! Imagine if I liked him ! A perfect bear ! One does 
 not expect good manners from English people, but I asked 
 him here to my evenings. He came twice, I think, or three 
 times ; and never came again. That is ridiculous when one 
 receives nearly every evening in the week. But you must 
 be cautious, Marco. He has many friends in Rome, and 
 Lino is more popular than you are.' 
 
 'How can Diana think much about him,' replied 
 Marco, ' unless, indeed, there has been something going on 
 which we know nothing about ? ' 
 
 * It is to be hoped she does think about him,' said Laura 
 Verini. 
 
 ( Why ? ' asked Marco wonderingly. ' That is just what 
 we want to prevent.' 
 
 Countess Verini smiled. 
 
 ' I always said you were dense,' she returned, e and you 
 don't understand women.' 
 
232 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Oh, I don't understand women. At all events, I under- 
 stand you, Laura/ 
 
 t Do you ? ' she asked, laughing. ' Then you are cleverer 
 than I thought. I do not understand myself. What 
 woman does ? As for your cousin Diana, it is to be hoped 
 that she thinks Vane a hero a demigod, if you will. The 
 higher the pedestal upon which she has set him in her 
 imagination, the more angry and disillusioned she will be 
 when he tumbles off it. And you must so arrange that 
 his fall shall be severe, Marco such a fall that it will not 
 be easy for him to pick himself up again. The girl will 
 be disgusted, and, what is perhaps of more importance, the 
 Cardinal will be cured of any sentimental ideas he may 
 have developed regarding her love affair/ 
 
 ( It will be quite interesting/ said Marco, with a short 
 laugh. 
 
 ' Of course, it will be interesting. It is generally interest- 
 ing to take away people's characters. In the present instance 
 it will also be profitable. But there is one thing which 
 rather puzzles me, Marco. Are you quite sure of Monsignor 
 Tomei ? Eemember that he is a priest. There are priests 
 and priests, of course, but we know the type to which Tomei 
 belongs. What guarantee have you that, while professing to 
 work for you, he may not be working against you ? ' 
 
 6 The man is a mascalzone' replied Marco. ' It has been 
 a mere question of making it worth his while. Promises 
 are cheap things to make, and when we have done with him 
 we can get rid of him. I know something about him. He 
 is scarcely in the odour of sanctity in Apostolic circles; 
 but he has been useful, so he is left alone/ 
 
 6 In what way useful ? ' asked Countess Verini. 
 
 ' He has a ready pen/ answered Marco, ' and has served 
 as a decoy oh, not for souls, but for soldi. Tomei is a 
 peasant nothing more nor less; but he has the peasant's 
 shrewdness, and has acquired a certain education that en- 
 ables him to appeal to his class. It is fortunate for the 
 Vatican that it has such servants. Men like Tomei can 
 so easily be disgraced and their services disowned when 
 they become too prominent/ 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 To Edmund Vane's intense relief, Lino Savelli returned 
 from Turin some days sooner than he had expected would 
 be the case. 
 
 Since he had first learned of Diana's illness, Edmund 
 had several times received news of her condition, and on 
 two occasions the old porter of the Palazzo San Rocco had 
 been the bearer. The latter had evidently been on the 
 watch for him, and had pursued the same tactics affect- 
 ing not to see him when Edmund passed through the piazza 
 opposite the palace, but following him until he had turned 
 down the narrow by-street beyond it. 
 
 The suspicion that his movements were being watched 
 had made Vane very careful as to his proceedings. The 
 day after Ersilia's letter to Lino had been consigned to him 
 by Antonio, he had passed the Palazzo San Rocco at the 
 same hour, keeping a keen watch to see if he were again 
 followed by the individual who had appeared to be ' shad- 
 owing ' him. He saw nothing of the latter, however, and, 
 to his satisfaction, Antonio was sitting at the gateway of 
 the palace evidently expecting that he should pass. 
 
 As the reports of Diana were fairly satisfactory, and it 
 was clear that her life was in no immediate danger, Edmund 
 had given Antonio his address, adding in a few hurried 
 words that it would be safer to communicate with him by 
 post, at any rate, until Don Michelangelo should return to 
 Rome. At the same time he had pressed into the old man's 
 hand a couple of banknotes of a hundred francs each, bid- 
 ding him give one of them to Ersilia and retain the other 
 for himself. 
 
 For the last few days Edmund had heard nothing. Be- 
 coming uneasy in his mind, he had several times bent his 
 
 233 
 
234: DONNA DIANA 
 
 steps in the direction of the Palazzo San Rocco, and had 
 lingered for as long as he dared in the immediate vicinity. 
 But Antonio had always been invisible, and Edmund was 
 fain to content himself with the thought that no news was 
 probably good news. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois, indeed, had undertaken to try to 
 find out the truth about Donna Diana Savelli's illness, but 
 even he had been able to gather no particulars beyond the 
 fact, generally known in the houses he visited, that Princess 
 San Rocco's niece was suffering from a mild attack of 
 typhoid fever. As Diana was only known to the Roman 
 world by reputation as being singularly lovely and very 
 devote, nobody took any great interest in her illness. Prob- 
 ably nobody would have taken any at all were it not for the 
 gossip which had circulated concerning Vane's alleged at- 
 tempt to secure her affections. The disseminators of this 
 gossip, however, had, according to Monsieur de Villebois, 
 somewhat defeated their own ends by insisting too much 
 upon Diana Savelli's contemptuous indifference to any- 
 thing so worldly as love. A few people, certainly, had been 
 roused to virtuous indignation by the insinuation that 
 Michelangelo Savelli's English friend had bribed him to 
 second his attempts to induce Diana to renounce the cloister 
 for matrimony ; but these were for the most part the profes- 
 sionally pious, or elderly ladies nourishing a secret passion 
 for a favourite confessor, and ever ready, therefore, to 
 exercise the gift of tongues in defence of the Church. The 
 majority smiled, and talked of Diana Savelli's dot, while 
 the cynical contented themselves with observing that Lino 
 Savelli and his friend were fighting the priests over a girl's 
 money; the odds were largely in favour of the priests. 
 
 A letter Vane had received from Lino, in which the latter 
 announced that he would return to Rome in a few days' 
 time, determined him to wait patiently without attempting 
 to learn any further details from the Palazzo San Rocco. 
 
 One thing at least afforded Edmund a certain degree of 
 satisfaction. He had never again beheld the individual 
 whom he had suspected of dogging his footsteps. He had 
 
DONNA DIANA 235 
 
 walked about as usual, by night as well as by day, but 
 though he had been constantly on his guard, nothing had 
 occurred further to arouse his suspicions. He had finally 
 dismissed the matter from his mind as a mere coincidence ; 
 nor did he even remember to mention it to Lino Savelli 
 when the latter, immediately upon his return to Rome, came 
 to see him. 
 
 Vane gathered from Lino that he had heard twice from 
 Princess San Rocco after Diana had been taken ill, the 
 second letter being merely to tell him that as his cousin 
 was going on so well, and the typhoid fever was of so mild 
 a character, she should not write again. Prince San Rocco 
 had also written to his nephew a rare occurrence, and one 
 that caused Lino some surprise. It was evident to him, 
 from the tone of the latter epistle, that the Prince was not 
 entirely satisfied about Diana.. He did not dwell much 
 upon her illness, and clearly regarded it as not affording 
 cause for more anxiety than any attack of typhoid, however 
 slight, must necessarily give. But Lino, who knew his 
 uncle well, was able to read between the lines of his letter, 
 and to gather that he had some misgivings in his mind as 
 to whether or not Diana were really as happy and contented 
 in her mind as she was declared to be. 
 
 The Prince's language was guarded enough. No men- 
 tion of Vane, or allusion to him, occurred in the letter, 
 but more than once the writer expressed his doubts as to 
 whether his niece's desire to enter a convent were not some- 
 what unnatural in a girl of her age and temperament, and 
 whether she would not have been happier fulfilling the or- 
 dinary duties of a woman's life. 
 
 Lino had smiled to himself as he read this. It was ex- 
 actly what he had suggested 'to his uncle when Diana re- 
 turned from the Sacre Coaur. He wondered what had taken 
 place since he had been at Palazzo San Rocco to cause the 
 Prince to admit the possibility of a cloistered life being 
 an unnatural state of existence for a young girl. Had 
 Diana's meeting with Vane produced a more rapid change 
 in her sentiments than he and. Eddie had ever dared ex- 
 
236 DONNA DIANA 
 
 pect or even to hope ? This was what Lino longed to ascer- 
 tain, though, unless he could see Diana herself, there was 
 little chance of his being able to do so. 
 
 His uncle's letter, however, would give him an excellent 
 excuse for going to the Palazzo San Rocco, since at the end 
 of it the Prince expressed a wish that he would come to 
 see him as soon as he returned to Rome. Lino showed the 
 letter to Vane, who, naturally enough, urged him to lose 
 no time in going to see its writer. 
 
 ( Find out all you can for me/ Edmund said to him 
 earnestly. ' Perhaps/ he added, ' you will see Donna 
 Diana/ and he paused hesitatingly. 
 
 Lino smiled. 
 
 ' Be assured that I will do all I can, Eddie/ he replied. 
 ' I may not be allowed' to see Diana, but, at any rate, I shall 
 see my Uncle San Rocco. I am convinced that something 
 must have happened to make him write like this. As long 
 as he thought Diana was contented with her choice, he 
 would hold his tongue, for, as I have told you, we do not 
 interfere with our women folk in their religious ideas. To 
 do so would bring the priests about our ears, and there 
 would very quickly be domestic storms brewed in the 
 sacristy teapots. My uncle is very well aware of this, and 
 he likes a quiet life/ 
 
 'But he would not tolerate Donna Diana being led to 
 take such a step as she proposes without being convinced 
 that it was her absolute desire?' asked Vane. 
 
 ' I am sure that he would not/ answered Lino quickly. 
 ( My uncle is fond of Diana, and, besides, he is a galan- 
 tuomo. Any suspicion of coercion or of undue influence 
 being brought to bear on her would make him furious, so, 
 I am convinced, it would my aunt/ 
 
 Vane looked doubtful, and did not reply, while Lino, 
 who, like most Italians, was quick to read expressions of 
 countenance, continued : 
 
 ' My aunt, to be sure, would scarcely credit the possibility 
 of such a thing, and neither of them are very acute observ- 
 ers of human nature. It would probably never strike them 
 
DONNA DIANA 237' 
 
 that Diana's enthusiasm for the convent might be the result 
 of suggestion. My aunt, at least, would naturally prefer 
 to believe it to be the effect of divine inspiration/ 
 
 ' And the Prince ? ' asked Edmund. 
 
 ' Oh, he would find it more convenient to believe the 
 same story. He would probably never trouble himself to 
 dispute it, unless something occurred to open his eyes very 
 wide indeed/ 
 
 'But what can have occurred even partially to have 
 opened his eyes?' demanded Vane. 'Your uncle's letter 
 implies a doubt as to Donna Diana's happiness. The ques- 
 tion is, What has given him this doubt ? ' 
 
 e Of that I know as much, or as little, as you do,' replied 
 Lino. 'But I hope to find out. I have my suspicions as 
 to what may have happened, certainly.' 
 
 ' And what are they ? ' asked Edmund quickly. 
 
 ' My dear Eddie, I am not going to tell you,' said Lino 
 smiling ' not yet, at all events. And now tell me some- 
 thing of Rome, and what you have been doing since I left. 
 Have you seen much of your friend, De Villebois ? ' 
 
 ' More of him than anybody else,' replied Vane. ' As 
 for what Rome has been doing, I do not think there is 
 anything new to tell you about that. If I am to believe De 
 Villebois, it has been telling lies.' 
 
 Lino Savelli laughed. 
 
 'You are right,' he said; 'there is nothing new about 
 that. It is many years now since a Roman asked what truth 
 was. He never got an answer, by the way. But the sav- 
 ing grace of a Roman lie is that nobody believes it except, 
 perhaps, old English ladies in the Via Gregoriana.' 
 
 ' Don't jeer at my compatriots, Lino ! ' said Vane. 
 
 ' I don't spare my own, so it is all fair,' returned Lino. 
 ' And they really are funny, you know, your old ladies, with 
 their caps, and their pet monsignori whom they feed dur- 
 ing the winter, and their odd ideas about Italy and the 
 Italians! I remember being presented to one of them: 
 Lady Merton ? was that her name ? Oh la, la ! I was in 
 uniform, and she looked at me as though I were a serpent, 
 
238 DONNA DIANA 
 
 then she asked me why we held reviews on Sundays, and 
 asserted that we did so in order to prevent our soldiers from 
 going to Mass/ 
 
 Vane laughed. 
 
 ( You must not judge us by Lady Merton and her pious 
 coterie/ he said. ( I must admit they are peculiar, and 
 their piety occasionally causes them to forget their man- 
 ners. It is strange how seldom very holy people have a 
 sense of humour.' 
 
 6 And what is the latest Eoman story?' asked Lino. 
 
 Edmund glanced at him for a moment before replying. 
 
 ' Well,' he said, ' it regards you and me, Lino. Kidicu- 
 lous nonsense, of course; and as you declare that nobody 
 believes lies in Eome, though a good many people tell 
 them, it is of very little importance. It has been said 
 that I have made it worth your while to help me to obtain 
 Donna Diana's affection.' 
 
 Lino Savelli looked at him with astonishment. 
 
 ' Made it worth my while ? ' he repeated. ' What do 
 you mean, Eddie?' 
 
 ' Simply that in consideration of a sum of money which 
 I am to pay to you when I have secured your cousin and 
 her dot or which has been paid for, of course, there 
 are two versions of the story you have agreed to do all 
 in your power to turn Donna Diana from her resolution 
 to enter religion. It is an honourable transaction, is it 
 not ? ' Vane added, with a quiet laugh. 
 
 Lino uttered an exclamation of contempt, and his eyes 
 gleamed with anger. He bore a strange likeness at that 
 moment, Edmund thought, to his cousin Diana. He threw 
 up his head haughtily, as Vane had seen Diana do more 
 than once. 
 
 ' Honourable? Oh yes, no doubt it is honourable 
 according to the conception of honour existing among 
 those who have started the story. What do you expect 
 from that canaglia?' 
 
 'But how do you know who started it?' inquired Ed- 
 mund. 
 
DONNA DIANA 239 
 
 Lino Savelli turned sharply towards him. 
 
 ' Do you not know ? ' he asked abruptly. 
 
 <De Villebois told me the story. He declares that 
 Countess Verini has spread it/ 
 
 ' Countess Verini ? Why do you not say my brother 
 Marco at once, Eddie? It is the same thing/ 
 
 ' It does not signify who started it,' said Vane. ' No- 
 body who knows you or me will believe it. But I thought 
 I had better tell you, all the same/ 
 
 He spoke quietly, with all an Englishman's indiffer- 
 ence; the more so, perhaps, because he saw that Lino was 
 angry. 
 
 ' You did well to tell me/ said Lino. * This lie has been 
 spread abroad by my brother's friends. Oh, you do not 
 yet know Eorae ! Those who cross swords with the priests 
 must expect to be stabbed in the back. What you have told 
 me explains many things. I always suspected that it was 
 Diana's money they wanted, and now I am sure of it/ 
 
 ' But neither you nor I have offended the priests/ said 
 Vane ; ( and, even if we had, I do not see how your brother 
 could be concerned/ 
 
 ' Do you not ? Have you forgotten that the Cardinal is 
 Diana's guardian ? Marco, who is more clerical than many 
 priests, lives not only with him but on him, as we know. 
 Those who are working through both Marco and my uncle 
 are afraid of you, Eddie, and they hope by damaging my 
 reputation to damage yours also/ 
 
 6 But who are these people? ' asked Edmund, ' and what 
 influence can they have over Cardinal Savelli ? I can un- 
 derstand, of course, that your brother may be under various 
 influences, but the Cardinal ' 
 
 'You do not understand us, Eddie,' interrupted Lino 
 Savelli. 'I do not want to abuse my own race, but our 
 defect is love of money. All races have their defects, of 
 course, but this is certainly the most prominent with us. 
 And the worst of it is that we are apt to be unscrupulous 
 as to how we satisfy that love/ 
 
 ' There are exceptions,' said Vane, with a smile. 
 
240 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Certainly there are exceptions thousands of them, and 
 the longer you live with us the more of them you will find 
 especially among Romans. But have you never observed 
 that, whereas the first instinct of an Englishman is to 
 trust a compatriot, the first instinct of an Italian is to 
 distrust another Italian in any matter in which money is 
 concerned? That is very remarkable, and it is also in- 
 structive/ 
 
 'As you ask me, I confess I have noticed it/ said 
 Edmund ; ' and I have noticed, also, that one Italian often 
 appears scarcely to wonder at or resent the suspicions of 
 another.' 
 
 { He frequently takes them as a compliment to his intel- 
 ligence/ answered Lino dryly. 'But/ he added with a 
 sigh, fc ' we should be a greater nation than we are were we 
 able to trust each other, for then others would trust us. 
 However, do not let us discuss these things. You say 
 that you do not see how you and I have crossed swords 
 with the priests. Well, I have always done so, because 
 I cannot pretend to believe in all they teach when I don't 
 believe in it; and though I respect the Church, I detest 
 the Vatican. You have lived long enough with us to 
 realize how distinct the two have become in the eyes of 
 every thinking Italian whose mind is free from hereditary 
 superstitions/ 
 
 ' And I ? ' asked Edmund. ' How have I crossed swords 
 with them? The Church does not inspire me with the 
 same respect as I entertained for her before I came to 
 Rome that is certain. How could it be otherwise? But 
 I do not like to think about it, and still less to discuss it, 
 except, perhaps, with you. Therefore, as I do not talk 
 about it, how can I have offended the priests?' 
 
 'By falling in love with Diana/ replied Lino curtly. 
 ' They have watched their beautiful peach ripening Diana 
 really does resemble a ripe peach, by the way for so 
 long, and preserved it so carefully from harm, that you 
 cannot wonder if they are annoyed at a greedy bird having 
 got under the net/ 
 
DONNA DIANA 241 
 
 ' And angry with the person who let the bird in/ added 
 Vane, smiling. 
 
 ' Exactly, Eddie ! And, therefore, the usual tactics have 
 been resorted to. " Calomniez toujours. II en restera 
 ton jours quelque chose " is the battle-cry of the clerical 
 party, as many would-be reformers, and many honest, 
 patriotic priests have learned to their cost.' 
 
 ' They dare not touch you, Lino/ said Vane ; ' and it 
 is not worth their while to touch me. As for their tongues, 
 so far as I am concerned, they may use them as long as 
 they like.' 
 
 ' They are not very likely to use any other weapons to 
 harm us/ returned Lino. i But with Diana ' 
 
 Edmund started and looked at him with a horrified 
 expression. 
 
 ' Diana ! ' he exclaimed. ' Good God, Lino ! What do 
 you mean? You cannot suspect.'" 
 
 Lino Savelli laid his hand upon his friend's shoulder. 
 
 ' Gently, Eddie ! ' he interposed quietly. ' I apprehend 
 nothing. But Diana's illness has been very sudden and 
 we Romans are suspicious of sudden illnesses, you know.' 
 
 ' But who who ' stammered Vane, and then his lips 
 
 refused to utter another syllable. He felt as though sud- 
 denly transported into past centuries, and wondered dully 
 how it came to be that Lino and he were discussing such 
 hideous possibilities as were unfolded by the latter's words. 
 If any such horror were possible had ever been possible 
 in Christian Rome, the dwelling-place of the Vicar of 
 God, then indeed was Rome a terrible city, and the insti- 
 tution which defended itself by such means an institution 
 founded not in Christ, but in the nethermost depths of 
 hell. 
 
 Vane's apartments overlooked grounds belonging to the 
 Villa Medici, and from his sitting-room he could see across 
 a wide expanse of Campagna to Soracte far away on the 
 northern horizon. It was evening, and the cool, rose- 
 scented air floated gently in through the open windows 
 close to which he and Lino were talking. From the city, 
 
242 DONNA DIANA 
 
 of which only a small part was visible, rose the soft notes 
 of church-bells for it was the hour of the Ave Maria. 
 A deep crimson glow behind Monte Mario showed where 
 the sun had set, and the dome of St. Peter's, purple-hued, 
 loomed out solemn and majestic against the summer sky. 
 In the rose-gardens below, the nightingales were holding 
 a tournament of song, fire-flies were beginning to gleam 
 among the dark foliage, and the merry swifts chased each 
 other with shrill screams high up in the blue air overhead. 
 
 Vane gazed at the scene below him for some moments 
 without speaking. Then he laughed uneasily. 
 
 ' It is absurd, Lino ! ' he said at length. ' Look ! ' he 
 added. ' Is it not beautiful your Eome ? Is there place 
 in it for devils? We are no longer in the dark ages, and 
 educated people do not murder each other for trifles/ 
 
 He looked at Lino Savelli curiously, and looking, he 
 wondered with a slight shiver how it was that this young 
 Roman, so modern in his ideas, so unlike the generality 
 of his class in his wide interests and manly energy, should 
 yet believe that such deeds as those he had hinted at were 
 possible in a European capital in the twentieth century. 
 
 'A million of francs is not a trifle/ observed Lino 
 Savelli quietly. ' Do not misunderstand me, Eddie/ he 
 continued. ' I do not say that I suspect Diana's illness 
 to have been caused by artificial means; but I confess 
 that I was alarmed when I heard she had developed this 
 fever. In fact, to be open with you, I felt so uneasy that 
 with great difficulty I obtained leave to return to Rome 
 before our manoeuvres were over, on the plea of urgent 
 private affairs. Diana, thank God ! is better, and does not 
 seem to have been in danger, so far as we know. But 
 neither you nor I have heard anything of her for nearly a 
 week, and this makes me anxious. I shall go to Palazzo 
 San Rocco, this evening, late, for then I shall be sure to 
 find my uncle alone in his own room. I shall ask him 
 if he heard this damnable story that De Villebois tells you 
 has been circulated. It will open his eyes to the fact that, 
 with some object or another in view, intrigues are being 
 
DONNA DIANA 243 
 
 carried on regarding Diana's future. Most probably he 
 will have heard nothing of it. He does not go into the 
 world; besides, nobody would like to tell him. And it will 
 make the old fellow extremely angry, Eddie I can 
 promise you that ! ' added Lino, with obvious satisfaction. 
 ' My uncle San Rocco is very lazy, and he does not care 
 much about anything but his whist and his dinner; but 
 he is proud, and can be grand seigneur enough when he 
 chooses/ 
 
 6 1 don't see what you can do, Lino/ said Vane thought- 
 fully. 'You see/ he added, 'it is rather an awkward 
 business. You cannot say much to Prince San Eocco 
 without in a manner compromising the Cardinal and your 
 brother. The intriguing, if there really is any intriguing, 
 must, after all, proceed from them/ 
 
 Lino Savelli looked straight into his eyes with the frank, 
 loyal glance that had so attracted Edmund towards him 
 when they had first known each other in the wilds of 
 Abyssinia. 
 
 * The Cardinal/ he said briefly, * is a fool ! An exag- 
 gerated idea of his position has been his misfortune. They 
 are like children, the majority of our Roman Princes of 
 the Church who are " resident in the City." What would 
 you have ? The atmosphere of ecclesiastical Rome is heavy 
 stagnant stunting to all intellectual growth. Which 
 of your great writers was it who said it was only on the 
 summit of St. Peter's that one emerged from the malaria 
 hanging round its base or words to that effect? Macau- 
 lay, was it not? Ah, I wonder if he knew how true his 
 simile is how much more true to-day than when he wrote 
 it? Yes, my uncle the Cardinal is, with all due respect, 
 a fool. But I do not believe that he is anything worse. 
 He belongs to the old order, for which the world has no 
 further need, thank God! But he cannot realize that he 
 and his kind are an anachronism with his mental train- 
 ing and surroundings, how could he do so? Fortunately 
 for the Church and for the world there are men even in 
 the Sacred College who recognise that Christ entrusted 
 
344 DONNA DIANA 
 
 the Church with a loftier mission than that of extracting 
 money from the pockets of the ignorant and the supersti- 
 tious, to further the financial and political speculations 
 of the Vatican and of certain so-called religious congre- 
 gations which stand behind the Vatican/ 
 
 Vane smiled. 
 
 'You say it is fortunate for the world that there are 
 these men/ he remarked. ' So you admit the Church to 
 be a power for good in the world/ 
 
 ' Of course I admit it ! ? exclaimed Lino impatiently. 
 ' Besides/ he added, ' do you suppose that I, an Italian, 
 wish to see the Eoman Church deprived of her spiritual 
 power? It is precisely this power which, especially to 
 us Eomans, forms a link between our present and our past. 
 We cannot afford to break it. But we are drifting away 
 from our subject, Eddie. I do not suspect the Cardinal 
 of consciously influencing Diana, or of consciously in- 
 triguing to prevent any change in her sentiments/ 
 
 ' Then whom do you suspect ? ? asked Vane. 
 
 1 Those who are able to influence him/ replied Lino. 
 ' Do you recollect/ he continued, ' what I said just now 
 about the particular defect of my country-people? Well, 
 the fact that Diana has a considerable sum of money does 
 not convey much to you, but you may be sure that others 
 are not careless as to what becomes of a million or so of 
 francs/ 
 
 ' But if her fortune is to go to a convent, who would 
 be the better off for encouraging her to place it there ? ' 
 insisted Vane. 
 
 Lino Savelli glanced at him. 
 
 ' My dear Eddie/ he replied gravely, ( I would not say 
 this to anybody in the world except to you, but I can 
 conceive that somebody might be better off by doing so. 
 Let us consider for a moment. What has been said in 
 order to account for my supposed anxiety to see you mar- 
 ried to Diana, and who has said it? It is asserted that 
 you made it worth my while bribed me, in short/ 
 
 < It is so utterly absurd ! ' said Edmund. 
 
DONNA DIANA 245 
 
 ' Altro ! ' But the person, or persons, who started this 
 story must have done so under the impression that it was 
 probable enough to be believed. Shall we say that they 
 imputed to us a porcheria that they were in reality com- 
 mitting themselves?' 
 
 Vane made a gesture of disgust and incredulity. 
 
 c For heaven's sake, don't say so to me, Lino ! ' he ex- 
 claimed. 'Remember your remark when I told you that 
 Countess Verini was responsible for the story. And the 
 other well, he is your brother.' 
 
 Lino looked at him again, and the light of a great 
 affection shone in his dark blue eyes. 
 
 ' Yes,' he said slowly, * he is my brother ; but you 
 you are more to me than he is, Eddie. Do you think I 
 have forgotten? I told you once that I should never for- 
 get, and we Savelli we keep our word. As for Marco ' 
 he burst out suddenly 'he is no Savelli! He left his 
 manhood behind him in his seminary.' 
 
 Edmund was silent; indeed, he did not know how to 
 reply to the other's outbreak of indignation and contempt. 
 Nothing, moreover, seemed to him to be of any con- 
 sequence in comparison with the horrible doubt that Lino 
 had expressed as to the origin of Diana's illness. The 
 very thought that Lino could for a moment have seriously 
 entertained such a suspicion sickened him, for he knew 
 that, quick-tempered and impetuous as the latter might 
 be in trifles, his judgment was cool and clear enough in 
 the more serious details of life. 
 
 ' But, Lino,' he said, after a pause, during which Savelli 
 puffed savagely at his cigarette, 'never mind all these 
 things now. If your cousin doesn't choose to go into a 
 convent, they can't put her there by force; and perhaps 
 she has begun to have other ideas though I hardly dare 
 to hope it. But for God's sake, put the terrible thought 
 out of my mind that this illness of hers is not natural. 
 You don't suspect ' 
 
 ' That Marco would lend himself to such a horrible in- 
 trigue?' interrupted Lino. 
 
246 DONNA DIANA 
 
 6 Yes, that is what I meant to say/ returned Edmund ; 
 'but it seemed too impossible to say it to you.' 
 
 'No/ continued Lino, 'I don't. There would be no 
 object in his doing so. I don't believe Marco would be 
 such a villain. But I suspect that there are others who 
 might think Diana could be more easily influenced in 
 illness than in health. Cupidity and religious fanaticism 
 together have employed strange means before now where- 
 by to gain their ends. The educated shrug their shoul- 
 ders, and declare that such things exist only in the imag- 
 ination of the people; but sometimes the people know. 
 The truth is told quite as often in the porter's lodges of 
 Kome as in the drawing-rooms above them, perhaps more 
 often. However, now I must go to the club to get some 
 dinner. My last attempt at a meal was in the station 
 restaurant at Genoa, and if you have ever had the mis- 
 fortune to eat there, you will understand that the result 
 was very much the reverse of satisfactory. Afterwards 
 I will go to Palazzo San Kocco.' 
 
 'And shall I see you again this evening?' asked Vane. 
 
 'But of course! Come to my rooms between eleven 
 and twelve o'clock, and if I have not returned, wait for 
 me. I know you will not sleep until you have heard the 
 results of my visit/ concluded Lino, smiling. 
 
CHAPTEK XXI 
 
 CARDINAL SAVELLI was sitting alone in his study. The 
 windows of the room were shut, and the persiennes with- 
 out partly closed, admitting a cool, subdued light just 
 sufficient for the purposes of reading and writing. 
 
 It was a day of scirocco at the beginning of June. The 
 sky was heavy and leaden-coloured, and over the city the 
 dust-clouds hung in the air like a gray mist. Every now 
 and then a low, sullen roll of distant thunder broke the 
 heavy stillness ; or a sudden gust of hot wind, from which 
 all the life-giving oxygen seemed to have been extracted, 
 swept up from the south-east, raising little whirling col- 
 umns of dust from the pavements, and moaning round 
 the corners of the palaces and churches. 
 
 Men and beast alike felt the effect of the heavy, relax- 
 ing atmosphere, though the latter doubtless suffered from 
 it the more, owing to the irritability it engendered in their 
 owners. Fortunately for the nervous constitution of the 
 inhabitants of Eome, the scirocco blows more rarely in 
 spring and summer than in the autumn and winter 
 months; for a summer scirocco surely must have aided 
 the early Christian theologists to form their invention of 
 hell. Cardinal Savelli, like most Eomans, felt his nerves 
 affected by the African wind, but on this particular after- 
 noon it was not the scirocco alone that caused him to be 
 restless and uneasy, and weighed down with a sense of 
 impending misfortune. 
 
 For some weeks, indeed, the Cardinal's household had 
 noticed in him a certain nervousness and depression very 
 foreign to his usual demeanour. If these symptoms had 
 been noticeable before, they had undoubtedly become 
 much more accentuated since the illness of his niece, 
 Diana Savelli. 
 
 247 
 
248 DONNA DIANA 
 
 The anxiety he displayed on her behalf an anxiety 
 which Marco had described to Frau von Eaben as pathetic 
 had seemed to be scarcely decreased by the knowledge 
 that her illness was pursuing a favourable course. Not con- 
 tent with going in person to the Palazzo San Rocco, where 
 he would have long conversations both with the Princess 
 and with Frau von Raben, the Cardinal would send repeat- 
 edly for the latest news of his niece. Notwithstanding 
 all his anxiety, however, it struck Princess San Rocco as 
 curious that her brother had never asked to see Diana. 
 She had twice suggested his doing so, and on each occasion 
 Cardinal Savelli had decidedly negatived the proposal, say- 
 ing that the quieter Diana was kept the better, and that his 
 presence in her room could only excite her. 
 
 Princess San Rocco, as usual, came to the conclusion that 
 her brother was right, and thought very little more of the 
 matter. 
 
 Frau von Raben, however, had expressed herself, so far 
 as she ventured to do so to the Princess, as exceedingly sur- 
 prised at His Eminence's attitude. There was no reason, 
 she declared, why the Cardinal's presence should excite 
 Diana more than that of the Sister who was nursing her; 
 and at such a moment Diana should surely regard it as a 
 great privilege to receive a visit from a Prince of the Holy 
 Church. 
 
 As a matter of fact, Frau von Raben had been present on 
 the last occasion when the Princess had asked her brother 
 if he would not go to his niece's sick-room, and she had 
 wondered at the nervous fear he displayed lest Princess 
 San Rocco should press the subject. She could not under- 
 stand why, if Cardinal Savelli were so anxious about Diana, 
 he should seem to shrink from seeing her. Indeed, having 
 heard from Marco of the way in which his uncle had been 
 affected by Diana's illness, she had quite expected that the 
 Cardinal would be a constant visitor to the latter's bedside, 
 and had not hesitated to tell him how greatly she believed 
 Diana to be in need of spiritual consolation and advice. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli had learned many things concerning his 
 
DONXA DIANA 249 
 
 niece from Frau von Eaben's lips during his daily visits to 
 the Palazzo San Eocco after Diana had been taken ill. He 
 had questioned her very profoundly on certain delicate 
 points regarding Diana's character and temperament. Frau 
 von Raben had thoroughly enjoyed, not only the subject 
 under discussion, but also the opportunity of revealing to so 
 prominent a dignitary of the Church as Cardinal Savelli the 
 depth of the psychological researches and her insight into 
 human nature, as well as her capabilities of turning the re- 
 sults to good spiritual account. 
 
 She had duly told the Cardinal of her suspicions that 
 Diana was thinking more concerning the mysteries of carnal 
 love ihan of those of a spiritual passion, and had taken 
 care to impress upon him her reasons for believing that in 
 Diana's case this development of her bodily nature was due 
 to the curiosity concerning such matters excited in her mind 
 by Vane's admiration of her. Nor did Frau von Eaben 
 hesitate to describe to her attentive listener the symptoms 
 she had noticed in his niece, which, in her opinion, justi- 
 fied her suspicions, so far as delicacy would permit of their 
 description. 
 
 She had been careful, indeed, to prepare these discussions 
 by declaring to Cardinal Savelli that in entering upon them 
 with him she did so, as it were, in the sacred spirit of the 
 confessional. Such a declaration Frau von Eaben consid- 
 ered to be due to her own modesty. Moreover, she knew 
 by long experience that it facilitated conversation upon cer- 
 tain subjects in a marvellous manner. 
 
 She had been both puzzled and disappointed that, al- 
 though she had so clearly pointed out the critical state of 
 Diana's soul owing to the onslaughts made upon it by her 
 body, Cardinal Savelli did not seize the obvious opportunity 
 offered by the ailing condition of the one to impress upon 
 his niece the imminent danger in which she stood of losing 
 the other. 
 
 Whatever might be the Cardinal's motive in thus neglect- 
 ing so admirable an occasion to encourage Diana to re- 
 main firm in her resolve to enter religion, Frau von Eaben 
 
250 DONNA DIANA 
 
 was conscious of having done her best to fulfil her part of 
 the compact she had made with Marco Savelli, and indi- 
 rectly, as the latter had always given her to understand, 
 with the Cardinal himself. 
 
 On this day in early June, Cardinal Savelli had not left 
 his house since he had returned there from Palazzo San 
 Kocco, whither he had been hastily summoned at nine 
 o'clock that morning. On reaching the Via Monserrato he 
 had at once retired to his private room, after having de- 
 sired that no one not even Don Marco Savelli should be 
 admitted to it. 
 
 The Cardinal had been on the point of going to the 
 Palazzo San Rocco before entering upon his engagements 
 for the day, as had been his habit since his niece's illness, 
 when a messenger arrived from the Princess to say that 
 Diana had had a sudden and severe relapse, and that the 
 doctor had asked to have a consultation. Cardinal Savelli 
 lost no time in going to the Palazzo San Eocco, where he 
 found his brother-in-law and sister in a state of great dis- 
 tress and anxiety. It was quite true. Diana, they told him, 
 had suddenly become very excited while talking to Frau von 
 Raben the evening before. Her temperature had risen 
 rapidly, and she had been delirious for some hours during 
 the night, and still was so. 
 
 ' We did not send to you last night, Camillo,' the Princess 
 said to him, ' for we did not wish to disturb you/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sat down without speaking, and his 
 hands trembled. as he grasped the arms of the chair. Occu- 
 pied as she was with thinking of Diana, Princess San Rocco 
 suddenly found herself wondering why she had not noticed 
 before that her brother was aged, and that he looked worried 
 and ill. 
 
 ' But she was so much better/ he said slowly. ' You al- 
 ways assured me, Vittoria, that she would very soon be 
 well and now now she is going to die ! ' 
 
 ' God forbid ! 9 exclaimed the Princess. ' We should not 
 say that. It is a relapse, certainly, but in typhoid there are 
 often relapses.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 251 
 
 Cardinal Savelli appeared scarcely to heed her, 
 
 ( She is going to die/ he repeated, as if to himself, ' and 
 I 
 
 His head sank on to his breast, and he looked an old man. 
 His right hand, with the episcopal ring sparkling upon it, 
 gripped convulsively the gilded arm of his chair. Suddenly 
 he looked up. 
 
 ' But she must not die, Vittoria do you hear ? ' he ex- 
 claimed. ( It would be horrible horrible ! She must live. 
 What are the doctors for ? And she is young, too so 
 young ! ' 
 
 Prince San Rocco and his wife looked at him in surprise. 
 That the Cardinal had so deep an affection for Diana was 
 something of a revelation to them both. 
 
 The Princess was the first to break the silence that fol- 
 lowed her brother's words. 
 
 6 We must trust in God/ she said. ' After all, Camillo, 
 Diana belongs to Him; we must never forget that she has 
 belonged to Him in this world and even if ' and she 
 paused for a moment ' even if He were to take her spirit 
 now ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli shook his head. 
 
 ' So young ! ' he muttered. ' And I thought of every- 
 thing but this ! How could one know she would die, and 
 that there would be no time ' 
 
 Princess San Eocco interrupted him. 
 
 f But, Camillo/ she said, ' if it seems good to God to take 
 her, it will be the same as though she had given herself to 
 Him in this life. You mean that she will not have been 
 given time to fulfil her vocation. But God ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose to his feet with a gesture of uncon- 
 trollable impatience. 
 
 f God ! ' he said abruptly. ( Where does God enter ? I 
 was thinking oh, of other things, Vittoria. You must 
 not be astonished at what I say/ he added, becoming con- 
 scious of a look of amazement on his sister's face a look 
 which was reflected in that of Prince San Rocco. ' I am 
 upset/ Cardinal Savelli continued. ' It is shocking, this 
 
252 DONNA DIANA 
 
 relapse of Diana's, and unexpected yes, very unexpected. 
 She is so young, too, and life might have held so much for 
 her/ 
 
 Prince San Rocco got up from his chair and advanced 
 towards his brother-in-law. 
 
 ' Diavolo ! ' he exclaimed. ' You both of you talk as if 
 Diana were dead, when she is as much alive as you are! 
 Of course, the affair is serious very serious. But you 
 are quite right in one thing, Camillo she has youth 
 on her side, though what advantage youth will be to 
 her if she is only to be shut up in a convent, I cannot 
 imagine.' 
 
 ' Fabrizio ! ' interposed the Princess reprovingly ; ' this is 
 not a fitting moment to discuss so sacred a subject as 
 Diana's vocation.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at her. 
 
 ' Diana's vocation ? ' he repeated. ' Certainly it is not 
 the moment to discuss it ! There is plenty of time, Vittoria, 
 to think about Diana's vocation. I will go to her,' he added 
 suddenly. 
 
 Princess San Eocco started. 
 
 ' Oh no, Camillo ! ' she said hurriedly. ( You had better 
 not do so. It would be quite useless. She would not know 
 you, and she is terribly delirious, poor child! It would 
 only pain you to listen to her ravings, for Frau von Raben 
 tells me that sometimes they are ' 
 
 The Princess stopped in some embarrassment. It was 
 inconceivable, she thought, that her brother should wish to 
 see Diana now, as he had been unwilling to do so at a time 
 when he would have found her in her senses. 
 
 But Cardinal Savelli cut short her objections with a 
 wave of his hand. 
 
 ' I intend to see her,' he said quietly. ' If she is delirious, 
 she will probably not be aware of my presence. If she is 
 aware of it, and it makes her more excited, it is very easy 
 to leave her. Be so kind as to take me to her room, Vit- 
 toria/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli's manner and voice became suddenly 
 
DONNA DIANA 253 
 
 authoritative, and Princess San Kocco felt that she had no 
 choice but to obey him. 
 
 She led the way in silence to the rooms Diana was occu- 
 pying. The bedroom opened out of another apartment, in 
 which Frau von Raben was sitting, but the double doors 
 between the two rooms were open, and Diana's voice could 
 be plainly heard. 
 
 Frau von Eaben started to her feet in surprise when she 
 saw the Cardinal, and, advancing, took his hand, making at 
 the same time a low curtsey. 
 
 ( It is dreadful ! * she exclaimed with a sigh. ' I am 
 obliged to sit here, where Diana cannot see me, for my 
 presence in the next room seems to excite her terribly, and 
 she becomes quite violent. Sister Agnese and Ersilia are 
 with her, and the doctor has just gone. At eleven o'clock 
 he returns with Professor Vacelli, and they are to have a 
 consultation. Your Eminence is surely not going to see 
 her ? ' she added. 
 
 ' Yes/ said Cardinal Savelli quietly, e I am going to see 
 her/ 
 
 There was a pause, during which the Princess and Frau 
 von Raben looked at each other. 
 
 Suddenly Diana's voice rang out clear and strong from 
 the adjoining room. 
 
 ' Madame de Bonneval ! I want Madame de Bonneval 
 she will understand. Not that other woman, Ersilia do 
 you hear ? She brings things that look at me devils ! 
 They frighten me ! ' 
 
 They heard Ersilia trying to soothe her, and then Diana's 
 voice died away into low, fitful murmurs. 
 
 ' It is nothing but " Madame de Bonneval ! " " Madame 
 de Bonneval ! " the whole time,' whispered Frau von Raben. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at the Princess. 
 
 'Does she mean Madame de Bonneval of the Sacre 
 Cceur ? ' he asked. 
 
 ' Yes,' answered Princess San Rocco. ' She has always 
 asked for her ever since she has been ill though, of 
 course, when she was not delirious we could explain to 
 
354 DONNA DIANA 
 
 her that Madame de Bonneval would not be allowed to 
 come.' 
 
 The Cardinal was about to speak again when the sound 
 of Diana's voice checked him. 
 
 ' Why did they not tell me ? 9 she cried. ' She said that 
 it was all the same that God and the Madonna wanted 
 me for their Son. But it was not true do you hear, 
 Ersilia ? it was not true, I say ! Our Lord never looked 
 at me as he looked never told me that he wanted me. 
 And Lino, too Lino said he wanted me because men 
 wanted women good women and that all the rest was a 
 lie. And now he will not want me any more, for I told 
 him that I did not need any love but Christ's. It was 
 
 right to tell him that was it not, Ersilia? Only 
 
 Ah, if Madame de Bonneval would come, I could tell her 
 she would know. But not Frau von Raben. I will not 
 have Frau von Eaben. Promise me, Ersilia, that she shall 
 not come ! ' 
 
 She stopped abruptly. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli remained standing in the middle of the 
 room, his gaze fixed on the open doorway like one in a 
 trance, while Frau von Raben put her pocket handkerchief 
 to her eyes. 
 
 'Is it not awful horrible?' she said in a low voice. 
 ' What can have put such ideas into the poor child's head ? 
 There have been bad influences at work impure spirits.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli glanced at her, and, without speaking, 
 moved slowly towards the door of the bedroom. 
 
 ' Camillo ! ' exclaimed the Princess. ' You are not going 
 in without warning her? Let me fetch Ersilia, or Sister 
 Agnese : they can perhaps prepare her for seeing you/ 
 
 With a gesture that was almost imperious, the Cardinal 
 motioned her aside, and passed on in silence across the 
 threshold of his niece's sick-room. 
 
 Then he turned, .and noiselessly closed the double 
 folding - doors behind him, leaving his sister and Frau 
 von Raben gazing at one another in speechless bewilder- 
 ment. 
 
DONNA DIANA 255 
 
 Cardinal Savelli stood for a moment or two just inside 
 the doorway, looking at Diana in silence. Sister Agnese 
 was bending over the bed, arranging the pillows more com- 
 fortably for her patient, and Ersilia had her back turned 
 towards the door by which he had entered. Suddenly she 
 changed her position and saw him, but Cardinal Savelli 
 checked her exclamation of surprise by a rapid sign. Then 
 he advanced quietly, and sat down in a chair beside her, 
 a few feet away from the bedside. 
 
 ' Leave us/ he said in a low tone to Ersilia. ' Sister 
 Agnese can remain. No/ he added quickly, as Ersilia was 
 about to retire into the room he had just left. ' You can 
 stay in the corridor outside. If you are needed, Sister 
 Agnese will summon you/ and he pointed to the other 
 doorway. 
 
 Sister Agnese looked up but made no observation. She 
 quietly withdrew from the bedside, and stood in the shadow 
 of the curtains at its head. 
 
 Diana's quick ears had caught the sound of another voice 
 in the room, and she looked round wildly. Then her. gaze 
 fell on Cardinal Savelli's dark form sitting motionless 
 before her. Her eyes dilated, and she raised herself up 
 in the bed. 
 
 ' No ! ' she exclaimed ' no ! not that woman she is a 
 devil ! Take her away, Ersilia take her away, I say ! ' 
 
 ' Diana!' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli spoke her name in a low voice and one 
 that was infinitely gentle. 
 
 She looked at him fixedly for a moment or two. Then 
 she smiled. 
 
 ' You should not have come/ she said softly. ( It was 
 wrong of Lino to bring you. They would be so angry if 
 they knew. But I I am glad you have come again, for I 
 wanted to tell you I understand better now. It was she 
 Frau von Raben who lied to me. She made me think 
 of things of things that she said came with love. And, 
 oh, I will tell you ! ' Diana continued in low, hurried 
 tones. ' I thought of them, and then I cried to think of 
 
256 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Christ too as he told me. But I got confused. Christ 
 never came. But you came and now now * 
 
 6 Yes ? ' asked Cardinal Savelli gently. l And now, 
 Diana ? ' 
 
 ' Now I hate Christ ! It is terrible, is it not ? ' and she 
 leaned forward, gazing at the Cardinal with eager, earnest 
 eyes. 
 
 Sister Agnes started forward. 
 
 ' Hush, hush ! ' she exclaimed, in horrified accents, and 
 then she added, turning to the Cardinal : ' Your Eminence 
 must not take any heed of what she may say. It is unac- 
 countable, but when people are delirious they sometimes 
 talk of strange things, and use language they should never 
 have heard. It is so even with young girls/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli did not reply. Indeed, he showed no 
 sign of being conscious that she had spoken, but sat with 
 his eyes fixed upon Diana. 
 
 ' It is terrible, is it not ? ' the latter repeated, ' because, 
 you see, I am not good any more. And Lino said you 
 wanted me because I was good. But how can I be good 
 if I hate Christ?' 
 
 She was quite calm now, but in her eyes there shone the 
 light of a great anxiety. As Cardinal Savelli met their 
 gaze he turned his own away with a sharp exclamation that 
 was almost a cry of pain. 
 
 'But of course His Eminence wants you/ said Sister 
 Agnese soothingly, ( and he knows that you are good really, 
 and that it is the devil you hate not ' 
 
 Diana interrupted her as she hesitated. 
 
 ' No/ she muttered. ' It is Christ I hate, because they 
 
 want to make me love him like that like ' She 
 
 gave a sudden start, and pointed at the Cardinal. ' Who is 
 that ? ' she exclaimed fearfully. ' Why has he come here ? 
 Nobody is allowed in the gardens. Ersilia ! ' 
 
 The Cardinal rose from his chair and came forward to 
 the bed. Suddenly he tottered a little, and then he sank 
 on his knees by Diana's side, taking her hand between his 
 own. 
 
DONNA DIANA 257 
 
 * It is I, Diana your uncle Camillo/ he said in a hoarse 
 voice. 
 
 Diana passed her other hand across her -eyes. 
 
 ' I shall not change my mind/ she said wearily, ' but I 
 shall not forget. I am sorry, because if I had known if 
 
 they had told me But now I must ask Madame de 
 
 Bonneval, for she will be able to help me. She will tell 
 me why it is that I can only remember your look your 
 voice when I should be thinking of ' 
 
 6 Yes/ interrupted Cardinal Savelli hastily ' yes, Diana, 
 you shall ask Madame de Bonneval. She will explain every- 
 thing to you. But now you must not think of these things 
 any more. By-and-by, when you are better, Madame de 
 Bonneval shall come to you do you understand ? ' 
 
 Diana lay back on her pillows and smiled a little. 
 
 6 Yes/ she said quietly. f She will know. You see, I 
 want to be good, but I don't want God to be angry if if 
 I cannot love Him/ 
 
 ' He will not be angry with you/ said Cardinal Savelli 
 very tenderly 'not with you/ he added, as if to him- 
 self. 
 
 Diana sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose slowly from his knees. Bending 
 over Diana, he made the sign of the cross on her brow 
 and touched it with his lips. 
 
 And, as he raised himself again, Sister Agnese, looking 
 in his face, saw that it was wet with tears. 
 
 ' Your Eminence must not be unduly alarmed/ she ven- 
 tured to say to him. 'Donna Diana has a relapse, it is 
 true; but there is no reason why she should not get over 
 it, for up to the present there are no complications/ 
 
 e And what has caused this relapse ? ' the Cardinal asked. 
 
 The Sister hesitated. 
 
 ' It is a feature of the illness/ she replied. ' An unex- 
 pected relapse such as this is always liable to occur in 
 typhoid. But Donna Diana, in my opinion, has not been 
 kept sufficiently quiet. Your Eminence will have noticed 
 the dislike she has formed for that German lady. It is 
 
258 DONNA DIANA 
 
 very unreasonable, of course, but the ideas of fever patients 
 have to be humoured/ 
 
 ' I understand/ said Cardinal Savelli briefly. ' You must 
 use your authority/ he added, ' to prevent Fran von Raben 
 from entering this room/ 
 
 'Her presence certainly has a very bad effect/ replied 
 Sister Agnese. 'Your Eminence's visit, on the contrary, 
 has calmed Donna Diana. One would almost think she had 
 expected you, though I have never heard her ask for you. 
 It has always been this Madame de Bonneval for whom 
 she has called/ 
 
 ' She shall see Madame de Bonneval, if it is possible/ 
 returned Cardinal Savelli. .' I will endeavour to arrange it. 
 In the meantime/ he added markedly, ' it is my wish that 
 Frau von Raben shall not be admitted to my niece's room. 
 You quite understand me, Sister?' 
 
 Sister Agnese bowed. 
 
 f Perfectly, your Eminence/ she replied ; ' but the Prin- 
 cess ' 
 
 f I will explain to the Princess why I have given this 
 order/ said the Cardinal, a little impatiently. ' And, as 
 Donna Diana's guardian, my orders must be obeyed. Has 
 she asked for anyone else ? ' he inquired suddenly. 
 
 ' She has talked of someone some man she wishes to 
 see again/ answered Sister Agnese ; ' but I could not under- 
 stand to whom she was alluding, for sometimes the person 
 seemed to be a friend of hers, and sometimes ' 
 
 She paused confusedly. 
 
 'Yes?' asked Cardinal Savelli. 'And sometimes?' 
 
 Sister Agnese hesitated. 
 
 'Your Eminence heard what she said/ she continued. 
 'It was shocking incredible ; but she will not be held 
 responsible for her words, poor child ! Sometimes it seemed 
 as though the person she desired to see were a person she 
 had known, and sometimes as though he were our Blessed 
 Lord Himself. But now that your Eminence has been/ 
 she continued, ' of course, it is clear that it was you she 
 expected to see, only her poor brain was confused/ 
 
DONNA DIANA 259 
 
 Cardinal Savelli glanced at her with a strange expres- 
 sion on his face, but he made no reply. Almost mechani- 
 cally he extended his hand for the sister to kiss, and then, 
 after turning for a moment to look at Diana, who was still 
 lying quietly with closed eyes, he left the room by the 
 same folding-doors as those by which he had entered it, 
 pausing again to shut them carefully behind him. 
 
 Princess San Eocco and Frau von Raben rose from their 
 chairs as Cardinal Savelli emerged from Diana's room, and 
 looked at him anxiously. The Princess, indeed, became 
 very pale, for she saw traces of emotion on her brother's 
 face such as she had seldom or never seen in his usually 
 calm and somewhat immobile features. 
 
 ( She is worse, Camillo ? ' she asked in a low voice. ( It 
 would have been better to wait till the doctor returns before 
 paying your visit to her/ 
 
 6 Your Eminence has found it very painful, I fear/ said 
 Frau von Raben. ' She was fairly quiet, I trust, and said 
 nothing in her delirium to grieve or shock you ? ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked beyond her at his sister. 
 
 ( Vittoria/ he said quietly, ' I think that we need not 
 detain Frau von Raben. These domestic troubles ' 
 
 Frau von Raben' s sallow face flushed angrily. 
 
 ' Of course/ she said stiffly, ' if your Eminence desires 
 to be alone with the Princess, I will return to Diana's room, 
 where I may be wanted. Perhaps, now that she has seen 
 his Eminence, she may be more reasonable, and not object 
 to my presence.' 
 
 She was already moving towards the door, when the 
 Cardinal's voice arrested her. 
 
 ' No ! ' he exclaimed brusquely. ' My niece's condition 
 is not improved by your being near her, madame. Do you 
 understand it is not improved?' And he looked mean- 
 ingly towards the door at the opposite end of the apart- 
 ment. 
 
 Frau von Raben gazed at him in astonishment for a 
 moment, and then she put her handkerchief again to her 
 eyes. 
 
260 DONNA DIANA 
 
 e But, Camillo,' interposed the Princess, ' Frau von Raben 
 has been so devoted to Diana. It is hard upon her to be 
 excluded from her room/ 
 
 ' Basta, Vittoria ! ' exclaimed Cardinal Savelli impet- 
 uously. ( Is Diana my ward, or is she not ? ' 
 
 Princess San Rocco was silent, and Frau von Raben 
 hastily left the room. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli paced up and down for some moments 
 without speaking. Presently he turned to his sister and 
 said hesitatingly : 
 
 ' You think I am unfair to Frau von Raben, do you not, 
 Vittoria?' 
 
 ' Well, yes, Camillo, I do not think you understand. She 
 is such a pious woman so devoted to our holy religion. 
 Decidedly, the devotion of converts should make us, who 
 have been born in the faith, ashamed of our indifference. 
 Besides, Frau von Raben is really attached to Diana. She 
 has prayed so earnestly for the child that nothing should 
 cause her to fall away from her vocation. And, since Diana 
 has been ill, she has had Masses said, and burned, oh, a 
 great many candles more than ten francs' worth, I think 
 she says for her recovery. It is very touching. Yes, I 
 think it is hard upon her, Camillo, and she will regard it 
 as unjust/ 
 
 The Cardinal listened without interrupting her. Then 
 he said, as though speaking to himself: 
 
 { Unjust? Ah yes, I have been unjust an unjust 
 steward.' Then he checked himself abruptly. ' I have 
 thought lately that perhaps it is Diana to whom we have 
 been unjust, Vittoria you I all of us,' he added. 
 
 Princess San Rocco stared at him. 
 
 ( I don't know what you mean,' she replied. ' God has 
 seen fit to give her a vocation.' 
 
 'Yes,' interrupted Cardinal Savelli, 'but he also saw 
 fit to make her a woman.' 
 
 ( Of course. But what has that to do with it ? It is 
 only very recently that Diana's mind has appeared to be 
 upset. ' I had not noticed anything myself ; but Frau 
 
DONNA DIANA 261 
 
 von Eaben is very shrewd in such matters, and she tells 
 me ' 
 
 e What does she tell you ? ' asked the Cardinal. 
 
 ' Oh, that she sees signs of well, really, Camillo, you 
 may imagine what I mean of ideas in Diana's mind 
 which are unfitting in a girl who is practically dedicated 
 to to such a life in this world as shall win for her that 
 special crown reserved in the next for ' 
 
 6 Exactly ! ' exclaimed Cardinal Savelli. ( And it is for 
 this very reason that I will not permit Diana's mind to be 
 disturbed. At least, in this I will be just to the child, at 
 whatever cost to myself/ 
 
 ' But I do not understand, Camillo/ said the Princess. 
 
 ' No, you do not understand. But it must be as I say. 
 Diana must be left absolutely free soul and body for we 
 must be just to her body as well. She does not wish to see 
 Frau von Eaben, and she shall not see her/ 
 
 ' She sent for her yesterday/ said the Princess. 
 
 c Yes, and to-day she is worse than she has ever been. 
 Her relapse is due as much to illness of the mind as of the 
 body probably more so.' 
 
 ( How can you know ? ' objected Princess San Eocco, 
 who was beyond measure astonished and puzzled by her 
 brother's attitude. 
 
 ' I do know it does not matter how. For the present, 
 at any rate, she shall not see Frau von Eaben. On that I 
 insist, Vittoria. She shall, however, see this lady from 
 the Sacre Cosur.' 
 
 e Madame de Bonneval? But it is impossible! She 
 would not be allowed to come.' 
 
 ' Exceptions are sometimes made/ said Cardinal Savelli. 
 e At least/ he added, ' I shall use all the influence that may 
 be left to me to induce the Mother Superior to grant leave 
 for Madame de Bonneval to do so/ 
 
 Princess San Eocco looked at her brother in silence. 
 That something had occurred to move him very deeply 
 she could not but see, and she wondered what had passed 
 during the quarter of an hour that he had been with 
 
262 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Diana. Ersilia would tell her, she thought; for she knew 
 that it would be useless to ask Sister Agnese. The latter, 
 with true professional reticence, confined herself strictly 
 to the technical details of her patient's malady, and ap- 
 peared to be both blind and deaf to anything else. 
 
 Princess San Rocco was not a little shocked, as well as 
 surprised. Diana's vocation had been a very real thing 
 to her, and she had never questioned its origin. 
 
 That her brother, a Prince of the Church, should even 
 permit himself a doubt as to its sanctity was quite beyond 
 her comprehension. 
 
 e You have been upset by her ravings, Camillo,' she said. 
 ' Frau von Raben has been terribly distressed at things 
 she has said. She has talked about well, about love; as 
 if she could know what it is ! But you should not regard 
 it. Sister Agnese does not pay the slightest attention, for 
 she has had so much experience of fever. I told you that 
 it was a mistake your going to see her now. You should 
 have gone when she was herself, and then you could have 
 spoken to her and reminded her of her duties to Almighty 
 God/ 
 
 'I?' exclaimed the Cardinal bitterly. 
 
 6 Certainly, Camillo ! Who should speak to her on such 
 subjects with more authority than yourself?' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli turned away from his sister abruptly. 
 
 e I am going home, Vittoria,' he said. ' I want to be 
 alone to think, to pray if it is not too late to pray. You 
 will let me know at once the result of the doctors' con- 
 sultation, and what Vacelli says. And if Diana should 
 be worse if there should be danger you will send for 
 me. Sister Agnese has had my orders, and on no pretext 
 is Frau von Raben to be admitted to Diana's room.' 
 
 ' Of course, Camillo, your wishes must be obeyed in 
 everything that affects Diana,' returned Princess San 
 Rocco. ' But I think you are attaching too much import- 
 ance to what she says in her delirium.' 
 
 The Cardinal made no response, and his countenance 
 assumed the fixed,, anxious expression that the Princess 
 
DONNA DIANA 263 
 
 had noticed when he had first reached the Palazzo San 
 Rocco after hearing of Diana's relapse. 
 
 He walked slowly from the room, and through the draw- 
 ing-rooms of the palace to the ante-camera, where his serv- 
 ant was in waiting. The Princess accompanied him to 
 the entrance-door, and stood for a moment watching him 
 with a mingled expression of wonder and anxiety on her 
 face, as he descended the great staircase to his carnage. 
 
 ' Camillo is certainly very unlike himself/ she thought. 
 e Who could have believed that he would suddenly develop 
 these doubts as to Diana's vocation? He must be fonder 
 of her than we knew, for her illness has certainly upset 
 him strangely. It is very curious.' 
 
 And then Princess San Kocco fell to thinking how she 
 should soothe Frau von Eaben's wounded feelings. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE silence in Cardinal Savelli's study was as that of a 
 death-chamber. Only the sound of the wind beating in 
 fretful gusts against the closed windows broke it, and the 
 measured ticking of a Louis Quatorze clock standing on 
 a handsome lacquered bracket above the doorway. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli was seated at his writing-table,, gazing 
 absently at a pile of letters and circulars lying untouched 
 before him. Besides this mass of unopened correspond- 
 ence lay his scarlet skull-cap, and every now and then he 
 wiped his brow with his handkerchief, as though oppressed 
 by the heaviness, of the atmosphere even inside the cool 
 and darkened apartment. 
 
 The result of the doctors' consultation at the Palazzo 
 San Rocco had reached him. The well-known physician 
 whom the doctor attending Diana had summoned had 
 agreed with his colleague that, though her fever was high, 
 Donna Diana Savelli was in no immediate danger; and 
 that unless complications, hitherto non-existent, should 
 arise, there was no reason why she should not get over 
 her relapse which, indeed, was probably the crisis of the 
 illness. 
 
 So far, the news was reassuring; but the anxiety which 
 Cardinal Savelli had felt as to whether his niece was about 
 to succumb to her malady, though diminished, could not 
 be set at rest until the fever should abate and the crisis 
 be considered as overcome. 
 
 The Cardinal's face looked gray and haggard in the 
 dim light that came through the closed persiennes. Some- 
 times he sighed heavily, and occasionally he would rise 
 from his chair to walk restlessly about the room, as though 
 seeking relief in motion from the tyranny of his thoughts. 
 
 264 
 
DONNA DIANA 265 
 
 Monsignor Tomei had been right when he described 
 Cardinal Savelli as a man of impulses; and he had also 
 been correct in his opinion that the Cardinal was quite 
 as much under the influence of the hereditary traditions 
 of the Eoman aristocrat as of those appertaining to his 
 ecclesiastical rank and dignity. 
 
 Like his eldest brother, Prince Savelli, the Cardinal 
 had been accustomed to have but one idea as to the use 
 of his money namely, that the latter should be employed 
 to maintain, in a fitting way, his dignity as a member of 
 the Savelli family. 
 
 For many years Cardinal Savelli had found no diffi- 
 culty in borrowing money, more especially since he had 
 allowed Monsignor Tomei to negotiate for him. In Kome, 
 as elsewhere, there are always men of good brains ready 
 to find money for men of good blood to squander; and 
 ready, moreover, to encourage the latter to squander it. 
 
 The Cardinal had realized only comparatively recently 
 that there could be any difficulty in finding money when 
 a Savelli needed it, and the discovery had come to him as 
 a disagreeable surprise. Of late, too, Monsignor Tomei 
 had pointed out to him, with some insistence, the fact that 
 a very large proportion of his yearly income was swallowed 
 up by the interest he was paying upon the various sums 
 he had borrowed. A shrewder man of business than Car- 
 dinal Savelli would have foreseen this state of affairs; 
 but the Cardinal had. merely contented himself with in- 
 forming Monsignor Tomei from time to time that he was 
 in want of ready money, and the latter had procured it 
 for him. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli, indeed, found himself in the position 
 of a man who, walking carelessly on his way, suddenly 
 becomes conscious of a precipice yawning beneath his feet. 
 He had drawn back in horror and alarm, only to find that 
 retreat was blocked by his own want of forethought. His 
 liabilities met him on every side; and whereas Monsignor 
 Tomei had been in the habit of affecting to regard their 
 future settlement as a comparatively simple affair, he 
 
266 DONNA DIANA 
 
 now lost no opportunity of impressing upon the Cardinal 
 the perils of the financial impasse in which the latter 
 found himself. There was one way, Monsignor Tomei 
 had assured him, and one way only, out of this impasse, 
 and this was, of course, retreat. If, as Cardinal Savelli 
 had remarked bitterly, retreat was blocked by past follies, 
 the capital so Monsignor Tomei declared still in the 
 Cardinal's hands, must be judiciously employed to open 
 it out Donna Diana's fortune, which would not be called 
 up for some six years, if he, Monsignor Tomei, were em- 
 powered to arrange the matter. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei had been in little doubt as to the 
 result of what was to all intents and purposes an ultima- 
 tum carefully prepared by Marco Savelli and himself. 
 Year by year the net had been drawn closer, and the prey 
 could scarcely escape entanglement in its meshes. 
 
 There were certain things, however, that Monsignor 
 Tomei had been incapable of foreseeing, and which had 
 therefore not entered into his calculations. The peasant, 
 shrewd and educated as he was, was a peasant still; and, 
 as such, had omitted to take into account the pride of the 
 gentleman, or to realize that, even though this pride might 
 have stooped to acts most derogatory, there was still likely 
 to be a limit to its powers of self-deception and self- 
 degradation. Marco Savelli might have realized it, in- 
 deed. But Marco Savelli belonged to the degenerate of 
 his order, in whom all sense of pride and honour seems 
 to be worn out and dead; to the type which may be seen 
 in the Corso on any afternoon, staring insolently at the 
 women driving past, and idling away the hours until it 
 is time to gamble at the clubs or enjoy the intellectual 
 delights of a Roman music-hall; to the type of those who 
 trade upon their ancestors' names and think it beneath 
 their dignity to gain their money honestly the class 
 which Italy must remodel or extirpate before she can reach 
 her glorious goal and emancipate herself entirely from 
 the demoralizing effects of centuries of priestly predom- 
 inance. 
 
DONNA DIANA 267 
 
 Cardinal Savelli's pride had revolted at this last step 
 which Monsignor Tomei had proposed to him. Already 
 he had suffered much none but he knew how much 
 from the knowledge that he had been an unjust steward. 
 And after self-reproach had come self-examination, and, 
 bitterest of all, self-condemnation. 
 
 Would he have been so confident that, as he had often 
 declared to his sister and to Diana herself, Almighty God 
 was calling the latter, and had chosen her to be one of 
 those who should hereafter receive the glorious crown of 
 virginity, had this Divine call not coincided so admirably 
 with his own interests? 
 
 As long as his niece was a child it had been easier for 
 Cardinal Savelli to deceive himself. That it was only 
 self-deception grew ever more apparent as Diana's gracious 
 womanhood unfolded itself. But he had nourished this 
 self-deception, and clung to it until he had almost come 
 to believe in its genuineness. It might be, he had told 
 himself again and again, that God had indeed willed that 
 this girl should never know the joys of human love that 
 she had been reserved from her birth for that higher love, 
 concerning the joys of which so many holy men and women 
 had discoursed and written. 
 
 Possibly Cardinal Savelli had in his time enjoyed 
 greater facilities for comparing the merits of material and 
 spiritual love than had fallen to the lot of at least some 
 among the holy people aforesaid. However this might 
 be, it is certain that as Diana grew older the pity of the 
 thing had appealed to him more and more forcibly, and 
 the natural sympathies of the man in Cardinal Savelli 
 had warred with the artificial theories of the ecclesiastic. 
 
 And now he found himself brought face to face with 
 a terrible choice. If he had almost succeeded in persuad- 
 ing himself that Diana was possessed of a nature different 
 from that of the majority of girls of her age, the doubts 
 that lingered in his mind as to the legitimacy of such 
 a conclusion had in the last few weeks asserted them- 
 selves with ever-increasing persistence. He had shrunk 
 
268 DONNA DIANA 
 
 from exposing himself to any definite confirmation of 
 these doubts, well aware of the precipice which such a 
 confirmation would disclose before him. 
 
 And to-day, impelled by his fear that Diana's life was 
 in danger, he had stood by her bedside and listened to 
 her words those words which for others were but the in- 
 consequent wandering of a fever-stricken mind, but which 
 for him were pregnant with significance, and laden with 
 reproaches all the more bitter because so unconsciously 
 and so innocently uttered. 
 
 As Cardinal Savelli paced up and down his darkened 
 study, it seemed to him as though he were not alone as 
 though he could not be alone. If only the voices that 
 whispered suggestions in his ear would leave him in peace 
 to think out his own thoughts! Diana should not be 
 wronged more than he had already wronged her. As to 
 this, Cardinal Savelli had made up his mind in the brief 
 moment when he had bent over her and signed the sign 
 of the Cross on her brow. He saw it as it was now the 
 girl's pretended vocation; and knew it to be no call from 
 God bidding her stultify His own creation, but the effect 
 of suggestion acting, at the most impressionable age, upon 
 an impressionable and devotional mind. 
 
 That this nature was stirring in Diana the words she 
 had spoken in his presence left him convinced. The Car- 
 dinal had no doubt, moreover, as to whom it was who 
 had caused it to stir. Except her own near relatives, 
 Diana had seen no man but his nephew Michelangelo's 
 English friend, and the latter had not concealed the fact 
 that he was in love with her. Well, this Mr. Yane was 
 a Catholic, nobly born in his own country, and therefore 
 fit to marry a daughter of Casa Savelli. 
 
 And then other voices would whisper to Cardinal Sa- 
 velli, telling him of the ruin that was staring him in the 
 face, the dishonour that must assuredly overtake him if 
 he were called upon to render an account of his steward- 
 ship. If this Englishman wished to marry Diana, and 
 she had begun to reciprocate his love, there was nothing 
 
DONNA DIANA 269 
 
 but Diana's supposed vocation standing between them 
 nothing but this vocation standing between him and finan- 
 cial ruin and moral disaster. 
 
 He had acted, to be sure, by Itfonsignor Tomei' s advice 
 when he had withdrawn a hundred thousand francs from 
 Diana's capital to replace the sum he had been obliged 
 to use belonging to the Credit Bank, of which he was an 
 honoured director. But he had done this as much to 
 prevent a scandal which would injure the Church as to 
 protect his own good name. And there were other smaller 
 sums that he had withdrawn from time to time sums of 
 which Tomei knew nothing, besides the money he had 
 paid away to meet his nephew Marco's losses in specula- 
 tion on the Bourse. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli groaned aloud. The temptation was 
 too strong; the price he would have to pay for listening 
 to the voice of his conscience and obeying the impulses 
 that had overwhelmed him when he knelt at Diana's bed- 
 side was too heavy. He had but to continue to regard 
 Diana's vocation as genuine, and the influences which had 
 hitherto surrounded her would continue their work also. 
 How varied and how subtle these influences were he well 
 knew. It would not be difficult to persuade Diana that 
 she was risking the safety of her soul by listening to the 
 dictates of her earthly nature. And then then he would 
 be saved! For six or seven years, according to the ar- 
 rangement which Monsignor Tomei had proposed, he could 
 not be called upon to pay over more than a comparatively 
 insignificant portion of Diana's fortune. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose from the chair into which he had 
 cast himself while trying to battle with his conflicting 
 thoughts, and walked slowly towards a door at the end 
 of the room, partially concealed by a heavy portiere. 
 Beyond it was his private chapel where he said Mass every 
 morning, on the altar of which the Blessed Sacrament 
 was reserved. He had said mass that morning also, and 
 had prayed honestly and sincerely, not only for Diana's 
 recovery, but also that he might be given strength and 
 
270 DONNA DIANA 
 
 opportunity to repair the injury he had done her. He 
 had prayed, too, that he might be given strength to tri- 
 umph over the temptation to act in his own interests 
 regarding her taking the veil, and that he might be clearly 
 shown how far he had been biassed by these interests in 
 his readiness to believe in the genuineness of her vocation 
 for the cloister. 
 
 His prayer had been answered more fully and more 
 speedily than he had anticipated; for he had barely con- 
 cluded Mass that morning, and afterwards taken his usual 
 breakfast of a cup of black coffee and a small roll, when 
 he had been summoned to the Palazzo San Rocco. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli drew the portiere aside and rolled the 
 sliding-door behind it back into the wall. The chapel 
 was merely a small square room which had been adapted 
 to its sacred use. A few chairs and a prie-dieu covered 
 with crimson velvet placed in front of the altar formed 
 its furniture, and its only ornament, save those on the 
 altar itself, was a Madonna hanging above the latter, a 
 painting which had been sent as a gift to the Cardinal 
 from Spain shortly after his elevation to the purple. 
 
 The chapel was almost in darkness; only the light 
 coming through the open door illumined it, and the faint 
 glow from the red lamp burning in front of the tabernacle 
 on the altar. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli advanced to the prie-dieu before the 
 altar, and, kneeling down, covered his face with his hands. 
 A quarter of an hour passed, and still he remained there, 
 silent and motionless save for an occasional sigh. Pres- 
 ently a slight noise behind him caused him to raise his 
 head and look round. His nephew Marco Savelli stood 
 in the doorway looking at him. 
 
 Marco! Ah, yes, he had forgotten Marco. At least, 
 here was one of his family in whom he could confide, 
 whom he had always treated more as a son than a nephew, 
 and for whose sake, indeed, he had first stifled the scru- 
 ples of his conscience and encroached upon the money that 
 he held in trust for Diana. Marco would understand the 
 
DONNA DIANA 
 
 position in which he found himself, and at any rate he 
 could talk to him more freely concerning their family 
 affairs than he could do to Monsignor Tomei, who, with 
 all his astuteness, was an inferior. 
 
 The Cardinal rose from his knees and approached his 
 nephew. 
 
 ' You have heard about Diana ? ' he said in a low voice, 
 as they left the chapel together and Marco drew the slid- 
 ing door back into its place. ' I was praying for her/ 
 he added ' for her, and ' 
 
 Marco Savelli looked at him, and a slight expression of 
 contempt passed over his face. 
 
 6 Yes, I have heard/ he replied briefly. ' It is very 
 unfortunate; but at present there appears to be no im- 
 mediate danger. Diana is young and healthy; she will 
 most probably get over this relapse. You have seen her 
 this morning ? ' he added suddenly. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked surprised. 
 
 6 Yes/ he answered, * I have seen her ; but how do you 
 know ? ' 
 
 Marco Savelli shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ' Hearing that you had been sent for so hastily/ he said, 
 ' I went to Palazzo San Eocco to inquire, and there I heard 
 that you were with Diana. Of course,. the whole house- 
 hold knew you had gone to her room.' 
 
 ' Yes/ said Cardinal Savelli hesitatingly. ' It was very 
 painful. The poor child was delirious, Marco.' 
 
 His nephew looked at him sharply. 
 
 e Ah ! ' he exclaimed, f they told me she had been very 
 delirious all night. But it is not worth while to attach 
 any importance to what people say when they are in that 
 state. I suppose she did not recognise you?' he added. 
 
 ( No/ replied the Cardinal gravely ; ' that was the pain- 
 ful part of it. She did not recognise me, but took me 
 for somebody else. First of all she thought I was Frau 
 
 von Eaben, and then she took me for ' and he paused, 
 
 looking at Marco doubtfully. 
 
 ' For whom ? ? asked the latter. 
 
272 DONNA DIANA 
 
 'Well/ continued Cardinal Savelli a little hurriedly, 
 'I think you should know, Marco. I fear we have all 
 been very much mistaken concerning Diana. Your brother 
 Lino has had more penetration than any of us. Diana 
 believed that I was somebody else some man who must 
 evidently have succeeded in arousing her interest, if not 
 something stronger than interest. We can guess without 
 much difficulty who this individual is likely to be.' 
 
 'Yes/ replied Marco, and his voice became loud and 
 angry, ' we can guess very easily. It is fortunate that we 
 are able to do so, because we can save Diana from falling 
 into the clutches of a fortune-hunter a foreigner who, 
 on the pretence of having done some mysterious service 
 to Lino when the latter was little more than an inex- 
 perienced boy, has succeeded in worming himself into an 
 acquaintanceship with our family. If you knew as much 
 about the fellow as I have learned lately, you would sooner 
 see Diana in her grave than a victim to his designs.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli started. 
 
 ' What do you mean, Marco ? ' he asked. 
 
 f Mean ? ' repeated Marco Savelli excitedly. e Why, that 
 the man is an animale ! If I have not said anything about 
 him before, it was because I believed that Diana was suf- 
 ficiently well guarded to be out of his reach, and, more- 
 over, I did not wish to draw attention to the fact that 
 Lino chooses his friends among such canaglia. I know 
 something of the habits of this Vane, uncle/ he continued. 
 e They are well, of a nature not to be inquired into too 
 closely, if one may believe what one hears. Besides, all 
 Rome suspects that there has been some arrangement 
 between him and Lino that he has some hold over Lino 
 which obliges the latter to help him in his schemes con- 
 cerning Diana.' 
 
 * Yes, yes/ said Cardinal Savelli ; ' I have heard some- 
 thing of this. Tomei told me there was such a rumour 
 afloat, and, unfortunately, some colour is lent to it by 
 the fact that Lino's debts, which Tomei declares wore 
 considerable, appear to have been mysteriously paid.' 
 
DONNA DIANA 273 
 
 ' All Kome, as I say, has been talking about it/ returned 
 Marco. 'I am even told,' he added, 'that bets have been 
 made as to whether this Englishman would succeed in 
 getting hold of Diana and her dot! 
 
 Cardinal Savelli's face flushed angrily. 
 
 ' It is a new thing for the women of our house to be 
 made subjects for wagers/ he said. ( But how have you 
 learned what you tell me about Vane ? ' he added. ' If 
 he is a mauvais sujet, he is certainly not to be considered 
 in connection with Diana/ 
 
 ' There are stories about him in Home/ replied Marco 
 ' unpleasant stories. Of course, you do not hear them, 
 for you do not come across people who would be likely to 
 know them. I should advise you to ask Tomei ; he could 
 tell you more than I can, for he seems to have sources of 
 information open to him in all quarters/ 
 
 ( Ah, Tomei ! ' observed Cardinal Savelli thoughtfully. 
 c Yes, Tomei is a very shrewd man of business; but in 
 this case, Marco, I should suspect him of being biassed.' 
 
 Marco darted a keen glance at his uncle. 
 
 ' Why should he be biassed ? ' he said. ' It can be noth- 
 ing to him what Vane's morals may be, any more than 
 it is to me. Less, indeed; for I am sorry, naturally, 
 that Lino has for an intimate friend a man who is not 
 well looked upon.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli was silent. He would have liked to 
 tell his nephew everything; how he had been led to draw 
 from Diana's capital in order to meet his own expenses 
 and protect his own reputation, and how difficult, nay, 
 impossible, it had become for him to act without Mon- 
 signor Tomei's co-operation and approval. He looked at 
 Marco half apologetically. 
 
 * Tomei thoroughly understands my financial position/ 
 he said presently. ' Unf ortunately, Marco, that position 
 is very far from being satisfactory, as you know. Tomei, 
 also, is very well aware in fact, he has explained it to 
 me only too clearly that, should Diana marry, or die, I 
 should be called upon to deliver up her fortune. You 
 
DONNA DIANA 
 
 know/ he continued hurriedly, 'that I withdrew a con- 
 siderable sum in order to help you at a very critical mo- 
 ment, Marco. I am not in a position at present to re- 
 place this sum.' 
 
 'I do not see how the fact can affect Tomei's opinion 
 of Vane/ said Marco. 
 
 ' Monsignor Tomei would not look favourably upon any 
 aspirant to Diana's hand/ replied Cardinal Savelli. ' He 
 is devoted to my interests. That is the reason why I 
 should not altogether trust his judgment concerning Mr. 
 Vane. You cannot expect sentiment from a man like 
 Tomei! But the question does not apply to Mr. Vane, 
 or to any particular individual who might happen to fall 
 in love with Diana. It is a matter of being just to Diana 
 herself. I fear that we have not been just to her that 
 we have not sufficiently taken into account the fact that 
 she is no longer a child, but a woman whose nature is 
 beginning to assert itself.' 
 
 'And you would allow nature to triumph over the call 
 of religion?' asked Marco dryly. 
 
 'I would leave her free/ answered Cardinal Savelli, 
 e absolutely free. We have not done so, Marco, and I re- 
 proach myself. Yes/ he added with a sigh, ' I reproach 
 myself, because I realize now that I have allowed myself 
 to be swayed by personal motives in encouraging Diana 
 to be satisfied that she had a vocation, and in impressing 
 upon her that she had no right to allow worldly things 
 to enter into her life. She has this right, otherwise Al- 
 mighty God would not have created her as she is.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli leaned forward in his chair and looked 
 at his nephew anxiously as he uttered these last words, 
 and Marco noticed that his face twitched nervously. 
 
 The Cardinal intended his words to be taken as a con- 
 fession of the dilemma he was in regarding Diana's for- 
 tune, Marco had no doubt. But he was convinced, also, 
 that it was but a half-confession, and that his uncle had 
 shrunk from disclosing his true position. It was true 
 that Monsignor Tomei, certainly, had never revealed more 
 
DONNA DIANA 275 
 
 to him than the Cardinal had just revealed, save only the 
 unfortunate investment of a portion of Diana's money 
 made years ago. Cardinal Savelli had not alluded to this, 
 but merely to the smaller sum used to assist his nephew 
 out of difficulties consequent upon unlucky speculations. 
 How much, Marco wondered, was there left unrevealed 
 that both his uncle and Monsignor Tomei were afraid 
 should come to his knowledge? 
 
 He had always suspected that there had been other sums 
 withdrawn from his cousin's capital than that employed 
 on his behalf, and he had felt certain that Monsignor To- 
 mei was aware of his suspicion, and had tried to remove 
 it by a pretence of frankness and confidence. 
 
 The present juncture, he said to himself, afforded a 
 very, good opportunity for ascertaining how far these sus- 
 picions were correct. The Cardinal was nervous and up- 
 set, evidently conscious of being face to face with a situa- 
 tion that might at any moment lead to his maladministra- 
 tion of Diana's money being discovered, ready to seek 
 other counsels than those of Monsignor Tomei, though 
 fearful of revealing the true extent of his difficulty. 
 
 It was, perhaps, characteristic of Marco Savelli to pass 
 over his uncle's professed scruples of conscience as to hav- 
 ing interfered with Diana's liberty of choice regarding 
 her future life with contemptuous scepticism. Two cir- 
 cumstances alone, Marco assured himself, had contributed 
 to Cardinal Savelli's change of attitude; namely, the dis- 
 covery that Diana might fall in love, had she not already 
 done so, and the fear lest she might die of her present 
 illness. As to the scruples of conscience, they were merely 
 born of a dread of being found out. 
 
 It was better policy, however, to affect to believe in 
 them, and after a pause, during which Cardinal Savelli 
 absently turned over the letters and circulars lying upon 
 his writing-table, he observed: 
 
 ' If leaving Diana free to choose is to entail her falling 
 a victim to a man like Vane, I should have thought no 
 self-reproaches for having tried to encourage her in choos- 
 
276 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ing a religious life were necessary. Of course, I under- 
 stand that you would never have wished to coerce her, but 
 there has not been any question of coercion. Her vocation 
 has been entirely spontaneous, and if this foreigner had 
 never turned up, she would not have been in danger of 
 losing it. But what makes you so sure that she is waver- 
 ing in her mind ? ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked up quickly. 
 
 ' I have suspected it for some time/ he said. ' Diana 
 has known that Mr. Vane admired her; if you remember, 
 Marco, her cousins laughed at her about it, and you were 
 angry.' 
 
 ' That is true ! ' exclaimed Marco. ' But how did you 
 know, uncle ? ' 
 
 ' Diana told me herself,' replied the Cardinal. ( I could 
 see that it had made a certain impression upon her. Frau 
 von Raben thinks it aroused her curiosity. And talking 
 of Frau von Eaben, Marco, I think that she has been a 
 misfortune to Diana. She is a very good woman, I have 
 no doubt, but she has too much zeal. The latter is the 
 failing of converts. They do a great deal of harm some- 
 times, through exercising it. Besides, Frau von Raben is 
 well exaltee. She studies sexual problems, and women 
 who do that should be married.' 
 
 Marco Savelli laughed. 
 
 ' I should imagine that it was more advisable, certainly,' 
 he remarked. 
 
 1 Diana has evidently taken a violent dislike to her,' 
 proceeded Cardinal Savelli. ' I do not wish to inquire 
 too deeply as to the reasons for this dislike, and of course 
 I am quite ready to attribute at least a part of it to the 
 effect of the illness; but for the present, at least, I have 
 thought it better to give directions that Frau von Raben 
 shall not have access to Diana.' 
 
 Marco made a slight exclamation of astonishment. 
 
 < But she is devoted to Diana ! ' he said. ' I think it is 
 very hard upon Frau von Raben. 7 
 
 Cardinal Savelli waved his hand. 
 
DONNA DIANA 277 
 
 ' I cannot help that/ he replied. ' I must be the judge 
 of what I consider best for Diana. Henceforth, Marco, 
 I wish the girl to be free, as I said before. Of course, 
 if Mr. Vane is unworthy of her, she must be persuaded 
 to think no more about him. But, having once thought 
 of a man, she will probably do so again/ he con- 
 cluded. 
 
 ( But how do you know she has thought about Vane ? ' 
 insisted Marco. 
 
 ' I know it from her remarks to-day when she was 
 delirious/ said Cardinal Savelli. ( It was very painful/" 
 he added ; ' she mistook me for him/ and he looked at 
 his nephew quickly. 
 
 ( She mistook you for him ! ' repeated Marco in amaze- 
 ment. ' And what did she say ? ' he continued eagerly. 
 
 The Cardinal sighed. 
 
 t It does not matter what she said/ he replied ; ' but it 
 was sufficient to give me a clue to the real state of her 
 mind sufficient, also, to show me how iniquitous it 
 would be to continue our course with regard to her sup- 
 posed vocation.' 
 
 Marco Savelli drew his chair a little closer to the writ- 
 ing-table. 
 
 ' So you intend to abandon that course ? ' he asked in a 
 low voice. ' You mean to allow Diana to fall a prey to 
 any man who wants a million of francs ? ' 
 
 ' You think of nothing but Diana's money/ said Car- 
 dinal Savelli irritably. t Many a man might wish to marry 
 her for other reasons than the fact of her having a dot 
 which, after all, is not so very large. You forget her 
 beauty and you forget her name/ he added, drawing 
 himself up. 
 
 ' No/ returned Marco ; e I do not forget her beauty, and 
 of course anybody might be glad to marry a Savelli. But 
 whoever marries her will want to see her fortune the 
 whole of her fortune, together with the interest that 
 should have accumulated during the years it has been in 
 trust. If I am thinking of Diana's money/ he continued, 
 
378 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ( I am doing so from the desire not to see you embarrassed 
 in any way. Tomei tells me ' 
 
 ' What does Tomei tell you ? ' interrupted the Cardinal 
 hastily. f Tomei has no business to speak about my affairs/ 
 
 ' If he has spoken about them/ proceeded Marco quietly, 
 ' he has done so because he is extremely concerned about 
 them, and probably thought that I might be of some use 
 in helping him to place them on a more satisfactory foot- 
 ing. Forgive me, Uncle Camillo, if I speak plainly. Mon- 
 signor Tomei has not concealed from me the fact that 
 you have at different times been compelled to borrow 
 money at a very high rate of interest. He has not con- 
 cealed from me either that the money you took from 
 Diana's fortune to meet the losses entailed upon me by 
 that scoundrel of a stock-broker's dishonesty is not the 
 only sum you have been obliged to withdraw from the 
 same source.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli started up from his chair and stood 
 looking imploringly at his nephew. 
 
 ' Tomei told you that ! ' he exclaimed, and his voice 
 trembled as he spoke. ' Tomei told you ! ' and then he 
 dropped into his chair again and sat gazing in front of 
 him with a rigid stare. 
 
 ( Yes/ said Marco, in smooth, level tones. ( Monsignor 
 Tomei told me. He told me more. He expressed himself 
 as afraid that there had been other sums withdrawn with- 
 out his knowledge, also that you had never been able to 
 find a market for certain shares bought some years ago 
 with a considerable part of Diana's capital, shares which 
 were supposed to be going to pay a good interest, but 
 which have paid none.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli interrupted him. The same fixed stare 
 was alway^ in his eyes. He did not turn his head as he 
 spoke, nor did the expression of his face alter. 
 
 ' What shares ? ' he asked dully. ' None of Diana's 
 money has been reinvested. It is all in the bank, which 
 pays three and a half per cent, interest upon it all, that 
 
DONNA DIANA 279 
 
 ' Ah ! 9 said Marco, ' I must have misunderstood Mon- 
 signor Tomei over this point. It does not signify; in- 
 deed, I am very glad that in this, at least, I am mis- 
 taken/ 
 
 'And the other sum, Marco/ returned the Cardinal 
 eagerly, ' I was compelled to to borrow it from Diana. 
 I had no other choice. As Tomei has told you, there is 
 no reason why I should conceal it from you. I should 
 have been disgraced, ruined, had I not been able to replace 
 the hundred thousand francs I borrowed from the Banco 
 Popolare. You know how suspicious they are at the Vat- 
 ican where money is concerned.' 
 
 ' Very naturally/ interposed Marco Savelli. 
 
 6 Oh, very naturally, of course. We have had so many 
 pecuniary scandals lately.' 
 
 ( Precisely/ said Marco significantly. ' It is all the 
 more necessary to prevent another from coming to light. 
 This is exactly what Tomei is afraid of.' 
 
 ( What do you mean, Marco ? ' asked Cardinal Savelli 
 hastily. 
 
 ' It is no time to waste words/ replied the latter ab- 
 ruptly. e Tomei is extremely uneasy as to what may oc- 
 cur in the near future. He has explained to me the very 
 perilous position into which you have drifted, and he has 
 suggested to you a way, the only way, out of it. Tomei 
 is not, as you say, a man to regard sentimentality, and 
 we cannot expect him to consider a girl's foolish dreams 
 concerning a man he knows to be addicted to very ques- 
 tionable pleasures. When Diana is in a convent, Uncle 
 Camillo, you will be safe. As long as she remains in the 
 world, you are exposed to well to very unpleasant risks. 
 That is Tomei's opinion, and it is also mine.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose from his chair and stood in front 
 of his nephew. The vacant stare had vanished from his 
 face, and in its place was a look of anger and contempt. 
 He drew himself up haughtily, and at that moment he 
 looked what birth had made him. 
 
 ' I have suffered enough from listening to Monsignor 
 
280 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Tomer's opinion/ he exclaimed. ' Cardinal Savelli may 
 have listened to a priest's counsels, but in this case Prince 
 Savelli will listen to his own. Do you understand me, 
 Marco? I will not be driven to commit this infamy, this 
 sacrilege. I, Camillo Savelli, the head of our house, will 
 not sacrifice my niece in order to save myself from the 
 consequences of what I have done. If I am to suffer scorn 
 and dishonour at the hands of men I will suffer them. 
 These are the risks from which you and Tomei profess a 
 desire to save me, but you do not hesitate to encourage 
 me to risk the everlasting anger of God, the dishonour of 
 self-contempt, the ceaseless torture of self-reproach/ 
 
 Marco SaveRi's manner changed instantly, and his voice 
 and attitude from being threatening became apologetic 
 and cringing. 
 
 This burst of outraged pride on the part of the Cardinal 
 was as embarrassing as it was unexpected. A moment 
 ago the latter had seemed to be crushed and impotent, a 
 man whose conscience had made a coward of him, and who 
 would seize, reluctantly, perhaps, but none the less cer- 
 tainly, at any chance offered to him of concealing his dis- 
 honour from the world. 
 
 'I had no idea that Diana's vocation was not perfectly 
 genuine/ Marco said quickly. ' Of course, had she con- 
 tinued in her determination to become a nun, it would 
 have been easier for you to have extricated yourself from 
 these difficulties without injuring her in any way. That 
 is what Monsignor Tomei hoped might be possible, and I 
 I could see no harm in hoping it also/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli shook his head. 
 
 'No/ he said, 'I cannot extricate myself not in that 
 way/ 
 
 The anger had faded from his face, and in its place had 
 come an expression of sadness. ' I did not mean to re- 
 proach you, Marco/ he continued gently, ' for I know that 
 you are only thinking of how you can best help me; but 
 you can understand. I have deceived myself too long, 
 and were I to continue to do so, it would no longer be 
 
DONNA DIANA 281 
 
 self-deception,, indeed, but cowardice. You could not urge 
 me to that. Tomei, perhaps, would not see it in the same 
 light, but Tomei is not- of our class, and I cannot stoop 
 to defend myself by the means he suggests.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli's voice was almost pleading in its tone, 
 and he looked at his nephew anxiously. The latter was 
 very much to him, and no father could have been more 
 indulgent to a son than he had been to Marco. His gen- 
 erosity to him had often, as he well knew, been greater 
 than his means had justified, and, after all, it had been 
 to benefit Marco that he had first commenced his encroach- 
 ments on the capital he held in trust for Diana. 
 
 How often had he since regretted that he had listened 
 to Monsignor Tomei's advice, and persuaded himself of 
 the legitimacy of employing Diana's money to save family 
 credit ! How bitterly had he deplored that, when temp- 
 tation came to save his own credit in the same way 
 as he had saved that of his nephew, he had so easily 
 allowed Monsignor Tomei to persuade him into yielding 
 to it! 
 
 Tomei was a good man of business the Cardinal had 
 told himself again and again of late but low-born, . and 
 his standard of honour was that of his order. But Marco 
 Marco was, like himself, a Savelli. Marco could realize 
 how, notwithstanding past weakness, past folly, his honour 
 had revolted at the final indignity which he had been 
 tempted to impose upon it. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli's gaze rested on his nephew anxiously, 
 but Marco maintained a moody silence. Presently the 
 Cardinal spoke again. 
 
 ( This Mr. Vane/ he said, as though struck by a sudden 
 thought, 'he has never been to see me, though I asked 
 him to do so. That was some months ago, however, be- 
 fore I had any idea that there could be anything between 
 him and Diana. If he is really in love with Diana, why 
 cannot he come to me as her guardian? It would be the 
 natural thing to do.' 
 
 Marco laughed scornfully. 
 
282 DONNA DIANA 
 
 'He dares not/ he said. 'Vane probably knows what 
 I think of him. Anyhow/ he added, ' the very fact of his 
 not having done so is proof that he is conducting his plans 
 in an underhand manner. Diana and he must have had 
 some opportunity of meeting unknown to any of us, and 
 he must have told her of his love.' 
 
 * Yes/ said Cardinal Savelli tranquilly, ' I should think 
 you were right as to their having met elsewhere than in 
 your aunt's drawing-rooms/ 
 
 ' And is not that a disgraceful thing ? ' exclaimed Marco. 
 ' What must a man be to place a young girl in such a 
 position ? ' 
 
 'I wish he would come to me/ said Cardinal Savelli 
 meditatively; 'it would make things easier.' 
 
 'But if he is a scoundrel?' burst out Marco hotly. 
 ' You surely would not give him so much encouragement, 
 Uncle Camillo! Whatever you may choose to decide as 
 to Diana's future, at least she should be protected from 
 this parasite of Lino's.' 
 
 'What you have heard about him may be untrue/ ob- 
 served the Cardinal. 'You know what Eome is. People 
 are always ready to spread ill-natured reports. I shall 
 make some inquiries myself about him, Marco.' 
 
 Marco Savelli scowled angrily. 
 
 ' Of course, you must do as you choose/ he replied 
 sullenly. ' I have warned you, Uncle Oamillo, and up to 
 now you have always listened to me. One would think/ 
 he added impatiently, 'that somebody had been speaking 
 to you and obliging you to abandon the course you have 
 hitherto pursued concerning Diana's future. I must say 
 it is very extraordinary that the girl's ravings should have 
 had such an effect upon you. Probably when Diana is 
 well she will be as anxious to commence her 'novitiate as 
 she was before this illness.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at him steadily for a moment or 
 two, and then he gave a slight gesture of surprise, and, 
 perhaps of disappointment. 
 
 'Yes/ he said quietly, 'you are quite right, somebody 
 
DONNA DIANA 283 
 
 has been speaking to me somebody to whom I dare not 
 refuse to listen ; ' and he turned away abruptly as his 
 nephew stared at him, uncertain as to the meaning of 
 his words. ' Now/ he added wearily, ( leave me, Marco ; 
 I want to be alone. At four o'clock I shall return to 
 Palazzo San Eocco, and until then I do not wish to be 
 disturbed.' 
 
CHAPTEE XXIII 
 
 FOR some days Diana remained in a critical condition. 
 
 Sister Agnese and Ersilia were her constant attendants, 
 and Cardinal Savelli would pay her a visit both morning 
 and evening. His presence seemed to quiet her, though 
 she had never as yet recognised him. Frau von Raben 
 had not again entered her room, though Diana, when the 
 fever was at all higher than usual, never ceased to im- 
 plore that she might be prevented from doing so. Prin- 
 cess San Rocco had altogether failed to soothe Frau von 
 Raben's injured feelings, and the atmosphere of Palazzo 
 San Rocco seemed to be charged with electricity in con- 
 sequence. At last a happy thought had struck the Prin- 
 cess. In reality, this thought had originated with Prince 
 San Rocco, who disliked anything in the shape of domestic 
 disturbances. The Prince, however, had been far too pru- 
 dent to claim the idea as his own, and had contented him- 
 self with cautiously throwing out a suggestion, leaving 
 it to ripen in his wife's mind, with apparent indifference 
 as to whether it came to full maturity. 
 
 It was by this time the middle of June. In another 
 fortnight or so the establishment of Casa San Rocco 
 would, under ordinary circumstances, move to Magnano, 
 the quaint old place, half villa, half castle, where the 
 family were in the habit of migrating immediately after 
 the festival of St. Peter, to pass the remainder of the 
 summer and autumn. 
 
 Princess San Rocco thought that it would relax the 
 tension of the situation if she sent her two daughters to 
 Magnano with Frau von Raben, where they could remain 
 until she and her husband should be able to join them. 
 It would necessarily be some little time before Diana could 
 
 284 
 
DONNA DIANA 285 
 
 be moved, and the Prince was becoming fidgety. Frau 
 von Eaben's aggrieved looks and manners got upon his 
 nerves, though he rarely saw her except at meals; and 
 the Princess herself felt that she would be glad no longer 
 to have to listen to her gloomy prognostications as to 
 Diana's future, both temporal and eternal. Prince San 
 Eocco affected to demur when his wife broached the sub- 
 ject of Magnano to him as a happy inspiration a few days 
 after he had suggested it to her. It would be both in- 
 convenient and expensive, he declared, to have two es- 
 tablishments going on at the same time; besides, nobody 
 had ever gone to Magnano before St. Peter's Day, and it 
 was a great mistake to depart from old traditions. 
 
 The Princess speedily found arguments to meet all ob- 
 jections, and, greatly to Prince San Eocco's satisfaction, 
 it had been finally decided that Frau von Eaben should 
 take Donna Giulia and Donna Maria into the country. 
 The chief objections to the plan had come from Frau von 
 Eaben herself, and from Marco Savelli. The former, 
 however, was unable to say very much, since she was en- 
 gaged as dame de compagnie to the Princess's daughters, 
 and not to her niece ; and, moreover, Cardinal Savelli had 
 warmly advocated the proposal. 
 
 Prince San Eocco had other reasons for satisfaction at 
 the departure of Frau von Eaben than mere relief at not 
 seeing her injured expression of countenance whenever 
 he chanced to look up from his plate at breakfast and 
 dinner. 
 
 His nephew, Lino Savelli, had returned to Eome a few 
 days after Diana's relapse, and Lino and he had had sev- 
 eral conversations together. 
 
 As the former told Vane would be the case, the Prince 
 had been extremely angry when he heard of the story which 
 had been circulated as to his nephew having been bribed 
 by Vane to help the latter to gain Diana's affection, and 
 of Lino's de ots having been paid by him. 
 
 Lino Savelli had assured his uncle that, in the first 
 place, he had no debts, save of a very ordinary and in- 
 
286 DONNA DIANA 
 
 significant character, and that, even supposing him to 
 have them, Vane would certainly not have been so indis- 
 creet as to offer to pay them, 
 
 It had been Lino's intention to have said a great deal 
 more, and to have endeavoured to open his uncle's eyes 
 to the mysterious system of intrigue by which he was con- 
 vinced Diana was surrounded. 
 
 To his surprise, however, he found the situation had 
 entirely changed during his absence at Turin. The Car- 
 dinal, whom he had more than suspected of being the 
 dupe of those who were seeking for their own ends to 
 drive Diana into taking the veil, was now, according to 
 all he could learn at Palazzo San Eocco, possessed of the 
 idea that she had not been allowed sufficient liberty of 
 choice, and appeared to have taken up an entirely different 
 position. Frau von Eaben, too, was safely at Magnano, 
 and Ersilia, with triumph in her eyes and in her voice, 
 had explained to him how madama had been forbidden 
 by the direct orders of His Eminence, to approach Diana. 
 This altered condition of affairs caused Lino the greatest 
 relief. He had been wondering how he should reveal to 
 Prince San Eocco all his suspicions. It would have been, 
 as Yane had said, a very awkward business, for to speak 
 his mind clearly would have meant casting reflections 
 upon the honour both of his brother and of his uncle the 
 Cardinal. 
 
 Prince San Eocco, when he heard the motives which 
 had been imputed to his favourite nephew for attempting 
 to advance his friend's cause, had announced his inten- 
 tion of immediately expressing both to Marco and the Car- 
 dinal his indignation that such a calumny should have 
 been permitted to be repeated with impunity. 
 
 Nor was the Prince less angry on Edmund Vane's ac- 
 count. He had never forgotten the latter's conduct to- 
 wards Lino after the Abyssinian War, and, th agh he had 
 seen but little of his nephew's English frier i and deliv- 
 erer, he had been very favourably impressed by him. 
 
 If Vane wanted to marry Diana, and the girl had begun 
 
DONNA DIANA 287 
 
 to like him, why should she not be allowed to marry him 
 instead of burying herself in a convent, always supposing 
 that there was nothing against him? This was the drift 
 of Prince San Kocco's arguments, so far as he argued at 
 all, and Lino Savelli quite agreed with him. 
 
 Prince San Kocco, to be sure, had been a little scan- 
 dalized on hearing from his nephew of the means which 
 had been resorted to in order to allow Vane an oppor- 
 tunity of telling Diana of his love. 
 
 Such a proceeding was entirely contrary to all traditions, 
 though the Prince was obliged to admit that under the 
 circumstances Vane could have looked to no other oppor- 
 tunity of making Diana acquainted with the state of his 
 feelings, and that, at all events, he had behaved like a 
 gentleman in not making any attempt to interfere with 
 Diana's resolutions. Lino was very particular to impress 
 this fact upon his uncle, and also the fact that Diana's 
 attitude had been such as to admit of no justification of 
 any demand on Vane's part to speak to him, or to the 
 Cardinal, on the subject a thing, he had added, that 
 Edmund would not presume to do until he had some rea- 
 son to believe that Diana was not wholly indifferent to 
 his love. 
 
 'Your friend has behaved well, Lino/ said Prince San 
 Eocco ; < I don't say that he hasn't always excepting his 
 stolen interview with Diana. But luckily you and Ersilia 
 were there and well, I shall not say anything to your 
 aunt about the matter, lest Ersilia should suffer for the 
 folly of you two boys. But,' he added, looking at his 
 nephew curiously, 'I am bound to tell you that we have 
 not heard a very good account of Mr. Vane of late not 
 such an account as would recommend him as a husband 
 for Diana, even were there no other obstacles in his way.' 
 
 ' What do you mean, Uncle Fabrizio ? * asked Lino, sur- 
 prised. 
 
 ( Well, I hear that his life is not all that it should be 
 very much the reverse, in fact deplorably much the re- 
 verse ! ' 
 
288 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Lino Savelli burst out laughing. 
 
 ( What is he supposed to do ? * he inquired dryly. * If 
 anybody knows Vane, I should say that I am that person. 
 Do you think that I would encourage him to marry Diana 
 if I were not certain that he was in every way worthy, not 
 only to marry her, but to enter into our family?' 
 
 ( No/ answered Prince San Eocco hesitatingly, ( I am 
 quite sure you would not, Lino; but ' 
 
 ' Then perhaps you believe the story that he has made 
 it worth my while to help him ? ' burst out Lino hotly. 
 
 c Certainly not ! ' exclaimed his uncle indignantly. ' It 
 is not that/ he continued. 'But Marco has heard things 
 about him ' 
 
 ' Ah, Marco ! ' Lino interrupted bitterly. ' Some tittle- 
 tattle of the sacristy, I suppose. I believe Eddie's pious 
 female compatriots here hate him because he has the good 
 sense to think for himself on things concerning our coun- 
 try, instead of listening to the priests. No doubt they, 
 and the monsignori who attend their " five o'clocks," have 
 started some gossip about him. I should like to know 
 what you have heard.' 
 
 * Oh ! ' replied Prince San Kocco, ' nothing definite, you 
 know nothing that could actually be proved.' 
 
 e Of course not ! That is always the way the sacristy 
 goes to work/ interrupted Lino Savelli. ' Definite accu- 
 sations are very seldom made; it would be too dangerous.' 
 
 Prince San Eocco shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 'Yes/ he said, 'the priests are very good at hinting 
 away the reputations of those they dislike; but, after all, 
 nobody pays much heed to what they say, except, perhaps, 
 the women. They are all very well in church, but out of 
 it mah! They are like one's doctor and one's lawyer 
 the less one has to do with them professionally, the better. 
 Your uncle Camillo, now, he has got an idea into his head 
 that your friend Vane is a mauvais sujet. Somebody has 
 put it there, of course. I don't believe it myself. And 
 now you have told me how scrupulous he has been in his 
 dealings with Diana, I believe it less than ever/ 
 
DONNA DIANA 289 
 
 'You had better see Vane yourself/ said Lino quickly. 
 ( When you know him better, you will be able to judge 
 whether these stories, whatever they may be, are likely 
 to be any truer than the lie that has been told of me in 
 connection with this business/ 
 
 Prince San Eocco gave an angry exclamation. 
 
 ' I shall take care that so disgraceful a thing is not said 
 of you any more, Lino/ he replied. ' Whoever has started 
 that story shall be made to contradict it. I shall speak 
 to your uncle Camillo about it, and to Marco. It can never 
 have reached their ears, of course, or they would have 
 contradicted it. Moreover, they would have told your aunt 
 and me, had they known such a tale was being spread 
 about Rome.' 
 
 Lino Savelli smiled quietly. 
 
 ' If you do not mind, uncle, I would much prefer that 
 you should say nothing about it not to anybody at all 
 neither to my aunt, nor to the Cardinal and Marco. 
 Neither Vane nor I care very much, as we know how 
 absurd an idea it is. But I have another reason for not 
 wishing anything to be said at present.' 
 
 ' And what is this other reason ? ' asked the Prince. ' It 
 appears to me/ he added, ' that neither you nor Vane can 
 afford to allow such a story to be told about you without 
 contradiction.' 
 
 ' It will contradict itself in the long-run/ said Lino 
 calmly. ( Most calumnies do so. My reason for not 
 wishing it to be taken up at present is that by keeping 
 quiet we shall certainly find out the motives for which 
 these stories have been told. I suppose/ he added sud- 
 denly, ' that the doctors are quite satisfied as to the illness 
 of Diana's being typhoid?' 
 
 Prince San Rocco looked at him sharply. 
 
 'Of course it is typhoid/ he said. ' What else should it be ? 
 Besides, there was never a doubt of its nature, and Vacelli 
 was called in as soon as Diana had this sudden relapse.' 
 
 e If you have had Vacelli/ returned Lino, ( I am quite 
 satisfied, and there is no more to be said.' 
 
290 DONNA DIANA 
 
 'I don't know what you mean, Lino/ said the Prince 
 San Rocco uneasily. 
 
 ' Oh, nothing ! ' replied his nephew carelessly ; but their 
 eyes met for an instant, and then both looked away. ' We 
 must hope that Diana will soon be out of any danger/ 
 Lino continued. ( When she is convalescent, we shall see 
 whether she is still determined to become a nun.' 
 
 6 1 believe she has had misgivings on the subject/ said 
 Prince San Rocco, 'and I confess that I should not be 
 sorry if it were so. It would be certainly a great pity if 
 Diana were buried in a convent. I have always said so, 
 but, until quite recently, I have never been listened to. 
 Now, it seems, your uncle Camillo has also some doubts 
 as to whether her supposed vocation should be taken 
 seriously, and he has communicated his doubts to your 
 aunt. I fancy/ -added the Prince, 'that Diana has said 
 some strange things during her periods of delirium, and 
 your uncle Camillo has heard them. After all, he is a 
 man of the world at least, he has been a man of the world 
 and he will have been able to put two and two together/ 
 
 e A single couple would be quite sufficient in this case/ 
 said Lino. 
 
 Prince San Rocco laughed. 
 
 * Yes/ he replied, e I really begin to think it would. We 
 are quite uneasy about the Cardinal/ he continued. 
 ( Diana's illness seems to have had an extraordinary effect 
 upon him. I had no idea he was so fond of her. I always 
 thought that your brother Marco was the only one of his 
 family whom he really cared about. However, it seems 
 I was mistaken. He has aged lately, and appears to be 
 nervous and preoccupied quite unlike his usual self.' 
 
 ' And you say that he expresses himself as anxious that 
 Diana should be left absolute freedom to decide as to her 
 future?' said Lino Savelli. 
 
 ( He appears almost feverishly anxious that she should 
 not be made to feel under any spiritual obligation to take 
 the veil/ answered the Prince. ' At least, so your aunt 
 tells me/ he added. 'I have not spoken much with him 
 
DONNA DIANA 291 
 
 on the subject. It is no manner of use my interfering 
 in such matters. It was your uncle Camillo who forbade 
 Frau von Eaben to talk any more to Diana; and, indeed, 
 it is owing to him that she is at Magnano now, for which 
 God be praised ! for her face, since she was told not to go 
 to Diana's room any more, was enough to turn milk sour, 
 and it quite took away my appetite at dinner to look at her.' 
 
 Lino smiled, but did not speak again for a few moments. 
 The turn affairs had taken puzzled him considerably, and 
 he found himself wondering as to how far he had wronged 
 the Cardinal by his suspicions that the latter was acting 
 in his own interests in encouraging Diana to enter a con- 
 vent. The more he thought over the matter, the more 
 convinced he was that the best policy for him and Vane 
 to adopt was quietly to await the development of events. 
 If, as was most probable, Diana passed safely through this 
 crisis in her illness, she would soon enter the convalescent 
 stage ; and then they might be able to learn something con- 
 cerning the true state of her mind. 
 
 It would be time enough for Eddie to make a formal 
 demand for her hand when it became obvious that she had 
 changed her intention to enter religion. 
 
 The stories told to Vane's detriment Lino scarcely re- 
 garded, concluding very rightly that they proceeded from 
 the same quarter as the invention respecting himself. 
 That Cardinal Savelli had been duly made acquainted 
 with these stories, and that he had in all probability be- 
 lieved them to be true, he did not doubt for an instant. 
 The stories, however, as he had quietly assured Prince 
 San Bocco, would eventually contradict themselves. 
 
 In the meantime, it would only be necessary to discover 
 the real motives for which they had been invented in order 
 materially to strengthen Edmund Vane's cause when the 
 moment came formally to advance it. 
 
CHAPTEE XXIV 
 
 THE hopes entertained by the doctors that Diana would 
 emerge safely from the crisis of her illness were fully 
 realized. 
 
 The fever gradually left her, recurring at longer inter- 
 vals, so that, as had been the case before her relapse, her 
 temperature in the mornings had sunk to normal. As 
 time went on, even the rise that had hitherto persistently 
 returned towards evening subsided, and she was pro- 
 nounced to be rapidly approaching convalescence. 
 
 For some days Cardinal Savelli had studiously avoided 
 .any topic of conversation with his niece that could excite 
 her, though he continued his daily visits to her with un- 
 failing regularity. She had been told^that Frau von Eaben 
 was at Magnano with her cousins, but the information 
 had elicited no comment from her. 
 
 It was not until Diana had been allowed to leave her 
 bed and to lie for a few hours daily on a sofa in the adjoin- 
 ing room that Princess San Rocco, acting on the Cardinal's 
 instructions, asked her whether she still wished to receive 
 a visit from Madame de Bonneval. 
 
 Diana looked up quickly as the Princess asked her the 
 question, and her face flushed with pleasure. 
 
 ( Madame de Bonneval ? ' she exclaimed eagerly. ' Oh 
 yes, Aunt Vittoria, of course I should like to see her. But 
 how did you know that I wanted to do so ? ' 
 
 Princess San Rocco looked confused, and hesitated for 
 a moment before answering. 
 
 e You often asked for her when you were ill/ she said, 
 ' so we thought you might like to see her now you are so 
 much better/ 
 
 Diana looked at her thoughtfully. 
 
 292 
 
DONNA DIANA 293 
 
 ' Yes/ she replied, ' I think I remember; but things still 
 seem to be all confused in my mind. There was something 
 I wanted to ask her about ' 
 
 She stopped short suddenly, and withdrew her gaze from 
 the Princess's face. 
 
 'Do not try to think, Diana/ the latter said hastily. 
 ' You are weak still that is what makes you feel confused 
 in your mind. By degrees you will become stronger, and 
 then you will not feel confused any more. If you would 
 like to see Madame de Bonneval, she will come to pay you 
 a visit to-morrow afternoon.' 
 
 'It seems years and years since I have seen her/ an- 
 swered Diana. ' But how can she come to see me ? ' she 
 added. 
 
 ' Well/ said the Princess San Rocco, smiling, ' this is a 
 very special circumstance. You must know that your 
 uncle Camillo has made a personal request to the Holy 
 Father that Madame de Bonneval should be allowed to 
 leave the Sacre Cceur for a short time in order to pay you 
 a visit, and the Mother Superior, at the Pope's notification 
 of his wish, has permitted it. She will come to-morrow 
 afternoon at four o'clock, and then you can have a little 
 talk with her.' 
 
 Diana smiled, and the Princess somewhat abruptly 
 changed the conversation. She began to tell her niece of 
 what the latter's cousins were doing at Magnano, and 
 talked of the possible date by which Diana would be well 
 enough to join them there. 
 
 Diana lay still and listened to her, or, rather, she pre- 
 tended to listen, for she was striving to collect her ideas. 
 The past few weeks seemed to be a period of chaos, out 
 of which, however, stood a few details islands of facts, 
 as it were, upon which she could fix her wandering 
 thoughts. 
 
 More prominently than all the rest stood out the scene 
 in the gardens of the Palazzo Castelnuovo the last episode 
 of which she felt she had any clear recollection before 
 illness had overtaken her. 
 
294 DONNA DIANA 
 
 She seemed to hear again the tones of Edmund Vane's 
 voice, to see the expression of his eyes as they had looked 
 pleadingly down into hers. Surely it had not been so very 
 long ago that she had seen him ? Had he not come to her 
 when she was ill, sat and looked at her, and told her that 
 God would not be angry? 
 
 Ah no! That was a dream, of course nothing but a 
 dream. How could he come? By this time he was prob- 
 ably far away from Rome back in his own country 
 among his own people. 
 
 Diana sighed, and Princess San Rocco looked at her 
 inquiringly. 
 
 ' What is troubling you, f iglia mia ? ' she asked gently. 
 
 * I am trying to think/ replied Diana wearily. 
 
 ' That is just what you must not try to do/ said the 
 Princess. ( I told you so just now. Besides, you have 
 nothing you need think about, except how to get well as 
 quickly as you can.' 
 
 Diana was silent. To-morrow, she said to herself, Ma- 
 dame de Bonne val would come, and to her she could speak 
 her thoughts. It was not true that she had nothing she 
 needed to think about, for she had so much so very much ! 
 The difficulty was to arrange her thoughts to put them 
 into something like consecutive order. Aunt Yittoria was 
 very kind, but she would not understand as Madame de 
 Bonneval would understand ; and, besides, she did not want 
 Frau von Raben to know of all that was troubling her. 
 
 That night Diana slept tranquilly more tranquilly, 
 perhaps, than she had done since she had been taken ill. 
 The morning found her stronger and almost like her nat- 
 ural self. She spoke repeatedly of Madame de BonnevaPs 
 expected visit to Ersilia, and was a little irritable when 
 the latter displayed very small enthusiasm on the subject. 
 
 The truth was that Ersilia viewed the visit in question 
 with decided disapproval. What was the use of having 
 temporarily got rid of a German woman who was worrying 
 the life out of the signorina if a Frenchwoman was to 
 come and do the same thing? They were all alike, Ersilia 
 
DONNA DIANA 295 
 
 told herself, these single women who were so credicaU, 
 for they had never had the nonsense taken out of them 
 by a man or, at least, if they had, they had not profited 
 by the experience. 
 
 Ersilia's misgivings increased a hundredfold when that 
 afternoon the Princess entered the room in which Diana 
 was lying on her sofa by an open window that looked 
 into the smaller courtyard of the Palazzo San Rocco, a 
 quiet little quadrangle where a fountain splashed softly 
 in the centre of a green lawn, and one or two old magnolia- 
 trees, laden with blossom, scented the summer air. 
 
 Princess San Rocco was accompanied by a middle-aged 
 lady of a quite remarkable plainness of feature so plain 
 was she, indeed, that Ersilia, as she left the room, turned 
 once more to look at her. 
 
 ' Mamma mia ! } she exclaimed as soon as she had closed 
 the door behind her. ( Small blame to her for going into 
 a convent. But, decidedly, it was hard on Domeneddio 
 to palm off such a bride on him.' 
 
 Madame de Bonneval bent over Diana and kissed her 
 affectionately. She was somewhat tall, and simply, 
 though very well dressed in black. There was that about 
 her which stamped her unmistakably for a well-bred lady ; 
 and anyone seeing her for the first time could only marvel 
 how it came to pass that Nature had set so ugly a face 
 upon so well-formed a body. 
 
 Madame de Bonneval's countenance was almost repulsive 
 at the first glance. It was only closer observation that re- 
 vealed a singular fascination in the expression of her 
 deep-set gray eyes an expression at once sad and emi- 
 nently peaceful, as though their owner knew a peace more 
 precious than any mere worldly happiness. Madame de 
 Bonneval's brow had a breadth and firmness that were 
 almost masculine, but which only served to bring into 
 greater evidence the extreme ugliness of the lower part 
 of her face, as well as of her swarthy complexion.' 
 
 Nevertheless, every movement was dignified and grace- 
 ful, with the easy grace of a high-bred woman of the world. 
 
296 DONNA DIANA 
 
 There were certainly none of the apologetic motions 
 characteristic of the convent about Madame de Bonneval 
 no deprecatory drooping of the eyelids or folding of the 
 hands. Her glance was direct, and occasionally almost a 
 little haughty, as though the traditions of the Faubourg 
 Saint Germain had not been entirely forgotten in the calm 
 seclusion of the Sacre Cceur. 
 
 Princess San Kocco, after talking for a little while about 
 Diana's illness, left her niece and her visitor alone together. 
 
 Diana and Madame de Bonneval looked at each other 
 in silence for some moments, and it was the latter who 
 was the first to break it. 
 
 ( So, my dear child/ she said quietly, ( you wished to see 
 me, did you not ? And I have come to you. I would have 
 done so before had it been permitted. But you know 
 how strict our rules are, and to whose request I owe it that 
 leave to come to you has been granted me.' 
 
 Madame de Bonneval's voice was low, but singularly 
 clear and penetrating. She spoke in beautiful French 
 the old, polished French of a bygone generation, so rarely 
 heard in the world of to-day. 
 
 ' Indeed, yes, I have wished to see you/ answered Diana. 
 ( So much has happened to me since I left the Sacre Coeur 
 so much that I want to tell you about/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval looked at her calmly. 
 
 ' It is not so long ago since you left us, Diana/ she ob- 
 served. 
 
 ' No, of course it is not ; but it seems, oh, a lifetime ! ' 
 
 Madame de Bonneval smiled. 
 
 'When one is young the months seem years/ she said; 
 * afterwards ' and she paused expressively. 
 
 'I wish/ Diana continued, 'that I had never left the 
 Sacre Coeur. I was so happy there because I was good, 
 I suppose.' 
 
 C I do not think you were always good/ Madame de 
 Bonneval observed. ' Sometimes you lost your temper, if 
 I am not mistaken.' 
 
 ( Oh ! ' answered Diana, ' I have always been liable to 
 
DONNA DIANA 297 
 
 lose my temper, and I always shall be, I expect. If it 
 were only losing one's temper, God would make allowances 
 for that. The worst of it is/ she continued seriously, 
 'that I am not good any more. That is what is troub- 
 ling me what I wanted to ask you about, madame, for 
 you will understand.' 
 
 'But, my dear child, you must ask God about that. 
 You must not ask me. I am not good either. Which of 
 us is? You may tell me about it, if you like, and I will 
 tell you what I think.' 
 
 ' Yes,' said Diana eagerly, ' I will tell you all about it, 
 if I can remember clearly. Since I have been ill, my head 
 gets confused sometimes, and I am' not sure what is real 
 and what is only some dream that I had when I was 
 feverish. But there is one thing that I am quite sure of, 
 and it troubles me terribly it troubled me always while 
 I was ill.' 
 
 e Yes ? And what is this terrible thing ? ' asked Madame 
 de Bonneval gently. 
 
 Diana hesitated. 
 
 ' It is so dreadful ! ' she said in a low voice. e I do not 
 think I dare tell you, for you will think me so wicked.' 
 
 Madame de Bonneval took one of Diana's hands and 
 held it in her own. 
 
 6 It is not for me to think anybody either wicked or 
 good,' she replied. ' God is the judge of people's deeds ; 
 for He alone knows what their temptations to evil, or their 
 incentives to good, may have been. Who has told you that 
 you are wicked, Diana ? ' 
 
 'Nobody has told me, because nobody knows what my 
 thoughts are,' replied Diana, looking up into Madame dc 
 Bonneval's face anxiously. c I have tried to love Christ/ 
 she continued, 'as I had promised myself to Him. But 
 now now I know that I can never love Him not like 
 that.' 
 
 She stopped, and pressed Madame de Bonneval's hand 
 convulsively. The latter bent her kindly gray eyes upon 
 the girl. There was no look of reproof, no affectation of 
 
898 DONNA DIANA 
 
 pious indignation in them nothing but an expression of 
 gentle sympathy in which was mingled a touch of sadness. 
 
 6 How do you know that you can never love Him like 
 that ? ' she asked simply, but with a tact belonging rather 
 to a woman of the world than to one who had long separated 
 herself from it. 
 
 ' Ah ! ' exclaimed Diana, ' that is what troubles me, and 
 makes me feel I am wicked. But I can talk to you/ she 
 added; 'you are not like Frau von Kaben. You do not 
 ask me questions/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval frowned slightly. 
 
 ' No/ she said, ( I am not here to ask you questions, but 
 to listen to what you like to tell me. I think I know the 
 kind of questions Frau von Eaben asked you. I remember 
 that you spoke to me about them. Perhaps you remember 
 what my advice to you was, Diana. I advised you to leave 
 all those things to God, and I assured you that in course 
 of time He would show you whether it was His will or not 
 that you should devote yourself to religion. You say that 
 you cannot love Him?' 
 
 'Not as they say I ought to love Him/ interrupted 
 Diana. 
 
 ' They say ? ' repeated Madame de Bonneval. ' Who are 
 " they " ? It is God alone who knows how you ought to 
 love Him ; He alone can inspire you with that love. There 
 are other ways of serving Him than through the cloister/ 
 
 e But you left the world/ objected Diana, looking at her, 
 f though, to be sure, you are not a cloistered nun/ 
 
 ' No/ returned Madame de Bonneval, smiling, ' the world 
 left me/ 
 
 The words were spoken without any trace of bitterness, 
 and it was only in the smile accompanying them that per- 
 haps a faint touch of irony showed itself. 
 
 'But, you see, I am to be a real nun/ said Diana, re- 
 calling the conversation to herself with the unconscious 
 egoism of an invalid. ' I should enter a cloistered order. 
 It would be dreadful to do that and not be able to love 
 our Lord would it not, madame ? ' 
 
BOOTA DIANA 299 
 
 { It would be still more dreadful to do it and be in love 
 with somebody else/ replied Madame de Bonneval dryly. 
 
 Diana looked away from her. 
 
 6 Frau von Raben always said that one could feel the 
 same kind of love for our Lord as women do for those 
 they have married/ she said, after a pause. ' I think it 
 must be very difficult/ 
 
 ( What must be very difficult ? ' asked Madame de Bon- 
 neval, as Diana hesitated again. 
 
 ' Well, to feel so much for somebody one has never seen. 
 I said so once to Frau von Raben, and she was very angry. 
 She told me that I must beware of the lusts of the eye. 
 But if it is wrong to remember a person's look, or their 
 voice, I do not know why they should always return to 
 one's mind. 
 
 ' So/ said Madame de Bonneval gently, e there is some- 
 body some man whom you find your thoughts dwelling 
 upon? As I said just now, I do not want to ask you 
 questions, but this is what is troubling you, is it not, my 
 dear child?' 
 
 6 Yes/ returned Diana in a low voice. c It troubles me 
 because lately, whenever I have tried to think about Christ, 
 as Frau von Raben and my uncle Camillo the Cardinal, 
 you know have told me I should think of Him, I have 
 found myself thinking of of the other. And when I was 
 ill it was always the other who came; Christ never did.' 
 
 Madame de Bonneval sighed. 
 
 e He never does come in this world/ she said gently ; c not 
 as you mean. But He comes in other forms to those who 
 need Him; and often very often we do not recognize 
 Him, because He is not as we imagine Him. We are so 
 accustomed to think of His Godhead that we forget His 
 manhood.' 
 
 ' Then do you think me wicked ? ? Diana asked. 
 
 ' No. I think, perhaps, that you are following the way 
 which was ordained that you should follow. But I am 
 not here to talk religion to you, Diana, and we must not 
 attempt to confuse spiritual things with things that are 
 
300 DONNA DIANA 
 
 purely human, and, therefore, no disgrace to us, as God 
 has made us human. I gather from you, and Cardinal 
 Savelli has given me to understand the same thing, that 
 you have seen somebody to whom you are not indifferent, 
 and of whose supposed affection for you you are aware. 
 It is this which has caused doubts to arise in your mind 
 concerning the genuineness of your vocation is it not so ? ' 
 
 Diana started. 
 
 ' My uncle told you that ? ' she exclaimed ' Uncle 
 Camillo?' 
 
 ' Yes, he certainly did tell me so/ answered Madame de 
 Bonneval quietly. 
 
 ' And he is angry ? 9 asked Diana anxiously. 
 
 e No. Why should he be angry ? He is sorry, perhaps, 
 for he knows that a genuine vocation may be a very blessed 
 gift. But he wishes you to be free, Diana absolutely free 
 to choose between a worldly and an unworldly life 
 between 9 
 
 ' Between a spiritual and an earthly love/ interrupted 
 Diana. 
 
 Madame de Bonneval made an abrupt gesture of im- 
 patience. 
 
 ( Not at all ! ' she exclaimed. ' There is no such choice 
 existent as that. You have been told silly things bad 
 things. There is nothing the devil likes so much as senti- 
 mental piety. Loving a fellow-creature worthily never yet 
 prevented anyone from loving God as He wishes us to 
 love Him. If your human nature needs human love, in 
 what are you offending Him? What would the world be 
 without the men and women who know that they can be 
 in it and yet love God ? ' 
 
 ' My cousin Lino told me that men wanted good women 
 in the world/ said Diana. 
 
 She spoke as if to herself, and Madame de Bonneval 
 glanced quickly at her. 
 
 'Your cousin is quite right/ she said; and then she 
 added, with a brusqueness that Diana had often noticed in 
 her: 'but Almighty God does not want love-sick girls in 
 
DONNA DIANA 301 
 
 a convent,, or love-sick boys in a monastery. They are much 
 more useful in the world/ 
 
 Diana smiled. 
 
 'But they don't go into convents and monasteries/ she 
 said. 
 
 ' Yes, they do, very often/ returned Madame de Bonneval 
 caustically. ' They are in love with themselves bien en- 
 tendu only they do not know it; and le bon Dieu and 
 Our Lady have to listen to their amatory declarations in 
 the form of prayers/ 
 
 Diana looked at Madame de Bonneval wonderingly. 
 
 ' I have often thought why it was you entered the Sacre 
 Coeur/ she said. ' You are not like the other ladies there. 
 They are good and kind, of course, but they are so cold. 
 I used to feel as though I were a machine in their hands, 
 and to wonder if they cared for anybody as an individual. 
 But you you were always different at least, I always 
 felt a difference, though, of course, you treated me as you 
 did any other girl there/ 
 
 Madame de BonnevaPs face softened suddenly, and as 
 she turned to Diana a look that was almost beautiful passed 
 over it. 
 
 ' I told you why/ she said quietly. c I did not leave the 
 world; it left me. It held many things for me position, 
 money but it did not hold love. I had to find this out 
 for myself. It was not an agreeable process no ! but, in 
 finding it out, I also found out something else I will not 
 say better, for there is nothing better than a love that is 
 true and faithful/ 
 
 ' And what was that something else ? ' asked Diana. 
 ' I suppose/ she added, ' that I know that I need not 
 ask/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval looked at her for a moment, and 
 then she gently shook her head. 
 
 ' No/ she replied gravely, ( such as you could never know, 
 for it would be strange if some man did not love you truly 
 and faithfully/ 
 
 She gave a quick sigh, and there was something in her 
 
302 DONNA DIANA 
 
 look and manners that checked the question rising to 
 Diana's lips. 
 
 'Yes/ Madame de Bonneval continued, 'it would be 
 strange. Perhaps/ she added, ' you are thinking that there 
 is such a man, and it is the thought of his love that has 
 made you reason with yourself/ 
 
 Diana blushed. 
 
 ' There is someone/ she said quickly. ' I do not see why 
 I should not tell you/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval smiled. 
 
 ' I know about him already/ she observed. e The Cardinal 
 told me that an English friend of your cousin Don Michel- 
 angelo wanted to marry you/ 
 
 * How could he know ? ' asked Diana amazed. 
 
 e He does know, as I have already told you. But, Diana, 
 there are objections to this gentleman/ 
 
 * Objections?' 
 
 * Objections to his character/ continued Madame de Bon- 
 neval. ' I, of course, know nothing of him, but your uncle 
 has heard stories which are not to his credit/ 
 
 'But he is Lino's friend he saved Lino's life/ said 
 Diana. And then she added impatiently : ' I know who 
 has told Uncle Camillo these stories. It is Marco, of course. 
 Marco has always abused Mr. Vane why, I do not know. 
 I am sure these stories are lies, madame/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval glanced at her, and saw that her 
 eyes were flashing angrily. 
 
 ' Perhaps they are/ she replied quietly. ' But what 
 makes you so sure of it?' 
 
 ' I am sure of it/ repeated Diana. Then she looked at 
 Madame de Bonneval and hesitated. ' I always wanted 
 to tell somebody/ she said, 'but no one except Ersilia 
 knows. It was just before I was ill, Ersilia and I were in 
 the garden at Palazzo Castelnuovo, and Lino brought Mr. 
 Vane there, and Mr. Vane spoke to me/ 
 
 Whatever Madame de Bonneval may have thought, she 
 made no remark, and Diana continued : 
 
 'He told me he only wished me to know that, should 
 
DONNA DIANA 303 
 
 I ever change my mind about becoming a nun, love was 
 waiting for me in the world his love. At first I was 
 angry, but in a little while I could not be angry, for he was 
 so gentle and I I was sorry he should care for me like 
 that. Afterwards I began to think, and many things that 
 Frau von Eaben had said came back to my mind things 
 which I seem not to have understood before. Frau von 
 Eaben always said that one could find everything one 
 needed in Christ's love, and I needed so little. But after- 
 wards, when I thought of Mr. Vane, and of what he had 
 said, I seemed to need more, and it was terrible to think 
 that I had promised myself to God. I am glad I have 
 told you/ Diana added with a little sigh. ' Even if you 
 think me very wicked, I would rather that you should 
 know. As to Mr. Vane, I do not care what may be said 
 about him. I shall never believe ill of him, because he 
 spoke to me as nobody who was bad could speak. Besides, 
 you do not know Lino, or you would not believe that he 
 would have a bad man for a friend/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval sat and looked at Diana in silence. 
 Cardinal Savelli had told her of his suspicions that his 
 niece had begun to understand something of what love 
 meant, and had related to her the half-passionate and 
 wholly pathetic utterances Diana had let fall in his presence 
 during her delirium. But he had also warned Madame de 
 Bonneval that he had some reason to fear lest the man 
 whose admiration had awakened new feelings in his niece 
 were not worthy of her love. 
 
 Madame de Bonneval looked grave and troubled as she 
 listened to Diana's words. She had known too well what 
 it was to have her own ideas shattered to feel any inclina- 
 tion to destroy those of others. Moreover, she felt that, 
 in Diana's case, one ideal had already been destroyed, 
 thanks, probably, to Frau von Eaben's indiscreet attempts 
 to reconcile passion and piety. It would be hard indeed 
 on Diana if this other and more natural ideal were destined 
 to meet with similar destruction. 
 
 And yet it would be both wrong and cruel to encour- 
 
304 DONNA DIANA 
 
 age the girl to say anything which could lead her to 
 think more of this Englishman than she was already 
 thinking. 
 
 6 You are quite right not to believe evil of your cousin's 
 friend, my child/ she said at length. ' Perhaps what the 
 Cardinal has heard will prove to be untrue the stories 
 of ill-natured people. If it should prove to be so, then you 
 will be glad that you were loyal to him, as you are loyal to 
 Don Michelangelo Savelli. But you are very young, Diana, 
 and the world, though it is not so bad as many like to 
 represent it for, being God's creation, how should it be 
 so? is not entirely composed of good people. You must 
 be guided in this instance by what your uncle says. His 
 Eminence is going to make inquiries concerning Mr. Vane. 
 He has told me that it is his intention to do so. And he 
 has told me, moreover, that, should he find this gentleman 
 to be as worthy in character as he is in other ways it is 
 his intention to leave you absolutely free to accept or 
 refuse his love, as your heart and your conscience may 
 advise you/ 
 
 Diana looked at her in astonishment. 
 
 ' Uncle Camillo has been very kind to me since I was 
 ill/ she said. ' I always used to feel afraid of him, but now 
 it is quite different. I shall never understand what has 
 changed him, for at one time he used to talk to me very 
 much as Frau von Eaben talked, and he always told me 
 to ask her advice if ever I had wrong thoughts. I never 
 did ask it, but she used to give it all the same, and I often 
 think ' 
 
 ' What do you often think ? ' asked Madame de Bonneval, 
 as Diana stopped suddenly. 
 
 'That she gave me thoughts I should not have had/ 
 answered Diana, reddening. ' She seemed to take it for 
 granted that I must have them, and always insisted that 
 oh, well I have told you before, madame ! When those 
 thoughts came to me, I tried to devote them to in the way 
 that she suggested but latterly I could not. All the time 
 I knew who it was of whom I was really thinking, and 
 
DONNA DIANA 305 
 
 I wondered why he should care for me, as Giulia and Maria 
 always declared that he cared.' 
 
 ' Frau von Kaben is an imbecile ! ' said Madame de 
 Bonneval, almost angrily. 
 
 Diana laughed. 
 
 ' I told her you never talked to me in that way/ she con- 
 tinued,, ' and that you had said I was not to think of those 
 things, but should leave it to God to show me the way I 
 was to go. She said that you did not understand, that 
 perhaps you had never had any temptations/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval started as though she had been 
 stung. Then she drew herself up haughtily. 
 
 ' Frau von Eaben appears to be a person who forgets 
 her place/ she said coldly. ' She should not have presumed 
 to speak to you of such things. It is a pity that His 
 Eminence Cardinal Savelli should have encouraged her to 
 forget the fact that she is your cousin's dame de compagnie, 
 not your spiritual adviser/ 
 
 6 It doesn't matter/ returned Diana. ' Now I have told 
 you I do not care about anything else. As for Mr. Vane, 
 I dare say I shall never see him again. But I hope that 
 Marco and Frau von Raben will not succeed in making 
 people think ill of him. They have always been so anxious 
 that I should be a nun why I do not know. I suppose/ 
 she added with a little smile, ' they were afraid lest I should 
 marry him instead/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval directed a keen glance at her. 
 
 'Did they Don Marco Savelli and Frau von Raben 
 ever speak to you about your money ? ' she asked suddenly. 
 
 ' Marco never did/ answered Diana, ' but Frau von Raben 
 used to talk to me about it. She often asked me whether 
 I was not glad to think I should bring so good a dot to 
 my spiritual bridegroom/ she concluded, blushing. 
 
 6 And what did you say ? ' demanded Madame de Bon- 
 neval. 
 
 ' Nothing/ replied Diana laconically. ' I have money, 
 I suppose, but I know nothing about it. Uncle Camillo 
 manages it for me until I' am of age. I had never thought 
 
306 DONNA DIANA 
 
 of it until I heard Marco say that Mr. Vane wanted my 
 fortune, and that he would never have looked at me if he 
 had not known me to have money. He said this when he 
 was angry about something.' 
 
 Madame de Bonneval smiled sarcastically. 
 
 ' Imbeciles all of them ! ? she said to herself. f If they 
 had wanted to arouse the child's interest in this English- 
 man, they could not have chosen a better way to do so. 
 Pauvre petite! I always doubted this famous vocation; 
 and now her nature has asserted itself. But there is some- 
 thing more behind something that I do not clearly under- 
 stand, although, of course, her money is at the bottom of it. 
 Helas! it is at the bottom of so many pseudo-vocations 
 in these days. And there has been too much suggestion 
 evidently too much suggestion. Listen, my child/ she said 
 to Diana. ' You have told me how it is with you, and you 
 are quite right in thinking that I understand. Most of us 
 are called to serve God in some way or another in the world, 
 and a few of us a very few may be called to serve Him 
 out of it. The latter, I think, are those upon whom it has 
 pleased Him to impose some great defects, moral or 
 physical, or for whom the world has no place. You are 
 not one of these, and perhaps the world has need of you. 
 Do not torture yourself with useless doubts useless 
 scruples. And do not listen to those who would have you 
 do so. God knows better than you better than they 
 why he placed you in the world, why He gave you all that 
 He has given. To say that He demands the sacrifice of 
 any of His gifts is a lie. He requires them to be used to 
 His honour and glory, to advance His own eternal scheme 
 for the ultimate perfection of humanity. Live your life; 
 do not seek to anticipate another before you are summoned 
 to it. And, above all, do not attempt to crush the nature 
 that He has implanted in you. You will wonder that I say 
 this to you, being what I am. But I never sought a refuge 
 from this world. I, too, loved and was married, though 
 not to the man I loved. Afterwards well, it is not worth 
 while to go into the afterwards. My marriage was annulled 
 
DONNA DIANA 307 
 
 by the Church, and I had no place in the world, though 
 there was no stain upon my name. I used to tell you to 
 leave certain things to God, and that He would point out 
 to you the way did I not ? ' 
 
 ( Yes,' said Diana. ( It was that which gave me con- 
 fidence in you. The others were always asserting what 
 God wished what he expected of me. But you you 
 asserted nothing, and only said that He would show me/ 
 
 ' And has He not shown you ? ' asked Madame de Bon- 
 neval gently ; ' and not you only, but your uncle, who took 
 it for granted that you had a vocation for religion? I 
 think that He has done so, Diana. And if this man whom 
 you have confidence in whom you have begun to care for 
 should prove to be unworthy of you, then you must be 
 brave and not allow morbid thoughts to take possession 
 of you. God will send some other love into your life, since 
 you are one of those whom the world has need of/ 
 
 A note of ineffable sadness pervaded Madame de Bon- 
 nevaFs voice as she uttered these concluding words, and 
 there was a dignity and reserve in her manner that touched 
 Diana strangely. For the first time she seemed to fathom 
 the secret of that mysterious power of sympathy which 
 had always attracted her to this lady of the Sacre Creur, 
 causing her to be almost unconscious of the latter's 
 ugliness. 
 
 Madame de Bonneval had suffered, with the weary, 
 silent suffering of the soul, though how, or why, Diana 
 could only faintly guess from the carefully guarded ref- 
 erences she had made to the life from which she had with- 
 drawn herself. 
 
 There was a pause for some moments, during which 
 Madame de Bonneval looked long and affectionately at the 
 girl lying on the sofa beside her. Then she rose slowly 
 from her chair, with the graceful, dignified motion peculiar 
 to her. 
 
 ' You have talked enough for to-day, my dear child/ she 
 said, ' and now I must leave you and return to the Trinita 
 dei Monti. Your aunt warned me not to remain with you 
 
308 DONNA DIANA 
 
 too long, and I think that we have each of us said all we 
 need say to one another/ 
 
 ( But you will come again, madame ? ' Diana said eagerly. 
 6 In a few days I shall be much stronger and I like you 
 to talk to me/ she added. 
 
 Madame de Bonneval shook her head. 
 
 ( I can never come again, Diana/ she replied gently. ' It 
 would be quite impossible.' 
 
 ' Then I shall come to the Sacre Cceur to see you/ said 
 Diana. 'It will be the first thing I shall do when I am 
 allowed to go out/ 
 
 Madame de Bonneval smiled. 
 
 ' Yes/ she replied, ' you can do that if I am not moved 
 from Rome.' 
 
 Diana looked at her blankly. 
 
 ( Moved from Rome ? ' she repeated. ' Why should you 
 be moved from Rome ? ' 
 
 ' You know our rules/ answered Madame de Bonneval 
 quietly. ' I am here to-day to morrow the Mother Supe- 
 rior may send me to the other end of the world. I hope 
 not, for I am happier at the Trinita dei Monti than any- 
 where, and should like to see you again, mon enfant. How- 
 ever, I must not allow myself to think of those things. If 
 we are not to meet again, remember me in your prayers, 
 Diana, as I shall remember you. And be brave. Even if 
 there are troubles and disappointments before you, be brave 
 and good. And, bending down over Diana, Madame de 
 Bonneval kissed her. Then, with a murmured ' God bless 
 you, dear child ! ' she turned and went swiftly from the 
 room. 
 
 Diana lay still for a minute or two, her eyes fixed on the 
 door through which Madame de Bonneval had disappeared. 
 
 Then she turned a little on her sofa, and her large brown 
 eyes were full of a soft content. 
 
 ' He is good/ she murmured to herself, with a little 
 smile { I am quite sure that he is good ' 9 and Frau von 
 Raben and Marco are liars.' 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 IT was the Eve of St. John. 
 
 The great open space in front of the Lateran Basilica 
 was thronged with a noisy, restless mass of human beings 
 pressing their way towards St. John's Gate. Overhead 
 the stars hung low in the clear midsummer sky, looking 
 down from their everlasting stillness on the rites of an old 
 paganism being celebrated by the disciples of a creed of 
 yesterday. 
 
 To-morrow, the Feast of the Baptist, Masses would be 
 sung and the sacred rites of Christianity offered up in 
 the Mother Church of Rome, from the summit of whose 
 stately portico the colossal figures of the Redeemer and His 
 Apostles gazed with stony indifference on the scene below. 
 But to-night Rome had thrown off her Christian mask, 
 and was frankly and honestly pagan. 
 
 Bands of young men, singing as they marched to the 
 accompaniment of mandolines and guitars, passed at inter- 
 vals through the crowd. Vehicles of all sorts and condi- 
 tions, from the mule-carts of the peasants to the equipages 
 of princes, passed in a perpetual stream towards the city 
 gate. The occupants of the latter were good-humouredly 
 submitting to a siege on the part of vendors of fragrant 
 lavender, of sweet - scented carnations, and evil - smelling 
 stems of blossoming garlic, the latter representing, perhaps, 
 the thongs of dog and goat skin with which the priests of 
 the God of Fecundity used to strike his votaries during 
 the orgies of the Lupercalia. 
 
 The flickering light from oil-lamps, or the steady white 
 glare of the acetylene gas-jets illuminating stalls on 
 which were displayed, not the locusts and wild-honey of 
 the Syrian ascetic, but the snails dear to the Roman popo- 
 
 309 
 
310 DONNA DIANA 
 
 lino fell upon a marvellous medley of faces, some beauti- 
 ful, some evil-looking, and some, again, both the one and 
 the other. 
 
 Of all the Roman popular festivals, the Notte di San 
 Giovanni is assuredly the most characteristic. The foreign 
 element which invades the winter nights' orgie of the 
 Befana, when the hotels are full and tourists mix with the 
 crowd, is entirely absent from it. Rome has donned her 
 summer garb, and is once more the city of the Romans, 
 and on all sides the soft Romanesco dialect is heard a 
 pleasing contrast to the accents of Anglo-Saxon and Teu- 
 tonic voices which fall so harshly on the ear during the 
 winter and spring months. 
 
 With all the noise and the revelry, the courtesy and 
 dignity that the Romans rarely lose except in moments of 
 anger are ever present. For a mile or so beyond the Porta 
 San Giovanni the road is lined on each side with booths 
 and improvised places for eating and drinking. At the 
 little tables whole families seat themselves; even little 
 children of three and four years old are there, eating their 
 snails, and placidly putting away an incredible quantity of 
 wine without apparently being the worse for it. The road- 
 way, indeed, seems transformed into an avenue lined with 
 snails and dishes of porchetto baked sucking-pig artisti- 
 cally browned, and stuffed with various spices and aromatic 
 herbs. And, to encourage the thirst of those who prefer 
 drinking to eating, there are other tables where packets of 
 bruscolini melon-seeds dried in the sun and salted are 
 served, together with measures of red and white wines from 
 the vineyards of the Castelli Romani or from the* back- 
 yards of the osteria, as the case may be. 
 
 Mixing in the crowd outside the gate may be seen faces 
 of well-known people of both sexes belonging to what their 
 owners would call ' society/ These have left their car- 
 riages within the gate, and have come to see society with 
 a small s amusing itself. But the latter is wholly indif- 
 ferent to their presence. They seat themselves at the tables 
 and order wine and melon-seeds not snails and sucking- 
 
DONNA DIANA 311 
 
 pig and they carry lavender and carnations in preference 
 to garlic. 
 
 Presently the illuminated cars will arrive,, with the sing- 
 ers of the Canzone Romanesche, which have been awarded 
 prizes, and which will become the popular songs for the 
 year if they are lucky enough to please the public taste. 
 In the meantime the eating and drinking goes on merrily., 
 as it will go on till the dawn begins to creep over the Sabine 
 Mountains. 
 
 The crowd waxes ever greater and more noisy, the air 
 becomes ever heavier with the odour of garlic, carnations, 
 roast pork and lavender strangely intermingled. And so 
 the festival of him who cried in the wilderness is ush- 
 ered in. 
 
 Edmund Vane had never assisted at the Notte di San 
 Giovanni, not having before stayed in Eome so late as the 
 end of June. Having often heard of it as the most typical 
 of the Boman festivals, he was extremely anxious to see it; 
 so he and Lino Savelli dined together, and afterwards took 
 a cab as far as the Piazza of the Lateran. They had 
 scarcely walked a few paces before Vane caught sight of 
 Monsieur de Villebois making his way through the crowd 
 in the company of two or three secretaries of his own and 
 other Embassies. Lino and he joined them, and they fol- 
 lowed the stream of people through the old gateway. 
 
 ( At least/ said the former to Vane, ' we shall be in plenty 
 of time to hear the songs, as we left the cars still in the 
 Corso, and it will take them the best part of an hour to get 
 here with all the stoppages en route. It would be a pity 
 that you should not hear them, for they are sometimes ex- 
 tremely pretty, and always very characteristic, both in words 
 and music.' 
 
 ' We had better secure a table and some chairs/ sug- 
 gested Monsieur de Villebois, ( and order wine and those 
 horrible seeds. What do you call them? Bruscolini, is it 
 not ? I draw the line at snails and pork at this hour of the 
 night, as I am past my fiftieth birthday/ 
 
 6 It is no use stopping here/ said Lino, laughing. f There 
 
312 DONNA DIANA 
 
 is an osteria about a quarter of a mile down the road where 
 they stop and sing the canzone premiate. We can pass the 
 time eating melon-seeds till they come/ 
 
 ' I shall pass a great deal of time eating them/ remarked 
 Monsieur de Villebois dryly. ( My friend/ he added sud- 
 denly to a young attache at his side, ' if you stare so indis- 
 creetly at every handsome face you see, you will get into 
 trouble before the night is over. Knives have a disagree- 
 able habit of showing the temper of their steel on this holy 
 vigil is it not so, Lino ? ' 
 
 ' Unluckily, yes/ replied the latter. ' The knife is still 
 the curse of this country, and especially of Home. By tol- 
 erating its use we are a barbarous people yet, and as long 
 as our juries find extenuating circumstances for nearly 
 every murderer whose friends can make it worth their while 
 to do so, we shall continue to be very far behind civiliza- 
 tion in that respect. This night rarely passes without 
 several cases of stabbing/ 
 
 ' That poor St. John ! ' murmured Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois. ' How much he is made responsible for ! Water, I 
 believe, was his particular element. It is a pity the Church 
 does not encourage the faithful to drink it to-night instead 
 of wine. Then, perhaps, there would be fewer murders.' 
 
 ' You forget that murders mean Masses for the souls of 
 the murdered/ said Lino Savelli. 'You must not spoil 
 the ecclesiastical nlarket, De Villebois/ 
 
 ( Mille pardons ! I forgot that a Cardinal's nephew was 
 present ! ' retorted the ex-diplomat maliciously. 
 
 Vane burst out laughing at Lino's discomfiture. He 
 had become accustomed to the latter's anti-clericalism, and, 
 indeed, the better he became acquainted with Home and 
 Italy, the less he was able to wonder at it. He had begun 
 to realize that no Italian worthy of the name could tolerate 
 the idea of his country once more falling under the emas- 
 culating influences of clerical dominion, or of its being 
 ever again overrun by foreign mercenaries summoned by 
 an internal foe. 
 
 Edmund was in better spirits that evening than he had 
 
DONNA DIANA 313 
 
 been for a long time. Donna Diana Savelli was now com- 
 pletely convalescent, and in a few days was to be moved to 
 the seaside. The knowledge that she had recovered so 
 satisfactorily from her illness would itself have been suffi- 
 cient to cause Vane to take a brighter view of things in 
 general. Lino Savelli's evident misgivings lest Diana's 
 malady might not have been a purely natural one had 
 weighed terribly upon his mind. Now, however, he could 
 dismiss any such sinister suspicions, and his spirits rose 
 accordingly. 
 
 He had also other reasons for feeling tolerably satisfied 
 with the turn events were taking. Lino had succeeded in 
 bringing Prince San Rocco and Vane together on several 
 occasions, both at the Circolo della Caccia and in his own 
 apartment. The result had been that Edmund had spoken 
 quite openly to the Prince as to his love for Donna Diana 
 Savelli, and of his hopes that, if she did not adhere to her 
 determination of embracing a religious life, she might, per- 
 haps, consent to become his wife. 
 
 Prince San Eocco had, of course, referred the matter to 
 the Princess. He had made his own inquiries about Ed- 
 mund Vane, and so far had heard nothing but good of him. 
 
 Princess San Rocco acquainted Cardinal Savelli with the 
 fact that Vane had made a formal declaration to her hus- 
 band of his desire to marry Diana. Somewhat to her sur- 
 prise, the Cardinal replied that he wished to see Mr. Vane, 
 and asked his sister if she would get the intimation con- 
 veyed to Edmund. 
 
 Lino Savelli was overjoyed when he heard that his friend 
 was to be received by the Cardinal. That Vane should be 
 so was at least a sign that his pretensions were about to be 
 considered seriously by Diana's guardian. As yet, how- 
 ever, no hint had reached Lino that his cousin had changed 
 her mind as to her vocation, save the uncertain remarks 
 on the subject which Prince San Rocco had let fall. 
 
 Nevertheless, everything pointed to the probability of 
 some change having occurred in Diana's sentiments, and 
 Lino Savelli felt some remorse for having misjudged the 
 
314 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Cardinal. The latter, Lino was obliged to confess both to 
 himself and to Edmund, had been liberal-minded in his 
 conduct, for as soon as he had become convinced that Diana 
 was not perfectly at ease regarding her vocation, he had 
 declared that she should be left absolute freedom of choice. 
 Lino reproached himself for the suspicions he had enter- 
 tained that his uncle had wished in some way or another to 
 retain his hold over Diana's fortune, and that with this ob- 
 ject in view he was encouraging her to enter religion. 
 
 It had been arranged that Edmund should be received by 
 Cardinal Savelli in the afternoon of the festa of San Gio- 
 vanni, and Vane felt that this Koman midsummer holiday 
 was to be a fateful day in his life. He wondered how the 
 Cardinal would regard his suit, and whether he would 
 hold out any encouragement, that Diana would listen to 
 it were it urged upon her. 
 
 Edmund felt hopeful, however, for he knew that he 
 had, at all events, secured an ally in Prince San Kocco. 
 But it was of no use to wonder what might or might not 
 be the result of his interview on the morrow with Car- 
 dinal Savelli; for to-night, at least, he determined to 
 interest himself in the traditional diversions of the Notti 
 di San Giovanni. 
 
 After some time he and his companions reached the oste- 
 ria Baldinotti, before which Lino assured them that the 
 cars would halt and the prize songs be sung. All around 
 were family groups seated at tables, among which busy 
 waiters hurried hither and thither attending to the wants 
 of newcomers. Lino Savelli found a vacant table, and they 
 took up their position at it, glad to find themselves out of 
 the mob in the roadway, and also to be able to sit down. 
 
 At length the cars arrived, and presently there was com- 
 parative silence among the crowd, as the soft notes of man- 
 dolines and guitars made themselves heard. 
 
 Suddenly the tones of a rich, full tenor voice rung out. 
 It was not a highly trained voice, perhaps, but, at the same 
 time, it was one of those you may accidentally hear singing 
 in the Koman streets on a summer evening one year, and 
 
DONNA DIANA 315 
 
 pay a guinea for the privilege of listening to it at Covent 
 Garden Theatre the next. 
 
 ' Tu sei 'na boja M' hai rubbato er core 
 Te lo sei preso a un friccio pe' vorta, 
 Mo' t' & finite tutto e de 'st' amore 
 Nun te n' importa piu, nun te n' importa. 
 
 'Pero nun credo che tu m' hai scordato 
 E che me lassi vive a 'sta magnera, 
 Perche drento a 'sto core addolorato 
 Sento 'na voce che mi dice : Spera 
 
 Words and music were alike typically Koman, and Ed- 
 mund was able to follow the dialect to a certain extent. 
 Without understanding a word,, however, the passionate 
 pathos the singer knew how to throw into the voice, a pathos 
 accumulated by the soft minor chords from the guitars and 
 mandolines, would have told its own story. 
 
 ' Tu sei 'na boja lo piagno 1' ore e T ore 
 Gnisuna cosa ar monno me conforta ; 
 Qui drento ci' o un deserto de dolore 
 Pensanno che pe' me forse sei morta. 
 
 'Per6 nun credo che tu m' hai scordato 
 E che mi lassi vive a 'sta magnera, 
 Perch drento a 'sto core addolorato 
 Sento 'na voce che mi dice: Spera.' 
 
 ' Singularly appropriate to you and Diana, Eddie/ said 
 Lino Savelli from across the table, as the crowd applauded 
 the song. ' Do you not hear the voice that bids you hope ? y 
 
 He spoke in English, knowing that the rest of the party 
 did not understand the language. 
 
 Edmund smiled. 
 
 ( I have always heard it, I think/ he replied ; ' sometimes 
 very faintly, but much more distinctly of late/ 
 
 They sat for some time longer watching the crowds 
 passing backwards and forwards. 
 
 As yet everything was orderly. All around them were 
 groups composed of artisans and their families, and mem- 
 bers of the piccola borghesia enjoying themselves with their 
 
316 DONNA DIANA 
 
 friends after their own fashion. By an hour after mid- 
 night, however, the self-respecting of these would go home, 
 leaving the field to the basso popolo. Then, as the small 
 hours of the morning approached, the scene would become 
 more brutal. The wine would begin to produce its effects, 
 and the hot Southern blood mount to the head, engender- 
 ing quick and violent quarrels between those who a moment 
 before had been boon companions. Knives would flash for 
 a moment in the glare of the gas-lights ; and then, perhaps, 
 a sudden cry, followed by an oath or a call upon the Ma- 
 donna, would ring out above the uproar. 
 
 Once again the accursed knife would have claimed its 
 victim; and the murderer would be housed and fed at the 
 expense of law-abiding tax-payers for a few months or 
 years, according to the sentimental caprice of a so-called 
 jury, to emerge from prison even a greater danger to society 
 than before. 
 
 Neither Vane nor Lino Savelli felt any inclination to 
 remain for very long after the conclusion of the songs. 
 Monsieur de Villebois and his companions were also quite 
 ready to return within the city walls. 
 
 Having at last succeeded in getting a waiter to tell them 
 how much they owed for their wine and bruscolini, they 
 were in the act of leaving their little table when Monsieur 
 de Villebois, who happened to be sitting next to Vane, saw 
 the latter start slightly, and look intently at a couple of 
 men and a woman seated at another table some little dis- 
 tance behind them. 
 
 ' There is the fellow I told you about/ said Edmund in 
 a low tone to him. e You remember, De Villebois the man 
 who, I thought, was " shadowing " me ? It is an odd 
 coincidence, isn't it? I have not seen him for a fortnight 
 or more, until just now/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois looked rapidly in the direction of 
 Vane's gaze. He said nothing, but followed Lino Savelli 
 and the two secretaries of his Embassy, who were already 
 making their way between the tables, into the road. 
 
 They all walked together in the direction of the gate, and 
 
DONNA DIANA 317 
 
 it was only just before reaching it that Edmund and Lino 
 Savelli, who had passed a little in front of the others, found 
 that they had become separated from them owing to the 
 pressure of the people. 
 
 Once inside the walls, the crowd became much more 
 scattered, and they walked slowly across the open space to 
 the steps of the Lateran basilica. Here they stood for a 
 few minutes, looking across to the church of Santa Croce 
 in Gerusalemme at the further end of the wide expanse of 
 ground covered with people and carriages of all descrip- 
 tions. Lino proposed taking a cab, but Vane demurred. 
 It would be pleasanter to walk home, he declared, after 
 having sat for so long. Crossing the piazza of the Lateran, 
 they proceeded leisurely up the long Via Merulana, and so 
 past Santa Maria Maggiore down the Esquiline Hill. 
 
 Vane's thoughts were occupied with the visit he was to 
 pay Cardinal Savelli on the afternoon of the day that 
 would shortly dawn, and he was talking of it earnestly to 
 Lino as they turned across the well-nigh deserted Via 
 Urbana. 
 
 Suddenly he was interrupted by a woman coming from 
 the contrary direction pushing somewhat violently up 
 against him. 
 
 He drew back with a few words of surprised apology, 
 thinking that the collision was due to his inattention as to 
 how he was walking; but the only acknowledgment he re- 
 ceived was a torrent of abuse, so rapidly and so loudly de- 
 livered that the sense of the words was lost upon him. 
 
 Suddenly Lino took his arm and dragged him forward. 
 ' Don't waste time by apologizing to her ! ' he exclaimed. 
 ' She ran against you purposely/ 
 
 The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a couple 
 of men sprang from the shadow of a doorway, and stood in 
 front of them. 
 
 Quick as lightning, Lino Savelli drew Vane back against 
 the wall of the house they were passing, and faced them. 
 At the same instant Edmund recognised in one of the men 
 his mysterious follower, and in the latter's companions the 
 
318 DONNA DIANA 
 
 two who had been sitting behind them while they were 
 listening to the songs a short time before. 
 
 The woman at once began to accuse Vane and Lino 
 Savelli of insulting her, and one of the men, his ' shadower/ 
 suddenly darted forward and seized Vane's arm. 
 
 The next instant he lay prostrate on the pavement, 
 stunned by a crashing blow between the eyes that Edmund 
 had dealt him with scientific calm and accuracy. 
 
 Vane turned to Lino with a short contemptuous laugh, 
 and was about to speak when the latter suddenly threw 
 himself in front of him, and forced him aside with such 
 violence as to send him reeling back against the wall. 
 There was a slight scuffle between Lino Savelli and the 
 second aggressor. Suddenly the latter took to his heels 
 and fled, and Vane saw that the woman had also dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 6 Diavolo, Eddie ! I wonder why they set upon you ! ' 
 exclaimed Lino. He was very white, and his blue eyes 
 flashed like burnished steel. ' They thought you were a 
 foreigner from whom they could extort money, I suppose, 
 and had not calculated the weight of an English fist.' 
 
 ' I hope I haven't killed the brute/ said Vane, pointing 
 to the prostrate form at their feet. ' We had better do 
 something for him/ he added. 
 
 ' Leave him alone, and come away at once/ answered 
 Lino shortly. 'I'm afraid I knocked you back rather 
 roughly, Eddie/ he continued; 'but the other fellow was 
 going for you, and I thought he might have a knife about 
 him. Come, let us walk on, and get into the first cab 
 we can pick up. Don't disturb yourself about that ca- 
 naglia, he will come to his senses after a bit/ 
 
 The whole had passed so rapidly that Vane felt com- 
 pletely confused. It did not seem strange, therefore, when 
 the sound of footsteps approaching them caused them to 
 look round, and they saw Monsieur de Villebois hurrying 
 towards them, coming from the same direction as their 
 late aggressors, whom he could have been scarcely a hun- 
 dred paces behind. 
 
DONNA DIANA 319 
 
 * Ah ! ' he cried, ' I am too late ! But you are neither 
 of you hurt?' he added anxiously. 
 
 'No/ said Vane; ' nobody is any the worse except our 
 friend here, and he is only stunned by bringing his silly 
 head up against my fist/ 
 
 ' I am sorry I was not in time/ said Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois, fingering a revolver as he spoke. ' The brutes doubled 
 down side streets in order to cut you off/ he continued. 
 ' I suspected that they were following you,, so I followed 
 them to see what their intentions were. Anyhow, we will 
 get this fellow arrested. One of you can go for a guardia, 
 and I will remain here with my revolver, in case this 
 gentleman gives any more trouble/ 
 
 ( No,' exclaimed Vane hurriedly. ' Leave him alone, 
 and let us get away/ 
 
 'But it is absurd/ began Monsieur de Villebois. 
 
 Edmund laid his hand on the Frenchman's arm. 
 
 6 For God's sake let the fellow escape ! ' he said in a low 
 voice. ' I have my reasons, De Villebois/ he added mean- 
 ingly. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois gave him a quick glance. 
 
 * Very well/ he replied briefly. ' Let us get away, then, 
 before we have to explain what is the matter with him/ 
 
 They walked on quickly, hoping to meet an empty cab. 
 Suddenly Vane became conscious that Lino Savelli was 
 very silent. Indeed, since Monsieur de Villebois' arrival 
 on the scene he had hardly uttered a word. Glancing at 
 him, Edmund was struck by his extreme pallor. 
 
 ' You are not hurt, Lino ? ' he asked eagerly. 
 
 * Hurt ! oh no ; but that other fellow knew how to use 
 his fists, too. He gave me a blow in the back which he 
 intended for you. It has rather knocked the wind out of 
 me, and I feel a little sick. It is nothing nothing at 
 all only I thought it's very ridiculous, Eddie but I 
 really am rather giddy let us stop/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois gave a sharp exclamation as Lino 
 suddenly reeled a little. 
 
 ' It is nothing,' the latter continued in Italian, ' only 
 
320 DONNA DIANA 
 
 a little giddiness; but I thought he meant to stab you, 
 Eddie, and and ' 
 
 And then, with a deep sigh, he sank fainting into Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois' outstretched arms. 
 
 Vane's face wag scarcely less pale than Lino Savelli's 
 as he knelt down on the pavement beside the latter, for 
 no sooner had Monsieur de Villebois withdrawn his hands 
 from underneath Lino's body than both saw that they were 
 wet with blood. At that moment a carriage came rapidly 
 towards them. It was a private carriage, and inside it 
 were two men evidently returning from San Giovanni. 
 Monsieur de Villebois signed to the coachman to stop, 
 and briefly explained to the occupants what had happened, 
 giving them at the same time his name. They at once 
 descended and placed the carriage at Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois' disposal, and he and Edmund lifted Lino gently into 
 it. The letter was still unconscious, and Monsieur de 
 Villebois bade the coachman drive as rapidly as possible 
 to the nearest hospital in which similar cases were treated. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 LINO SAVELLI'S wound received immediate attention in 
 the hospital of Sant' Antonio. The surgeons on night 
 duty were too well accustomed to such cases to lose any 
 time in ascertaining the nature and extent of his injury, 
 though their astonishment had been extreme when they 
 learned the name of their patient. 
 
 To Edmund Vane's intense relief and thankfulness, the 
 result of the medical examination was far more satis- 
 factory than either he or Monsieur de Villebois had dared 
 to hope. No vital part had been touched by the knife, 
 and Lino had fainted from gradual loss of blood. The 
 blow, however, had been dealt with great violence, and the 
 weapon employed had been sharp and slender, by no 
 means, so the surgeons declared, such an instrument as 
 was generally in use in Rome. In any case, the latter 
 were able to assure Edmund and Monsieur de Villebois 
 that Lino's life was in no danger, though had the weapon 
 not from some cause or another slightly glanced aside 
 the wound must have been instantly fatal. 
 
 The police authorities were immediately on the spot, 
 and took down Monsieur de Villebois' and Edmund's 
 depositions as to all that had occurred. Under other cir- 
 cumstances, the latter would have had to accompany the 
 officers to the Questura to undergo examination, but Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois' name was well known, so he and Vane 
 were spared that formality. As soon as Lino had recovered 
 consciousness, which he did not fully do until after his 
 wound had been dressed, he was also interrogated. 
 
 When the police - inspector learned that Monsieur de 
 Villebois had not been actually present when the two 
 younger men were attacked, but had arrived on the scene 
 
 321 
 
322 DONNA DIANA 
 
 a minute or two afterwards, he smiled a little cynically, 
 and cast a rapid glance at his subordinate officer. 
 
 ( It appears/ he said to Monsieur de Villebois, ' to have 
 been a questions di donna. Don Michelangelo Savelli and 
 this English gentleman are young men, and no doubt they 
 were a little indiscreet/ 
 
 Vane was about to burst forth with an indignant denial, 
 when a warning glance from Monsieur de Villebois checked 
 him. In an instant he recovered himself, and mentally 
 blessed the ex-diplomat for his ready tact. 
 
 e It is possible/ the latter replied, with a smile. e I have 
 not questioned my young friends upon that point. It 
 would be regarded as an extenuating circumstance in fa- 
 vour of the assassins no ? ' he added, with an irony that 
 was lost on the representatives of law and order. 
 
 The delegate shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 ' It is clearly the work of souteneurs/ he said. ' If this 
 gentleman had not been so ready with his fists, he and 
 Prince Savelli would have got off unharmed by paying a 
 few francs/ 
 
 Yane said nothing. It was better that the authorities 
 should think as this police-officer did than they should 
 suspect what he, Edmund, knew to be a hideous fact. He 
 knew now that he had been watched and followed for days 
 until those who were dogging his footsteps should be able 
 to create an opportunity to attack him. The blow that 
 had struck his friend down had been intended for him, 
 and Lino had redeemed the promise he had more than 
 once made him under the African stars. 
 
 Lino had saved his life by thrusting him aside and re- 
 ceiving the murderer's blow on his own person, knowing 
 the customs of the Eomans of the type of his aggressors, 
 and that it was more probable than not that the latter 
 would use his knife. 
 
 Edmund reproached himself bitterly now for not hav- 
 ing confided to Lino Savelli his suspicions that his move- 
 ments were being watched ; but he thought with a shudder 
 how much more terrible his self-reproach would have 
 
DONNA DIANA 323 
 
 been had not a merciful Providence caused the knife to 
 glance some fraction of an inch aside when the blow 
 was struck. 
 
 As it was, Lino knew nothing, and could guess nothing, 
 of the terrible suspicions that had haunted Vane's mind, 
 suspicions now changed into certainties. Thanks to Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois' presence of mind, the police, and there- 
 fore the newspapers and the public, would be persuaded 
 that Don Michelangelo Savelli had received his wound in 
 some dispute over a woman, in which he, Edmund, had 
 also been involved. It would not be creditable, certainly, 
 either to Lino or to himself, but at least the truth would 
 not be known the fact that a deliberate attempt had been 
 made on his life at the instigation of those who were cle- 
 termined that he should not marry Donna Diana Savelli. 
 
 There was no question of moving Lino from the hos- 
 pital that night, nor would the surgeons allow Monsieur 
 de Villebois and Vane to see him. Absolute repose, they 
 declared, was necessary for him, and Edmund was obliged 
 to be content with their assurances that there was no cause 
 for any alarm nor any fear that, with due care, the flesh 
 wound he had received would not heal rapidly and satis- 
 factorily. 
 
 There was an embarrassed silence between Vane and 
 Monsieur de Villebois as they left the hospital together. 
 Each knew what was in the other's mind, and neither 
 liked to speak their thoughts. 
 
 Edmund was the first to break this silence by telling 
 his companion how deeply he reproached himself for not 
 having acquainted Lino of the fact that on various occa- 
 sions he had suspected an individual of watching his move- 
 ments. 
 
 ' I had not noticed the fellow for so many days until 
 to-night/ he explained to Monsieur de Villebois, 'that I 
 really had begun to laugh at myself for having had any 
 such ideas.' 
 
 e You may depend upon it/ replied the latter, ' that you 
 have been shadowed the whole time. Those two scoundrels 
 
324 DONNA DIANA 
 
 will have taken care not to arouse your suspicions too 
 deeply.' 
 
 ' At least/ said Edmund, ' I am glad to think that Car- 
 dinal Savelli is clearly guiltless of any knowledge of this 
 infernal business/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois glanced at him. 
 
 ' We will hope so/ he replied dryly. 
 
 ' I am convinced of it, De Villebois ! ' returned Vane 
 warmly. ( I did not tell you/ he added, ' but you must 
 know that the Cardinal was going to receive me to-day 
 this afternoon. Prince San Rocco has arranged it. Car- 
 dinal Savelli is perfectly well aware of what I intend to 
 ask him/ 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois was silent for a moment. 
 
 ' It is a curious coincidence/ he observed presently, ( that 
 this attack should have been made upon you the very night 
 before you were to have this interview. But do not let 
 us talk about coincidences/ he added impatiently. 'You 
 and I both know that they do not exist, that it was never 
 intended this interview should take place.' 
 
 Edmund nodded. 
 
 ' I have thought so myself/ he said ; ' but of this, again, 
 I am persuaded that Cardinal Savelli is absolutely in- 
 nocent. I do not want to think too much as to who is 
 the real instigator of the attack made upon me to-night. 
 Luckily, Lino has no suspicions at least, I trust not. 
 He will think, like everybody else, that it was the work 
 of souteneurs, and that they attacked me because I was 
 a foreigner. It is fortunate, for some reasons, that there 
 was a woman present, for it will make people believe the 
 whole affair to be a very ordinary and somewhat discredit- 
 able adventure. I was angry for the moment/ he added, 
 'when that police-officer at once jumped at the conclu- 
 sion that Lino and I had furnished our assailants with 
 extenuating circumstances. Had it not been for your 
 look at me, De Villebois, I should have utterly denied the 
 imputation and landed myself in a difficulty by doing so. 
 It was very clever of you to guess that the simplest way 
 
DONNA DIANA 325 
 
 would be to let the police place this construction on the 
 matter/ 
 
 ' You forget, my dear friend/ replied Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois,, ( that you had already given me my instruction. Had 
 it not been for your begging me not to do so, I should have 
 handed that fellow you knocked down over to a guardia. 
 But I believed I understood your motives for letting him 
 get away unquestioned.' 
 
 6 It was very clever of you to recollect them at a mo- 
 ment when I had forgotten them/ said Edmund. ' Now/ 
 he continued, 'Lino and I shall have to be content with 
 being the heroes of a vulgar street adventure like a couple 
 of tourists. As I say, it is certainly discreditable; but 
 I fear that the truth would be far more discreditable, and 
 my object is to save Lino from the knowledge of certain 
 things if I can do so. He has saved by life, De Villebois/ 
 Edmund added a little huskily, 'for he suspected that 
 brute had a knife. Now I wish to save his family honour. 
 I have my own reason for suspecting who directed the 
 blow that was to prevent me from ever having my inter- 
 view with Cardinal Savelli.' 
 
 f I understand/ said Monsieur de Villebois ; ' but I 
 doubt if you quite realize the position in which you have 
 been placed, my dear Vane.' 
 
 'Oh, the position. Yes, it is very tiresome/ Edmund 
 replied; 'but thank God it is not worse. It makes me 
 sick to think of how nearly Lino Savelli lost his own life 
 in defending mine/ he added. ' But it was like him. I 
 have never detected a mean thought in Lino, still less a 
 mean action. What nonsense foreigners, especially those 
 of my race, talk about the Italians and Eomans when they 
 declare them all to be untrustworthy, and only seeking to 
 make some profit out of somebody ! As if there were not 
 as many loyal gentlemen among all classes in Italy as in 
 any other country! and more, perhaps, than in some 
 countries which boast a great deal of their morality and 
 high principles.' 
 
 'Yes/ observed Monsieur de Villebois, 'that is quite 
 
326 DONNA DIANA 
 
 true. An Italian untouched by the love of money is one 
 of the best specimens of humanity that I know, and among 
 the Romans there are more such of all classes than in most 
 parts of Italy. But, unluckily, the passion for money is 
 very strong in the race; the Jewish strain, which is so 
 indignantly denied, and is yet so conspicuous, comes out 
 there. After all/ he added, ' we are probably right in 
 supposing the love of money to have something to do with 
 to-night's business, as it has had to do with Donna Diana 
 Savelli's pretended vocation for the cloister.' 
 
 ' The conspirators have overreached themselves/ said 
 Edmund, with a short laugh. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois glanced at him. 
 
 ' Are you quite sure of that ? ? he asked. c They have 
 failed in putting you out of the way, certainly, but they 
 have succeeded in seriously compromising your chances 
 of marrying Donna Diana Savelli.' 
 
 ( I do not see how/ said Edmund. 
 
 ' Do you not ? ' returned Monsieur de Villebois. ' Do 
 you think, my dear friend, that a night affray in the 
 streets of Eome about a well, let us call her, for cour- 
 tesy's sake, a cocotte is a good credential for a young 
 man who is supposed to be in love with an innocent girl 
 hitherto destined to the convent? Do you suppose that, 
 even granting His Eminence Savelli to be completely ir- 
 responsible for this business, he will feel encouraged to 
 give his niece to a young man whose name will figure as 
 one of the heroes of such an adventure ? ' 
 
 ' Damnation ! ' exclaimed Vane ; ( I never thought of 
 that, De Villebois.' 
 
 ( No/ replied the latter, ' I know you have never thought 
 of it. You thought only of how you could spare your 
 loyal friend Lino Savelli the shame and mortification of 
 learning the whole truth of this disgraceful affair. You 
 have never realized, as I said just now, the position in 
 which your enemies have so cleverly placed you. I do not 
 believe that they intended to take your life so much as to 
 take away your character. To take away the former would 
 
DONNA DIANA 327 
 
 have been too dangerous. That other fellow the man 
 who stabbed Lino and then bolted lost his head, and 
 dealt too violent a blow, if, indeed, any blow with a knife 
 had been contemplated. Personally, I believe that it never 
 was contemplated/ 
 
 ' What makes you doubt it ? ' asked Vane. 
 
 ' Simply because the individual who for days had fol- 
 lowed you, and whom you planted so neatly on the pave- 
 ment, could probably have murdered you over and over 
 again, had he wished to do so. He, presumably, had his 
 instructions to place you in some compromising position, 
 and then to frighten you by threats of exposure which he 
 would have been paid to carry out. It is not the first 
 case of the kind that has occurred in Eome, or in other 
 cities, for that matter/ 
 
 6 1 never thought of it/ repeated Edmund. ' Of course/ 
 he added, c I see it all now. But could anybody have con- 
 ceived such a thing to be possible in these days? I begin 
 to think that Lino is right when he declares that in some 
 ways Eome has not yet even reached the Middle Ages/ 
 
 ' A great many things are possible when the handling 
 of a million of francs is concerned/ said Monsieur de 
 Villebois. 'If you think for a moment/ he added, 'you 
 will see that the campaign has been carried out upon a 
 regular system. Directly it became evident to certain 
 people that your presence in Eome was undesirable, a 
 story, discreditable both to you and Lino Savelli, was 
 spread abroad. The story missed its mark, partly because 
 nobody cared very much whether you had paid Lino Sa- 
 velli's debts, or whether you hadn't, and partly because 
 both of you had friends who laughed it down. After that, 
 it became necessary to discredit you at all costs, hence our 
 adventure of to-night. Fortunately, in this case also, you 
 have a friend who, if necessary, is in a position to throw 
 a different light on the affair/ 
 
 'You mean yourself ?' said Vane. 
 
 'Yes. The police only know that I came up after the 
 whole thing was over. They do not know that you had 
 
328 DONNA DIANA 
 
 already pointed out to me one of your assailants as the 
 individual who had so frequently crossed your path of late, 
 nor do they know that I separated myself from my com- 
 panions and followed this individual and the man and 
 woman who were with him. My testimony may be val- 
 uable, and you are welcome to call upon me to give it 
 privately, either to Cardinal Savelli or to any other mem- 
 bers of Donna Diana's family who may require proof that 
 you and Lino were not attacked while engaged in a ques- 
 tionable adventure.' 
 
 e I wish I could tell you how much your words relieve 
 my mind/ said Edmund warmly. ' Cardinal Savelli would 
 be perfectly justified in declining to listen to my proposal 
 to marry his niece if he thought as everybody probably 
 will think when the story is known. The thing that 
 troubles me is that I do not see how we can avoid explain- 
 ing the whole affair to Lino.' 
 
 6 That,' replied Monsieur de Villebois, f entirely depends 
 upon whether you are correct in believing Cardinal Savelli 
 to be in ignorance of any scheme to prevent his niece from 
 marrying you. In a word, it depends upon whether His 
 Eminence is a knave or a fool.' 
 
 It was nearly three o'clock in the morning before Ed- 
 mund reached his own abode. 
 
 Sleep was out of the question, and he lay watching the 
 summer dawn stealing across the sky, and counting the 
 hours as the clocks struck in the different quarters of 
 the city. 
 
 He had made up his mind that by eight o'clock at the 
 latest he would go to the Palazzo San Eocco. He would 
 acquaint the Prince with the true version of what had 
 happened, so far as he could do so without allowing him 
 to suspect that the affray in which Lino had so nearly 
 lost his life had been deliberately planned with a view, 
 either finally to get rid of him, Edmund Vane, or to 
 render it impossible that he should be allowed to become 
 the husband of Donna Diana Savelli. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 CARDINAL SAVELLI had just finished saying Mass in his 
 private chapel. He had been unrobed of his sacred vest- 
 ments by his personal domestic, who had also assisted him 
 as * server ' during its celebration, and had retired into his 
 study where his morning repast of coffee and rolls would 
 shortly be brought to him. 
 
 It was about half-past eight, and the windows of the 
 room were open, letting in the cool, fresh breeze of the 
 summer morning. The air resounded with the bells of the 
 neighbouring churches ringing in honor of the day dedi- 
 cated to St. John the Baptist, and Cardinal Savelli stood 
 awhile at one of the windows whence he could see across 
 the Tiber to the green heights of the Janiculum opposite. 
 He was feeling strangely weary, with a weariness that had 
 seemed of late to creep over him a kind of physical las- 
 situde for which he felt himself quite unable to account. 
 That he was weary mentally he knew but too well. Every 
 day now appeared to bring him fresh anxieties and fresh 
 embarrassments. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli said to himself sometimes that it al- 
 most seemed as though his creditors were in league with 
 the devil to force him into abandoning his determination 
 to leave his niece free to renounce her supposed vocation 
 should she wish to do so. 
 
 He had said the same thing both to his nephew Marco, 
 and to Monsignor Tomei. Of the latter, indeed, the Car- 
 dinal had of late seen very little. It had not been agree- 
 able to listen to Monsignor Tomei's gloomy prognostica- 
 tions, and each time he had requested an audience it had 
 been for the purpose of acquainting his patron of some 
 bill that had fallen due, a renewal of which it had been 
 
330 DONNA DIANA 
 
 quite impossible for him to negotiate. Cardinal Savelli, 
 as a matter of fact, had begun to realize that the business 
 capacities of Monsignor Tomei, upon which he had so 
 much relied, had been confined to borrowing money for 
 him, and that, so long as Monsignor Tomei had believed 
 him to have security to offer, money had been forth- 
 coming. 
 
 On reverting in his mind to their conversations together, 
 the Cardinal could not but remember that when any new 
 financial difficulty presented itself Monsignor Tomei had 
 invariably urged him to make use of Diana's capital. But 
 Cardinal Savelli's resolutions, formed during the hours 
 he had passed in Diana's sick-room, had not been lightly 
 taken. They had, moreover, been, as it were, cemented 
 and strengthened by honest and constant prayer. He had 
 prayed fervently and continuously that the temptation to 
 sacrifice his niece's future to his own interests might pass 
 from him, that he might be fortified to meet the disasters 
 his own weakness had brought upon him. - 
 
 Much, he felt, would depend upon the interview which 
 he was to have that afternoon with Diana's lover. He had 
 taken steps to ascertain how much ground there might be 
 for the mysterious hints that Marco was perpetually pour- 
 ing into his ears concerning Vane's evil mode of life, but 
 he had not as yet succeeded in finding any justification 
 for them. There was, to be sure, the story that his 
 nephew Lino had allowed his friend to pay his debts in 
 exchange for his facilitating the latter's marriage with 
 Diana. This was a story difficult enough to disprove, 
 but Cardinal Savelli had only recently been assured by 
 his brother-in-law that he knew for a fact that Lino was 
 not, and never had been, in debt to anything but the most 
 permissible extent, and that the story was a pure inven- 
 tion. 
 
 If only this Englishman were really as indifferent to 
 Diana's fortune as Prince San Eocco declared him to be, 
 Cardinal Savelli felt that perhaps matters might not come 
 to the crisis foreseen by Monsignor Tomei. If the mar- 
 
DONNA DIANA 331 
 
 riage were arranged, Vane might give him time years 
 perhaps in which to pay over the whole of his niece's 
 dot. Then he would be able to replace the sums he had 
 abstracted, he would be able gradually to pay off his own 
 debts, and be free to help Marco Marco, who was a son 
 to him, and to whom he would leave any money that 
 might remain to him at his death. 
 
 The sound of the door of his study being hastily opened 
 interrupted Cardinal Savelli's train of thoughts. Think- 
 ing that it was the servant bringing his coffee, he moved 
 away from the window and found himself confronted by 
 his nephew. 
 
 Marco was trembling with agitation. In his hand he 
 carried a packet of newspapers which he held out towards 
 the Cardinal as though unable to trust himself to speak. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at him with astonishment and 
 anxiety. 
 
 'What is it?' he exclaimed. 'What has happened, 
 Marco? The Holy Father ' 
 
 Marco shook his head. 
 
 ' You had better read for yourself,' he said. < It is in 
 all the morning papers the Popolo Romano, Messaggiero 
 all of them even the Voce della Verita.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli took one of the crumpled journals from 
 him and glanced his eyes over it rapidly. Then he gave 
 a sudden exclamation of horror and dismay. 
 
 ' Yes/ said Marco, in a loud, excited voice. ( It is quite 
 true. Now, perhaps, you will believe that I was right 
 when I warned you as to what kind of individual this 
 precious Englishman is. You see the life into which he 
 drags my brother a low brawl in the streets of Eome over 
 a prostitute ! And this is the man to whom you propose 
 to marry Diana.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sank into a chair with a groan. Then 
 he spread the newspaper on the table before him and read 
 the long paragraph through without uttering a word. The 
 paragraph was headed : ' A Roman Prince and an English 
 Personage attacked in the Via Cavour. Don Michelangelo 
 
332 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Savelli stabbed' printed in large characters and inserted 
 in the most conspicuous portion of the journal. 
 
 The story had lost nothing by passing through the 
 hands of the journalists. Surmises, inuendoes all were 
 there everything, in short, that could excite the morbid 
 curiosity of the reader. 
 
 ' I hope it will be a lesson to Lino/ said Marco, as his 
 uncle, having read the paragraph, sat staring in front of 
 him as though half stunned by its contents. ' Now that 
 he has disgraced us before all Rome, and has escaped with 
 his life almost by a miracle, perhaps he will shake off 
 this disreputable friend/ he added contemptuously. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli turned his eyes slowly upon him. There 
 was a ring of triumph and complacency in Marco's voice 
 that did not escape him. 
 
 ' We have not yet heard your brother's and Mr. Vane's 
 account of the matter/ he said quietly. ( Newspaper para- 
 graphs are not always reliable. You must recollect that 
 other stories about them have had no foundation. I think 
 you are too ready to believe the worst of Vane/ he added. 
 
 Marco Savelli made an impatient gesticulation. 
 
 ' I warned you, uncle/ he replied quickly. ( I heard 
 some time ago certain things about him more than I 
 cared to repeat to you. It was a mere question of time 
 before he got into trouble in some of the places he was 
 known to frequent. I was always certain he would be 
 found out, only I naturally could not have been inspired 
 to know that we should have to suffer the disgrace of a 
 Savelli being mixed up in such a vile affair. However, 
 mercifully, Lino's wound appears not to be dangerous. 
 Poor Diana ! what an escape for her ! This Vane might, 
 at least, have had the decency to leave off his habits while 
 he was pretending to be in love with her.' 
 
 'But we know nothing yet, Marco/ said Cardinal Sa- 
 velli almost pleadingly. ' Perhaps it is not true about 
 about the woman. They may have been attacked. The 
 papers say they were returning from San Giovanni, where 
 they had been in the company of a member of the Corps 
 
DONNA DIANA 333 
 
 diplomatique. The name of the latter, by the way, is 
 not mentioned.' 
 
 e The papers say that they professed to have been at the 
 Notte di San Giovanni/ said Marco dryly. ' Most prob- 
 ably they never were there at all. As to their companion, 
 whoever he may have been, it appears that he did not ar- 
 rive upon the scene till afterwards. I am afraid,' he con- 
 tinued, ' that the newspapers are right. You know that 
 their reporters go to the Questura to examine the registers 
 of accidents and crimes.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sighed. 
 
 'I do not know what to do,' he exclaimed almost petu- 
 lantly. t They have not sent me any message from Pa- 
 lazzo San Rocco, and, of course, I cannot mix myself up 
 in such an affair as this. It is bad enough, as you say, 
 Marco, to feel that our name is being dragged before the 
 public in connection with such a discreditable occurrence. 
 As the accounts declare that Lino's wound is not serious, 
 I think I had better take the line of ignoring the whole 
 matter so far as he is concerned. Everybody knows that 
 I disapprove of his principles and of his politics.' 
 
 ' But you cannot ignore it as far as Vane is concerned,' 
 said Marco hastily. ' You will surely have it conveyed to 
 him that the mere fact of his having been concerned in 
 such an adventure makes any further question of his being 
 permitted to pay his addresses to Diana quite impossible.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at his nephew curiously and did 
 not immediately reply. 
 
 ' I think I told you,' he said presently, * that I had ar- 
 ranged to receive Mr. Vane to-day, in order to hear what 
 he has to say. Now, perhaps he will not come.' 
 
 Marco looked up quickly from the newspaper, which he 
 was again studying with scarcely concealed satisfaction 
 written on his countenance. 
 
 ' Oh,' he replied, e I should not wonder if he were to 
 come all the same. He must be a tolerably shameless per- 
 son, I should imagine. No doubt he will want to persuade 
 you that there is nothing in this episode that he has been 
 
334 DONNA DIANA 
 
 a victim to an ordinary aggressione, and deserves your sym- 
 pathy rather than your contempt. But, of course, you will 
 refuse to receive him/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli hesitated. Then he replied quietly: 
 ''If Mr. Vane comes, I shall receive him. He has a right 
 to be heard/ 
 
 ' Impossible ! ' exclaimed Marco angrily. ' It would 
 
 ' Basta, Marco ! ' returned the Cardinal authoritatively. 
 ' I say that I shall receive him. You forget my position 
 towards Diana. Besides, it is my wish to give him an in- 
 terview, and that is sufficient. Do not let me hear any 
 more objections/ 
 
 Marco Savelli was silent for a moment. 
 
 { Of course,' he said at length, ' if it is your intention 
 to receive him, there is no more to be said. But I hope that 
 at least you will have some third person present at the 
 interview/ 
 
 e Yourself, for instance?' 
 
 Marco started slightly. The Cardinal's tone was unmis- 
 takably ironical, and his nephew glanced at him uneasily. 
 
 c No,' he replied coldly, 'not myself, thank you, uncle. 
 I have not the slightest desire to meet Mr. Vane, either 
 here or anywhere else/ 
 
 e Then whom do you suggest should be present ? ' 
 
 ( Monsignor Tomei is in your confidence,' answered 
 Marco a little hesitatingly, ' and he is a man of business. 
 You should certainly have some reliable person with you/ 
 
 ' Monsignor Tomei ! ' repeated the Cardinal impatiently. 
 I have relied too much, and too long, upon Monsignor 
 Tomei. Besides, I have no intention of permitting Mon- 
 signor Tomei to interfere in the matter. If Mr. Vane 
 comes this afternoon, I shall receive him alone/ 
 
 At that moment a servant entered the room with the Car- 
 dinal's coffee. The man looked curiously at Cardinal Sa- 
 velli and Marco, and lingered over his arrangement with 
 the tray until the Cardinal somewhat impatiently told him 
 that he required nothing more. 
 
DONNA DIANA 335 
 
 e He has been reading the Messaggiero/ said Marco Sa- 
 velli with a disagreeable smile, as soon as the servant had 
 left the room. ( It is pleasant to think that all the servitu 
 in Rome is discussing us this morning, and that all our 
 friends and acquaintances are engaged in doing the same 
 thing/ 
 
 ' You will go to San Giacomo, I suppose, and see Lino/ 
 said the Cardinal presently. 
 
 ' I think not/ replied Marco hurriedly. ' You see, as you 
 say yourself, he is in no danger. I have no wish to become 
 involved -in the matter, so that when I am questioned I can 
 truly say that I know nothing whatever about it beyond 
 what has already appeared in the newspapers. There is 
 nothing more to know, indeed, except things that Lino and 
 his friend probably have good reasons for keeping to them- 
 selves. The police are not likely to lay their hands on the 
 gang who attacked Lino. It is very easy to read between 
 the lines of these newspaper reports which the Questura 
 has, of course, inspired. You may depend upon it that 
 we shall hear no more about it, for it is to everybody's in- 
 terest that the matter should be allowed quietly to drop/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli poured himself out a small cup of black 
 coffee and dipped a piece of roll into it. 
 
 ' I should doubt either Lino or Vane allowing it to drop/ 
 he observed. 
 
 ' It is very evident that you believe in their innocence/ 
 exclaimed Marco irritably ; ' and yet, as I say, I warned you 
 as to what sort of a type Vane is known to be. Why should 
 he and Lino not allow the matter to drop ? ' he added un- 
 easily. 
 
 ' Lino might do so/ said Cardinal Savelli, ( but I should 
 think that Vane would naturally wish to prove his inno- 
 cence of what is imputed by these newspaper paragraphs, 
 if he can/ 
 
 Marco made no reply, but the uneasy look on his face 
 increased as he listened to the Cardinal's words. He was, 
 indeed, both alarmed and angry at the unexpected turn 
 events had taken. To do him justice, he had neve# in- 
 
336 DONNA DIANA 
 
 tended that Vane's life should be threatened. The report 
 he had read in that morning's papers had not only startled 
 him, but had also considerably embarrassed him. 
 
 As a matter of fact, Marco was furious with the indi- 
 vidual whom Monsignor Tomei had suggested as a useful 
 accomplice to their designs for having bungled his busi- 
 ness; nor could he understand how his brother could have 
 been wounded, though he had at once conjectured that Lino 
 had been stabbed in defending his friend. He cursed Mon- 
 signor Tomei in his heart for having been too precipitate, 
 and for not clearly explaining to his accomplice that the 
 Englishman must be trapped when he was alone, and made 
 the subject of a scandal that should find its way to the 
 press and the public. 
 
 And yet Marco Savelli was obliged to confess to himself 
 that he was to blame in having warned Monsignor Tomei 
 as to the necessity for immediate action. As soon as he had 
 learned from Cardinal Savelli that a day had been fixed 
 for Vane to be received by him, Marco had informed Mon- 
 signor Tomei of the fact, and they had both agreed that no 
 time was to be lost in effecting Edmund's ruin. 
 
 That anything of the kind would have been attempted 
 unless Vane had been by himself, and still less that it would 
 have been attempted when the latter was in Lino's com- 
 pany, had never entered into his calculations. Marco could 
 only conclude that none of the individuals engaged knew 
 his brother by sight, and that, owing to Lino's height, and 
 the cut of his English-made clothes, they had supposed him 
 also to be an Englishman. 
 
 What had happened, however, had happened, and Marco 
 Savelli had at once determined to turn to good account the 
 error that had been committed. It should not be difficult, 
 he argued to himself, to add to the unpleasantness of Vane's 
 position by impressing upon Cardinal Savelli that it was 
 thanks to Vane's evil influence if Lino had found himself 
 in such equivocal company, while any denials on the part 
 of Lino himself would only be regarded as made to shield 
 his friend. 
 
DONNA DIANA 337 
 
 Nevertheless, Marco felt uneasy in his mind. He had 
 hoped and expected that Cardinal Savelli would indig- 
 nantly refuse to accord Vane an interview, after learning 
 what had happened; and his uneasiness had not been 
 decreased by the Cardinal's firm resolve to speak with the 
 man who was aspiring to his niece's hand. 
 
 Marco was wondering what might be his uncle's reason 
 for being so unwilling to be finally convinced of Vane's 
 unworthiness, when the servant who had brought in the 
 coffee reappeared with a note upon a salver, which he 
 brought to the Cardinal. 
 
 ' From His Excellency the Prince San Eocco/ the man 
 said, and added that a servant was waiting for an an- 
 swer. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli took the note, which was marked 
 ' Urgente/ and Marco watched his countenance eagerly as 
 he broke the seal and read its contents. 
 
 6 Your wish that someone should be present during my 
 interview with Mr. Vane will be gratified,' Cardinal Savelli 
 said to his nephew, after a pause. ' This is from your uncle 
 San Eocco. He suggests that he should accompany Vane 
 when the latter comes to see me this afternoon/ 
 
 * Does he say anything about last night's affair ? ' asked 
 Marco. 
 
 e Nothing. That is, he says that Mr. Vane will explain 
 to me the unfortunate occurrence that no doubt I have 
 seen reported in this morning's paper; and he adds that 
 there is no reason for any anxiety on Lino's behalf.' 
 
 ' Unfortunate occurrence ! 9 repeated Marco sarcastically. 
 ' That is a mild term to bestow upon it. I should think 
 you and Uncle San Eocco would require very satisfactory 
 explanations and convincing proofs of their veracity.' 
 
 ' I shall require them certainly/ replied Cardinal Savelli. 
 ' I am in great hopes,' he added, almost cheerfully, ( that 
 they will be forthcoming. It appears that the member of 
 the diplomatic body alluded to in the newspaper is Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois/ 
 
 ( Monsieur de Villebois ! ' exclaimed Marco. 
 
338 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Yes/ continued the Cardinal, rubbing his hands gently 
 together. ' I know him, though it is a long time since I 
 have seen much of him. He used to be Conseiller at the 
 French Embassy, you know. Somewhat of a freethinker, 
 I fear like so many of his nation but a gentleman, and 
 quite a reliable person/ 
 
 ' But he knows nothing about it/ returned Marco hastily. 
 6 He only came up when when everything was over/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli glanced again at his brother-in-law's 
 missive. 
 
 'It appears that he knows a good deal about it/ he 
 replied 'so much so that your uncle asks me to receive 
 Monsieur de Villebois at the same time as I receive Mr. 
 Vane. Now, Marco, I must beg you to leave me. I must 
 answer this note, and I have other business to attend to, 
 though I do not feel up to much business to-day/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose from his chair and walked to the 
 writing-table. His movements were slow, and, notwith- 
 standing Marco's preoccupation, it struck the latter that 
 his uncle was feeble, and looked even older than he had 
 done of late. 
 
 ' You are not feeling well ? 9 Marco asked of him. 
 
 The Cardinal sighed. 
 
 ' I am feeling old/ he said with a smile ' old in body 
 and old in mind. It is the heat, perhaps, for, after all, I 
 am not so very old. I should like to rest, Marco to rest. 
 You know/ he added, ' that my affairs have been worrying 
 me of late. I am not satisfied with Tomei not at all 
 satisfied. He has not advised me well, and now I find that 
 every week my embarrassments increase/ 
 
 Marco looked at him furtively. Cardinal Savelli was 
 gazing straight in front of him with the fixed look in his 
 eyes that those about him had noticed during the last few 
 weeks. It was, perhaps, as well that he did not see the 
 expression, half eager and half contemptuous, on his 
 nephew's face. 
 
 'If I am to believe Tomei/ Marco said significantly, 
 ' these embarrassments will increase considerably should 
 
DONNA DIANA 339 
 
 you be called upon to pay over Diana's fortune. Surely, it 
 is worth while to think well before placing yourself at 
 the mercy of a foreigner who wili probably insist upon 
 seeing the whole of his bride's dot' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli half rose from his chair, and his whole 
 person trembled with agitation. 
 
 ' No, Marco no ! ' he exclaimed. ' Not you I will not 
 be tempted by you ! I have been an unfaithful steward 
 do you understand? an unfaithful steward. But now 
 I have thought well, as you say I will not go to my grave 
 with the consciousness that I have wronged an innocent 
 girl. I will not bring more dishonour on the name of 
 Savelli than I may already have brought I will not do 
 more evil to purchase a false tranquillity. I care nothing 
 for the money do you understand ? nothing nothing ! ' 
 His voice rose until it became almost a hoarse shriek. 
 c Go ! ' he added, pointing with a shaking hand towards the 
 door ' go ! If I sinned, I sinned to benefit you, in the 
 first instance, though afterwards I sinned to benefit myself. 
 Go, I say! God knows what may be your motives for 
 tempting me you and Tomei but I will not listen to 
 you any more/ 
 
 Marco Savelli, astonished and alarmed at this sudden 
 outburst, looked at his uncle in silence for a moment or 
 two. Then he moved quickly towards the door. 
 
 The Cardinal's voice arrested him on the threshold. 
 
 ( I know it is because you wish to help me that you speak 
 as you do/ Cardinal Savelli said. ' But you do not under- 
 stand, Marco. If the money was yours instead of being 
 Diana's, you would do all you could to make things easier 
 for me oh, I know that very well ! But, as it is, you make 
 things more difficult you cannot realize how much more, 
 difficult.' 
 
 He broke off suddenly and leaned back in- his seat. 
 
 All trace of anger had vanished, and his eyes rested on 
 his nephew affectionately, though very sadly. 
 
 Marco Savelli pushed aside the portiere and opened the 
 door behind it. 
 
340 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' We will discuss the subject again/ he said coldly, ' when 
 you have had your interview with the hero of this morning's 
 police reports. Certainly, if the money were mine, you 
 should not be in any financial difficulties. But then, 
 again, were I responsible for Diana and her money, I 
 should not resign them to a pessimo soggetto like Vane.' 
 
 And then, without further words, he left the room. 
 
CHAPTEE XXVIII 
 
 WHEN Edmund Vane reached the Palazzo San Eocco 
 between seven and eight o'clock in the morning, he found 
 the old porter Antonio in a state of mingled excitement 
 and distress. The newspaper vendors had already hastened 
 to communicate the adventure that had befallen Don 
 Michelangelo Savelli the night before, and a sensational 
 account of it published in the columns of the Messaggiero 
 had been read several times over by Antonio's youngest son, 
 the scholar of the family, in the recesses of the porter's 
 lodge, where a group of friends and acquaintances had 
 listened open-mouthed to the fattaccio. 
 
 As soon as the old man saw Vane descending from his 
 cab he had become very pale, and asked him in a whisper 
 if the signorino were dead. Edmund hastened to reassure 
 him by telling him that Don Michelangelo was very much 
 alive, and had not the slightest intention of dying. Then, 
 knowing the power of circulating gossip possessed by 
 Eoman house-porters, he added that the whole affair had 
 been absurdly exaggerated. Nevertheless, his appearance 
 at the Palazzo San Eocco at that hour of the morning, and 
 his request that the Prince should be informed that he 
 wished to see him as soon as it was possible for the latter 
 to receive him, could not but fill the minds of the house- 
 hold with every sort of sinister forebodings. 
 
 After a short delay, he had been ushered into Prince 
 San Eocco's private room, and at once gathered that nobody 
 had as yet ventured to inform him of the startling an- 
 nouncement made by the morning journals. 
 
 For a few minutes his relief at hearing that his favourite 
 nephew's state gave no cause for alarm or anxiety pre- 
 dominated over every other feeling in Prince San Eocco's 
 
 341 
 
342 DONNA DIANA 
 
 mind. It was only after this feeling had partially subsided 
 that he began to realize the vulgar sordidness of the 
 circumstances under which Lino had so nearly met with 
 his death. 
 
 When he did realize them, Prince San Eocco became 
 furiously angry, and his anger, as was very natural, turned 
 against Vane. 
 
 The latter listened to his upbraidings without attempt- 
 ing to argue with him or to justify himself, feeling that it 
 would be useless to do either the one or the other until the 
 proud old Roman's indignation became less fiery. 
 
 Probably it was this very calmness and self-restraint on 
 Edmund's part that caused Prince San Rocco suddenly to 
 consider whether he were not judging both him and Lino 
 somewhat hastily. He paused abruptly in the midst of his 
 angry comments, and looked at Vane steadily. 
 
 6 You do not offer any excuses for this discreditable 
 affair/ he observed. 
 
 ' No/ Vane replied quietly, ( I do not. Were I to offer 
 excuses or explanations, it would be a proof that I knew 
 them to be necessary.' 
 
 ( And do you suppose that they are not necessary ? ' asked 
 Prince San Rocco testily, astonished at this exhibition of 
 British phlegm. ' It appears to me/ he added, ' that they 
 are more necessary in your case than in my nephew's. He 
 at least is not in the delicate position of seeking permission 
 to pay his addresses to a young girl.' 
 
 ' That is the very reason why I must decline to offer any 
 explanations/ said Edmund. 'Your nephew and I have 
 been attacked, and our lives threatened. It is from other 
 quarters that explanations must come as to why we were 
 singled out for aggression. As to the supposition that we 
 had interfered with the woman who was the accomplice of 
 our aggressors, to you, Prince, I am ready to swear that 
 it is utterly and completely a false supposition, though I 
 quite grant it to be a very natural one, under the circum- 
 stances/ 
 
 ' Oh/ replied Prince San Rocco dryly, ' very natural 
 
DONNA DIANA 343 
 
 indeed. But, Mr. Vane, you are not at this moment talking 
 to Cardinal Savelli/ 
 
 Vane looked at him inquiringly. 
 
 ( I do not know what you mean/ he said. 
 
 ' I mean/ returned Prince San Rocco, ( that we can 
 discuss the subject as men of the world. My brother-in-law 
 the Cardinal might not regard the matter from that point 
 of view, and would be less likely to make allowances for 
 certain follies than I should be. After all, some men are 
 lucky in their adventures, and others are unlucky. You 
 and Lino, I fear, belong to the latter category, Mr. Vane 
 at least, you have tombes mal in this instance. Is it 
 not so ? * 
 
 Edmund could scarcely repress a smile, which Prince 
 San Rocco saw and misinterpreted. 
 
 ( Is it not so ? ' he repeated. 
 
 'I should say exactly the same to His Eminence Car- 
 dinal Savelli as I say to you/ replied Edmund. Then he 
 added quietly: 'You are trying to entrap me into mak- 
 ing a confession, Prince; but I have no confession to 
 make/ 
 
 Prince San Rocco looked somewhat taken aback for a 
 moment. Then he laughed an honest, good-humoured 
 laugh. 
 
 ' Diavolo ! ' he exclaimed. ' It is quite true. I was 
 trying to make confession easy for you. But I believe 
 you, Mr. Vane, and I am glad to be able to do so. Whether 
 the Cardinal will believe you is another matter. The 
 question remains, however, as to the motive for this ag- 
 gression/ 
 
 ' The motive, I should imagine, was probably the same as 
 that of most attacks of a similar kind/ said Edmund. 
 c Those who made it wanted to extort money, and, failing 
 to do so, had resort to violence.' 
 
 He spoke in as indifferent and careless a tone as he could 
 assume ; but lying did not come easily to him, and he was 
 afraid of either underacting or overacting his part. 
 
 Prince San Rocco was silent for a few moments. 
 
344 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' It is strange/ he said presently, ' and I do not under- 
 stand it. Like every other nation, we still have occasional 
 cases of highway robbery, though in Rome they are very 
 rare in comparison with what they were twenty or thirty 
 years ago. As a rule, the barabba are clever enough to 
 know the types they are dealing with, and well, it is 
 only fair to tell you, Mr. Vane their victims are as often 
 as not foreigners who are engaged in no good. By the way/ 
 he added, looking round the room, ' I have not seen a news- 
 paper this morning/ 
 
 Vane produced the Popolo Romano from his pocket. He 
 had bought it on his way to the Palazzo San Rocco, and 
 had eagerly read the report of his and Lino Savelli's ex- 
 periences of last night. 
 
 ' The report is accurate enough in detail/ he said, hand- 
 ing the paper to Prince San Rocco. ' What are not accu- 
 rate, however, are the surmises of the reporter/ 
 
 Prince San Rocco read the paragraph from beginning to 
 end, losing his temper a second time as he did so. 
 
 c lf you knocked one of the scoundrels down, and the 
 other two ran away, why the devil didn't you have him 
 arrested ? ' he exclaimed. ' Then, at least, there would have 
 been no mystery, for he would probably have confessed 
 everything to the police/ 
 
 Vane had expected so very obvious a question, but it was 
 none the less difficult to answer. 
 
 ' Our one object was to get away/ he said, after a slight 
 hesitation. ( You remember, Prince, that Lino had no 
 idea he had been stabbed. The most prudent course seemed 
 to be to leave the fellow where he was. We were thankful 
 to have escaped, as we then thought, so easily, and without 
 any guardia arriving on the scene to make the affair 
 public/ 
 
 ' Yes, yes, that is true/ observed the Prince. ' I had 
 forgotten that Lino was not aware of having been stabbed. 
 But you see the construction the public will place upon the 
 whole thing/ he added angrily. ( For Lino it does not 
 matter so very much; people will sympathize with him 
 
DONNA DIANA 345 
 
 rather than not for having had such a piece of bad luck, 
 though they will think him a fool for running after a 
 
 woman in the streets when ' Prince San Rocco checked 
 
 himself suddenly. ' But for you, Mr. Vane/ he continued, 
 'it will matter a great deal, and for Diana also/ 
 
 ' I do not see why it should/ said Edmund. ' As long 
 as Cardinal Savelli and Donna Diana's family are satisfied 
 that there are no other grounds for these insinuations than 
 the imagination of a newspaper reporter, I cannot see why 
 it should injure me. Of course/ he added haughtily, 'if 
 my word is doubted by those who are responsible for Donna 
 Diana Savelli's happiness, you can quite understand, 
 Prince, that I should no longer desire to continue our 
 negotiations. But if my word is doubted, then Lino and 
 Monsieur de Villebois must also be suspected of lying. 
 I might be supposed to have good reasons for lying, but 
 these reasons could scarcely apply to Lino, and certainly 
 not to an entirely independent witness such as Monsieur 
 de Villebois/ 
 
 ' De Villebois ! ' exclaimed the Prince. ' Is De Villebois 
 the diplomat alluded to ? I thought, of course, that it was 
 some attache, who had probably given a hundred francs 
 to have his name kept out of the business so as not to get 
 into a scrape with his Ambassador. But De Villebois 
 that is quite another matter. Why did you not tell me 
 before that he was with you and Lino ? ' 
 
 ' Because, Prince, I naturally concluded that you would 
 believe my statements as readily as you would believe his/ 
 answered Edmund. 
 
 Prince San Eocco glanced at him approvingly. Being 
 a thorough gentleman himself, he could tell another when 
 he met him, to whatever race or class the latter might 
 belong. 
 
 'You concluded rightly, Mr. Vane/ he said, with a 
 courtly bow. ' I am not thinking of myself/ he added, 
 e for I have never believed anything I may have heard to 
 your disadvantage. You saved my nephew's life; I have 
 never forgotten it, and I may tell you that in my opinion 
 
346 DONNA DIANA 
 
 others of his family are not as mindful of the fact as 
 they might be.' 
 
 1 1 merely did for Lino what anybody would have done 
 under the circumstances/ said Edmund, ( but I ran no 
 personal risk in doing it. He, on the contrary, risked his 
 life last night to save mine, so the debt is all on my side.' 
 
 ' Eisked his life ? ' repeated Prince San Kocco. ( But I 
 thought you had put your aggressor hors de combat, and 
 that the other villain then attacked Lino. You did not 
 tell me this, Mr. Vane, nor do I see any mention of it in 
 the paper.' 
 
 * I told you the bare fact of having been attacked by 
 two men under the excuse that we had molested a woman 
 who was in their company,' answered Vane. ' You did 
 not give me any opportunity to go into more details,' he 
 added dryly. 
 
 Prince San Kocco laughed. 
 
 ' I dare say not,' he said. ' The mere fact that my 
 nephew and you had been implicated in a vulgar street 
 brawl concerning a woman, as I supposed it to be, made 
 me lose my temper. You English do not understand our 
 rabbia Italiana; but you can understand it was not agree^ 
 able to know that my nephew, and the man whom I had 
 determined to assist in marrying my niece, would figure 
 in the police reports and become the subject of gossip in 
 every house and cafe in Eome. Perhaps you will tell me 
 what Lino did/ 
 
 Edmund related how Lino Savelli had intercepted the 
 rush made at him by the second individual who had so 
 nearly taken him unawares. He described how Lino had 
 thrust him back against the wall and interposed his own 
 person between him and his would-be murderer, and how 
 he had received the blow in his back as he turned to close 
 with his assailants. 
 
 Prince San Eocco listened, and his face flushed with 
 pride and emotion. 
 
 tf It was like Lino,' he said. ' The boy was always brave 
 and generous. He is strong-willed, perhaps, and im- 
 
DONNA DIANA 347 
 
 petuous, and he does not go to Mass, but his heart is in 
 the right place, and I would sooner trust him than than 
 many who go to Mass every festa and confess once a 
 month/ 
 
 c Do you think Cardinal Savelli will receive me after 
 this business ? ' asked Vane nervously. 
 
 ' He shall receive you ! ' replied the Prince with unusual 
 energy. ' We must talk over this matter and see what can 
 be done. By the way, I dare say you have had no coffee 
 yet, so perhaps you will allow me to ring and order some 
 to be brought for us both. Sit down again, Mr. Vane, and 
 oblige me by putting this infernal newspaper out of my 
 sight; it makes me angry again when I think of all the 
 idiots who are reading that paragraph/ 
 
 Edmund returned the offending journal to his pocket 
 as a servant appeared in answer to the bell, and Prince 
 San Eocco gave his orders. 
 
 Neither of them spoke during the short interval that 
 elapsed before the man reappeared with the coffee, which 
 he silently placed on the table near them and immediately 
 left the room. 
 
 Prince San Eocco poured out a cup of coffee for his 
 visitor. 
 
 ( Have you any reason to suppose that you have enemies 
 here in Eome ? ' he asked presently ( anybody, I mean, 
 whose interest it might be to get you into trouble ? ' 
 
 Edmund hesitated. It was becoming clear to him that 
 it would be more difficult than he had anticipated not 
 to reveal his convictions as to the quarter in which the 
 conspiracy against him originated. 
 
 ' I have certainly never injured anybody in Eome, if 
 you mean that,' he replied. 
 
 ' Nevertheless/ said Prince San Eocco, 'you must have 
 enemies. It is not so long ago since it was asserted that 
 you had paid my nephew Lino's debts, and that he, in 
 return for this service, had undertaken to help you to win 
 his cousin's hand. Then mysterious hints as to discredit- 
 able things in your private life reached us my wife and 
 
348 DONNA DIANA 
 
 myself and, of course, they reached the Cardinal's ears 
 also/ 
 
 ' What things ? ' asked Vane. 
 
 e Oh, indefinite suggestions. I need not go into par- 
 ticulars; but, as you know, these are often the most 
 harmful, because they are so difficult to disprove/ 
 
 6 1 never knew of these calumnies ! ' exclaimed Edmund 
 indignantly. ' Both Lino and I were quite aware of the 
 attempt to make out that I had bribed him by paying his 
 debts, but the story was so absurd that we decided to take 
 no notice of it. De Villebois told me of it, and I told 
 Lino/ 
 
 c And Lino told me where Monsieur de Villebois had 
 heard that story/ said Prince San Eocco quietly. 
 
 Edmund looked at him quickly. 
 
 Yes/ he said ; ' but one does not attach very great im- 
 portance to stories that originate in women's drawing- 
 rooms/ 
 
 ( They seldom originate elsewhere/ observed the Prince 
 dryly. 
 
 Edmund smiled. Then he looked Prince San Rocco 
 straight in the face. 
 
 ( I never wish to inquire as to who originated these 
 stories/ he said quietly, 'nor as to the motives for which 
 they were invented. Neither do I wish to investigate the 
 object of the attack upon Lino and myself last night. If 
 there is any connection between them, I should prefer not 
 to know it. My only desire is to convince Cardinal Savelli 
 that I should make his niece a good husband, if she should 
 ultimately decide to accept me as a husband, and to make 
 him understand that Donna Diana's fortune is nothing 
 to me. I want her I do not want her money. I can 
 make good settlements upon my wife, Prince; and were 
 Donna Diana Savelli to honour me by marrying me, I 
 should insist upon her fortune remaining entirely in her 
 own power/ 
 
 Prince San Rocco poured himself out a little more black 
 coffee. 
 
DONNA DIANA 349 
 
 ' Corpo di Bacco ! ' was his only reply to this remark, 
 and then he relapsed into silence, during which he looked 
 at Edmund with unconcealed wonder and curiosity. ' Your 
 appointment with the Cardinal is for this afternoon/ he 
 observed at length. ( Should you have any objection to 
 my sending him a note to say that I will accompany you, 
 Mr. Vane?' 
 
 ' Objection ! ' re-echoed Edmund. ' I should think not ; 
 indeed I should be most grateful to you/ 
 
 ' It would be as well that I should do so,' continued 
 Prince San Eocco. ' My brother-in-law may have heard 
 a very different version of last night's affair from that 
 I have gathered from you. Monsieur de Villebois, I con- 
 clude, would have no objection, either, to adding his testi- 
 mony to your own ? ' 
 
 ' He told me that I might call upon him to do so at any 
 moment I chose.' 
 
 i Benissimo ! ' returned the Prince. ' Then, Mr. Vane, 
 perhaps you will communicate with him, and ask him to 
 meet us here shortly before four o'clock. I will send a 
 note to my brother-in-law at once. I am certain he will 
 consent; for I assure you that, whatever he may have 
 been in the past, since Diana's illness he has not been at 
 all indisposed to listen favourably to your suit not at 
 all. In the meantime, we will go to Sant' Antonio, and 
 ask to see Lino. But first of all, if you will excuse me for 
 a few minutes, I will go to the Princess. She will not 
 have seen the papers she never reads them and I do 
 not think anybody would venture to tell her of Lino's 
 misadventure. Mercifully, Frau von Eaben is safely out 
 of the way at Magnano. I wish my wife would send Frau 
 von Eaben back to Germany ! She does not improve with 
 keeping, and the servants detest her. Here are cigarettes, 
 and you have got the newspaper.' 
 
 And Prince San Eocco lighted a cigarette, and, grum- 
 bling to himself as he went, proceeded to his wife's 
 rooms. 
 
 Punctually at four o'clock that afternoon Prince San 
 
350 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Rocco's carriage drove into the courtyard of the house in 
 the Via Giulia in which Cardinal Savelli resided. The 
 carriage was closed, for Prince San Rocco did not care to 
 expose himself to the gaze of the curious among the 
 passers-by, since all Rome would be discussing the sup- 
 posed scandal that had occurred in Casa Savelli, with 
 which family he was known to be so closely connected. 
 The report given to the Prince and Vane at the hospital 
 of Sant' Antonio had been entirely satisfactory, and they 
 had been permitted to see Lino Savelli for a few minutes. 
 Quiet was the only thing the surgeons insisted upon for 
 their patient, and they hoped that, in the course of a 
 couple of days, when the wound had been dressed a second 
 time, he could safely be removed to the Palazzo San Rocco 
 where the Prince and Princess both wished him to remain 
 until he should be completely recovered. 
 
 During their short interview Lino had not said a word 
 to imply that he regarded the assault made upon Vane 
 and himself as anything more than an attempt to rob them. 
 He was, of course, in ignorance of what the papers had 
 published on the subject, neither did his uncle or Edmund 
 enlighten him. Nevertheless, as the latter were leaving 
 the private room which had been given him by the hospital 
 authorities, he called Vane back to his bedside. 
 
 'Do you remember, Eddie/ he said, as soon as Prince 
 San Rocco was out of earshot, ' my telling you the day 
 we rode together to Prima Porta that love often ended 
 in tragedy or corned}', and that in my country the two 
 latter lay very near together? It strikes me that I was 
 about right. What do you think ? ' 
 
 Vane shivered. 
 
 ' Don't talk of it, Lino ! ' he exclaimed. ' When I think 
 how near we have been to tragedy I feel sick/ 
 
 'Yes, we have been near enough/ returned Lino; 'but 
 I expect it has been rather a good thing for you than other- 
 wise/ 
 
 ' For me ! 9 repeated Vane. ( But, good God ! think what 
 might have happened to you ! I simply can't think of it, 
 
DONNA DIANA 351 
 
 I tell you. And why should you suppose it to be a good 
 thing for me, Lino ? 9 he added. 
 
 ' Why ? Oh, because Diana will look upon you as a more 
 interesting person than ever/ replied Lino with a smile. 
 
 ' Do you think so ? ' said Edmund. ' And what will her 
 guardian, Cardinal Savelli, think of our adventure ? ' 
 
 ( That is exactly what I should like to know/ said Lino 
 dryly. ' Its result will certainly be disappointing to some- 
 body/ 
 
 Vane looked at him doubtfully. 
 
 ' It will be disappointing to our would-be blackmailers/ 
 he said. 
 
 Lino Savelli smiled quietly. 
 
 'You don't do it at all well, Eddie/ he observed. 
 ' Indeed, I never knew anyone lie so clumsily. To begin 
 with, you assume that I am an idiot, and that I am unable 
 to see for myself that two and two make four.' 
 
 ' What do you mean ? ' asked Vane, although he knew 
 but too well. 
 
 ' I will tell you what I mean after you have had your 
 interview with my uncle, Savelli. You tell me you are 
 going to see him to-day all the same. I must say that 
 I am surprised. I thought that you would have received 
 an indignant message to tell you not to presume to do 
 so. I cannot make out my eminent uncle/ he added. 
 ( There is some mystery about his sudden anxiety to be 
 friendly with you but perhaps your interview to-day will 
 clear it up/ 
 
 ' Lino ! ' exclaimed Edmund quickly, ' I believe that you 
 are doing Cardinal Savelli a great injustice in your mind, 
 and that some day you will be very sorry for it/ 
 
 ' Perhaps I am/ said Lino thoughtfully. ' Indeed, I 
 have wondered of late whether I should not pity rather 
 than blame him. Perhaps you are right, Eddie ; I am sure 
 I hope that you are/ 
 
 * Anyhow/ returned Vane, ' Prince San Eocco and De 
 Villebois will see me safely through the business of this 
 afternoon/ 
 
352 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' What ! ' exclaimed Lino. ' Does De Villebois go with 
 you ? Does my uncle consent to that ? ' 
 
 ' Prince San Eocco says there is no doubt he will consent, 
 as De Villebois is an independent witness to last night's 
 affair/ 
 
 ' I am very glad, Eddie, very glad/ Lino said, and then 
 he added, as though to himself: 'but what the deuce is 
 Marco about ? ' 
 
 Yane pretended not to hear him. 
 
 ' Good-bye, old fellow/ he said. e l mustn't keep the 
 Prince waiting any more, and you have talked quite 
 enough/ 
 
 ( One moment, Eddie. What do the papers say of our 
 row last night? The doctors won't tell me; they look 
 the other way when I ask them, and talk about liga- 
 ments/ 
 
 ' Oh ! they say it is a case of souteneurs,' answered Vane. 
 ' The police think the same thing/ 
 
 ' Of course/ said Lino briefly. 
 
 And Vane left him, glad to escape from his questions. 
 
 On reaching Cardinal Savelli's apartment, Prince San 
 Rocco and his two companions were ushered by his mag- 
 giordomo into the reception-room, where they remained 
 while the latter went to inform the Cardinal of their 
 arrival. 
 
 Vane found himself thinking that it was very like 
 waiting his turn to be shown in to the dentist, only he 
 felt that he would far prefer a visit to the dentist to the 
 interview before him. Minutes passed that seemed like 
 hours. 
 
 Prince San Rocco walked restlessly about the room, and 
 Monsieur de Villebois looked out of the window. 
 
 Presently the door at the end of the long apartment 
 opened, and Cardinal Savelli came slowly towards them. 
 He greeted Edmund and Monsieur de Villebois with grave 
 courtesy, withdrawing his hand somewhat hastily as the 
 former made a motion as though to kiss his ring. 
 
 Taking his brother-in-law aside, the Cardinal entered 
 
DONNA DIANA 353 
 
 into an earnest conversation with him. Then he turned 
 to the others, and said: 
 
 6 We shall be more secure from interruption in my 
 study/ and led the way thither. 
 
 Vane, Monsieur de Villebois, and Prince San Eocco 
 followed him in silence; and again Edmund thought of 
 the dentist, or of the preliminaries to a surgical operation. 
 
 Prince San Kocco was the first to speak when Cardinal 
 Savelli, after placing himself at his writing-table, had 
 motioned them to sit down also. 
 
 ' You know the object of our visit, Camillo/ he said 
 to his brother-in-law. 'Mr. Yane had intended formally 
 to ask your consent to his proposal to marry our niece 
 Diana, but after the unfortunate occurrence of last night, 
 he wishes first of all to convince you of his worthiness to 
 do so. Is it not so, Mr. Vane?' he added, turning to 
 Edmund. 
 
 ' Yes/ replied the latter simply. ' After reading the 
 newspaper reports of that occurrence, I naturally feel your 
 Eminence has a right to ask for explanations/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at him steadily. 
 
 ' I shall be very happy to hear them/ he said gravely, 
 and then he paused inquiringly. 
 
 ' The newspapers are right as to the details of the 
 assault made upon your nephew and myself,' said Vane, 
 and he proceeded to relate exactly what had happened. 
 
 'And the woman?' asked Cardinal Savelli, after he 
 had listened attentively to Edmund's story. 
 
 ' Both the woman and the individual who stabbed your 
 nephew made off at once. The other man we left lying on 
 the pavement still unconscious/ 
 
 ' And what do you suppose to have been the motive of 
 this attack?' inquired the Cardinal. 
 
 His eyes rested anxiously on Vane as he asked the 
 question, and he drew the gold chain to which his pectoral 
 cross was attached nervously through his fingers. 
 
 ' Money/ answered Edmund laconically. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli drew a long breath, as if of relief. 
 
354 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' Go on, Mr. Vane, if you please,' he said. 
 
 ' The newspapers draw an altogether unwarrantable, 
 though no doubt very natural, inference from the fact of 
 a woman having been present/ continued Vane, ' and sug- 
 gest things which both your nephew and I declare to be 
 utterly untrue. Your Eminence must know/ he added, 
 ' that it was I who informed the police of the woman's 
 presence, otherwise they would not have been aware of it. 
 I should hardly have been so foolish as to allude to her 
 had there been any grounds for the inferences made in 
 the newspapers/ 
 
 6 Of course not, of course not/ interposed Prince San 
 Eocco. ( A very strong argument, eh, Camillo ? ' he 
 added. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli made no remark. The momentary look 
 of relief had passed from his face, and in its stead had 
 come an expression of pain and perplexity. Monsieur 
 de Villebois, who had taken no part in the conversation, 
 seemed to be fully occupied in watching the Cardinal, 
 and Edmund noticed that he did so in a manner that was 
 almost relentless. 
 
 Presently Cardinal Savelli spoke again. 
 
 ' Have you, to your knowledge, any particular enemy 
 in Eome, Mr. Vane ? ' he asked. 
 
 It was the same question that Prince San Rocco had 
 put to him earlier in the day, and Vane could not help 
 being struck by the circumstance. It reminded him that 
 he was in a land where blood is still required as satisfaction 
 for real or supposed injuries. That these two Roman 
 Princes should so readily recognise the fact seemed to 
 him to be another example of the medievalism by which 
 he had for some time felt a vague sense of being sur- 
 rounded. 
 
 ' No, Eminence/ he replied, e not that I am aware of/ 
 
 6 For instance/ proceeded the Cardinal, ' you have not 
 how shall I explain it? made any person jealous of you 
 by well, by any intrigues with women, I suppose? I am 
 speaking of the past, of course, of your life here before 
 
DONNA DIANA 355 
 
 you had made my niece's acquaintance. Young men are 
 apt to be heedless of the rights of others the rights of 
 lovers or husbands and sometimes they are made to pay 
 dearly for their heedlessness, especially if they have sought 
 for their divertimenti among the lower orders/ 
 
 Edmund shook his head. 
 
 ' I am unconscious of having wronged any man/ he said 
 dryly. ' Your Eminence must seek some other motive for 
 the attempt to murder me if you do not. consider the motive 
 I have suggested to be sufficient/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli started perceptibly. 
 
 ' What motive ? ' he exclaimed. 6 1 was not aware that 
 you had suggested any/ 
 
 ' Money/ repeated Vane, glancing at Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois as he spoke. ' It appears to me to be a sufficiently 
 plausible motive to suggest/ 
 
 The Cardinal sighed. 
 
 ' Money ? ' he said. ' Ah yes, Mr. Vane, money is at 
 the bottom of most crimes, or, rather, the want of it is so. 
 And what is your opinion, monsieur ? ' he added, turning 
 to Monsieur de Villebois. ' I understand that you were 
 with my nephew and Mr. Vane last night, and that you 
 had only left them very shortly before they were attacked. 
 I do not understand how you came to rejoin them a few 
 moments afterwards/ 
 
 < It is quite true/ replied Monsieur de Villebois. ' Mr. 
 Vane and Don Michelangelo Savelli were with me the 
 whole evening, with the exception of about a quarter of 
 an hour, or perhaps rather more. Your Eminence asks 
 for my opinion, and it coincides with Mr. Vane's. I have 
 no doubt that money was indirectly at the bottom of this 
 attempted crime/ 
 
 ( Indirectly ?' echoed the Cardinal. 
 
 ' Yes, indirectly. Directly, perhaps, so far as the actual 
 aggressors were concerned/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at him anxiously. 
 
 'I do not understand/ he began. 
 
 'I will try to explain to your Eminence/ interrupted 
 
356 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois. ' I happen to be in a position to 
 give you more information than is contained in the news- 
 paper reports, which you have doubtless read/ he continued. 
 ( Mr. Vane, a few minutes before we returned to the Porta 
 San Giovanni on our way homeward, drew my attention 
 to an individual seated with another man and woman at a 
 table behind us outside the Osteria Baldinotti, where we 
 sat to hear the songs. He had already told me some weeks 
 ago that he had reason to believe this person was following 
 him. 5 
 
 Cardinal Savelli started. 
 
 c Ah ! ' he exclaimed, and he leaned forward in his chair 
 and listened to Monsieur de Villebois with evident anxiety 
 and eagerness. 
 
 ' Yes/ proceeded the latter, ' the circumstance impressed 
 me the more because I had been with Mr. Vane on an- 
 other occasion when this individual followed him. Last 
 night I purposely separated from Mr. Vane and your 
 nephew, being determined to see if the former was right 
 in his suspicions. I soon received ample proof that he 
 was so.' 
 
 ' You never told me of this ! ' exclaimed Prince San 
 Rocco, turning to Edmund. 
 Vane looked, and felt, infinitely distressed. 
 
 ' It was a trifle/ he said hurriedly ' an idea. Do not 
 let us waste our time by referring to it/ he added to Mon- 
 sieur de Villebois imploringly. ( Those scoundrel? wanted 
 to get money out of us, that was all. His Eminence, I am 
 sure, will accept this explanation as sufficient, and will 
 not believe the discreditable conduct which the papers 
 impute to me. I am only here/ he continued more calmly, 
 'to deny that imputation, and to inform Cardinal Savelli 
 that if he or any other member of Donna Diana Savelli's 
 family continues to believe it after my denial ' 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois interrupted him. 
 
 'I agree witH you, Vane/ he said quietly. 'Cardinal 
 Savelli will no doubt accept the reason you have given for 
 the attack made upon you, for it was directed against you 
 
DONNA DIANA 357 
 
 only last night. Let us all decide to regard the affair as 
 merely an ordinary aggression for the sake of extorting 
 any money you might have had about you.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli rose from his chair, and his whole 
 frame seemed to tremble with agitation. 
 
 ' No ! ' he exclaimed ; ' I will hear all all, do you under- 
 stand?' Suddenly he turned to Monsieur de Villebois. 
 ' Do you suspect me of having caused Mr. Vane to be fol- 
 lowed, monsieur of having instigated these men to attack 
 him?' He spoke almost fiercely, and the blood mounted 
 to his face until the veins stood out purple black on his 
 forehead. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois looked at him calmly, but a little 
 gleam of triumph came into his eyes, such a gleam as 
 might, in his official days, have shown itself after signing 
 some treaty advantageous to his Government. 
 
 'Your Eminence, then, is disposed to think the attack 
 upon Mr. Vane to have been premeditated, and the actual 
 perpetrators of it to be merely the base instruments of 
 others ? ' he observed, with diplomatic suavity. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli gave a short, harsh laugh. He did not 
 appear to have heard Monsieur de Villebois' remark. 
 
 ' We are not brigands, we Savelli,' he said to Prince 
 San Rocco, who was staring at him uneasily. Then he 
 turned again to Monsieur de Villebois. { Go on, monsieur, 
 if you please, with your account,' he continued more quietly. 
 ' I wish, as I said, to hear all.' 
 
 Edmund interposed rapidly. 
 
 ' There is no more to hear,' he said; 'and, as far as I 
 am concerned, I only ask your Eminence to believe that 
 I am incapable of dishonouring Donna Diana by behaving 
 in the way imputed to me. I do not profess to be a 
 saint," he added bluntly ; < but since I have known Donna 
 
 Diana ' And then he paused. ' I wish,' he continued 
 
 warmly, 'that your Eminence would not distress yourself 
 any further about this matter, and that it might now be 
 allowed to drop, for I am quite indifferent as to what 
 may be thought of me or my conduct, so long as you 
 
358 DONNA DIANA 
 
 do not think me unworthy to ask for your niece's af- 
 fection/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli glanced at him and smiled slightly, 
 but he gave him no reply. 
 
 ' Continue, monsieur/ he repeated, turning to Monsieur 
 de Villebois. 
 
 ' As your Eminence wishes/ replied the latter. ' I fol- 
 lowed this individual whom Mr. Vane had pointed out to 
 me/ he proceeded, 'and got near enough to him in the 
 crowd to overhear what he was saying to his companions. 
 They cut across by-streets in order to intercept your nephew 
 and Mr. Vane. It was during these manoeuvres that I lost 
 them for a few minutes, owing to my taking a wrong 
 street, down which I supposed they had passed. When I 
 overtook them again, they had already met their intended 
 victims.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli was silent for a moment. 
 
 'You say you overheard their conversation?' he asked 
 suddenly. 
 
 f Yes/ answered Monsieur de Villebois. 
 
 ' I wish to know what you heard, monsieur/ returned 
 the Cardinal. 
 
 For the first time Monsieur de Villebois hesitated, and 
 looked at Vane. 
 
 ' You must forgive me, Eminence/ he replied ; e but, 
 once more, I agree with Mr. Vane. The matter should 
 be allowed to rest where it is, since, by the mercy of Pro- 
 vidence, there is no great harm done.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli, perhaps unconsciously, assumed the 
 authoritative manner of one accustomed to have his orders 
 obeyed. 
 
 6 1 wish to know what you overheard, monsieur/ he 
 repeated imperatively. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 'As your Eminence insists/ he replied; and then he 
 added: 'Mr. Vane's shadower, who was evidently in com- 
 mand of the party, impressed upon the woman and the 
 other individual, who was little more than a boy, to make 
 
DONNA DIANA 359 
 
 no mistake, but to attack the Englishman, and, if possible, 
 separate him from his companion till the guardia should 
 come up/ 
 
 'Yes/ said Cardinal Savelli; 'and what else did this 
 individual say, monsieur ? ' 
 
 ' He added : " If there is any mistake, we shall not get 
 the money. That Monsignor Tomei will not pay us." ; 
 
 'Tomei Tomei!' exclaimed Prince San Eocco; 'but, 
 Camillo, Tomei is ' 
 
 6 Your Eminence's man of business, is he not ? ' supple- 
 mented Monsieur de Villebois placidly. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli laughed again. It was a strange, 
 mirthless laugh, and left an unpleasant impression on the 
 minds of his listeners, for the echo of it seemed to remain 
 after its harsh sound had ceased. 
 
 All three men looked at him in silence, but he remained 
 gazing straight before him, his eyes fixed in a glassy stare. 
 Suddenly, with a strong effort, he roused himself as though 
 from a trance. 
 
 e Tomei,' he said, in a thick, dull voice. e Yes, he is my 
 man of business, ma sapete; he is a liar. Oh yes, he is a 
 liar ! And he has ruined me with his advice. Do you hear, 
 Fabrizio? He has ruined me. And now, now he wants 
 Diana's money all of it that is left.' 
 
 Prince San Rocco's face flushed angrily, and then be- 
 came very pale. 
 
 6 What do you mean, Camillo ? ' he exclaimed. ' You 
 are ill dreaming.' And, going up to his brother-in-law, 
 he shook him by the arm. 
 
 Monsieur de Villebois rose from his chair. 
 
 ' I will take my leave of your Eminence,' he said. < I 
 came in order to be of what service I could to Mr. Vane 
 by relating my version of last night's affair, feeling that 
 some other testimony besides his own and your nephew's 
 might be necessary to remove any doubts as to his having 
 become involved in an affair discreditable to him. With 
 other subjects I have nothing to do. They would seem 
 to be private matters not to be discussed before a stranger.' 
 
360 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked up suddenly. 
 
 ' Yes/ he said. ' You are right, monsieur ; they are pri- 
 vate matters. But I thank you/ he added, ' for what you 
 have told me. Perhaps you will not believe me when I 
 say it, but I am glad to have had your testimony. Not 
 that I doubted Mr. Vane, but, as you say, an independent 
 testimony is always satisfactory, and, coming from your- 
 self, conclusive/ 
 
 There was a certain quiet dignity and a gentleness in 
 Cardinal Savelli's manner that touched Monsieur de Ville- 
 bois strangely. Moreover, like a true Frenchman, he ap- 
 preciated the compliment paid to his veracity in the Car- 
 dinal's concluding words. He said nothing, however, but 
 with a low bow turned to leave the room. 
 
 Vane was about to accompany him. He was longing to 
 escape from the Cardinal's presence, and from the painful 
 scene which he felt sure was imminent between the latter 
 and Prince San Rocco. Cardinal Savelli's voice arrested 
 him as he was following Monsieur de Villebois. 
 
 ( Mr. Vane/ the Cardinal said gravely, ' am I to under- 
 stand that you ask my consent, as my niece Donna Diana 
 Savelli's guardian, to marry her, should she decide to ac- 
 cept your proposal?' 
 
 6 That is why I begged your Eminence to receive me to- 
 day/ answered Edmund, ' and I am in hopes that you will 
 give your consent.' 
 
 c In that case/ continued Cardinal Savelli slowly, ' I 
 must ask you to remain. As you desire to ally yourself 
 with my family as you as, I say ' 
 
 The words came thickly, and he spoke with a curious 
 hesitation, as though he were struggling to place them in 
 proper sequence. 
 
 e I hope that you will allow me to leave you, Eminence/ 
 Vane replied hurriedly as the Cardinal stuttered and then 
 paused. ' Prince San Rocco will doubtless convey your 
 decision to me. In the meantime, I should not wish to 
 intrude my presence upon you.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli waved his hand impatiently. 
 
DONNA DIANA 36] 
 
 ' No/ lie said, almost eagerly ; ' I am anxious that you 
 should remain, that you should hear certain things I have 
 to to tell you. When you have heard them, Mr. Vane, 
 you will be free to adhere to your proposal or not, as you 
 choose.' 
 
 ' Nothing that your Eminence can have to tell me will 
 make any difference to my determination/ replied Vane 
 earnestly, ' unless it should be ' 
 
 ' What ? ' asked the Cardinal abruptly. 
 
 'That Donna Diana still adheres to her wish to enter 
 a convent.' 
 
 ' She has no such wish/ said Cardinal Savelli, and Ed- 
 mund's heart gave a sudden leap. 
 
 The door had closed on Monsieur de Villebois, and Vane 
 found himself alone with the Cardinal and Prince San 
 Eocco. The latter stood looking at his brother-in-law in 
 bewilderment. Every now and then he uttered impatient 
 exclamations under his breath, as though he could scarcely 
 restrain his curiosity or indignation. 
 
 But Cardinal Savelli's agitation appeared to have sub- 
 sided. He resumed his seat at his writing-table, and Vane 
 was struck by the expression of his countenance. It was 
 an expression such as a man might wear who had nerved 
 himself to perform some deed requiring both moral cour- 
 age and sacrifice of self; and, as he looked at him, Ed- 
 mund felt more than ever convinced that, in whatever way 
 Cardinal Savelli might have erred, he had never con- 
 descended to any such baseness as that to which Monsieur 
 de Villebois' suspicions seemed to point. 
 
 Prince San Eocco's amazement and curiosity prevented 
 him from remaining silent for very long, and Monsieur 
 de Villebois had no sooner left the room than he turned 
 to his brother-in-law eagerly. 
 
 ' What does it all mean, Camillo ? ' he exclaimed. e What 
 has Tomei to do with Diana's money ? and how in Heaven's 
 name came he to be mixed up in this outrage of last 
 night?' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli made no reply for a few moments. 
 
362 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Resting his elbow on the table, he covered his face with 
 his hand. 
 
 At last he looked up, and Edmund Vane noticed that 
 his mouth twitched nervously. 
 
 ' Tomei ! ' he said impatiently. ' He has nothing to do 
 with Diana's money, Fabrizio nothing at all! But he 
 wants it. Tomei is a dishonest man, but he is not more 
 dishonest than I am.' 
 
 6 Camillo ! ' cried Prince San Eocco angrily. ' Do you 
 know what you are saying ? ' 
 
 ' Yes,' replied the Cardinal wearily. ' I know what I 
 am saying, and it is true. Listen ! ' he added abruptly. 
 ' My niece Diana,' he continued, looking at Vane, ' had a 
 fortune of a million francs, left to her by her father, and 
 confided to my care until she should attain her majority 
 or marry with my consent. You are aware of this, Mr. 
 Vane, I believe?' 
 
 'Yes,' answered Vane; 'but if your Eminence 
 thinks ' 
 
 f Confided to me/ repeated Cardinal Savelli without 
 heeding him. 'Do you understand? My dear brother 
 entrusted to me the money he bequeathed to his only child. 
 Well, little more than the half of that money remains. 
 The rest I have used for my own purposes, to pay my own 
 debts to save my own honour, as I thought.' 
 
 He paused, and Vane looked away lest he should see 
 Prince San Rocco's face. 
 
 There was something almost repugnant in the bald sim- 
 plicity with which Cardinal Savelli made his self-accusa- 
 tion something which caused Vane to feel that this man 
 was being brutal to himself, and was lashing himself with 
 the whip of scorn. 
 
 Prince San Rocco started forward. 
 
 'Are you mad?' he said hoarsely. 'You, Camillo 
 you ? 
 
 'No/ replied Cardinal Savelli quietly, 'I am not mad, 
 Fabrizio. I have taken the money nearly five hundred 
 thousand francs of it. One hundred thousand I took to 
 
DONNA DIANA 363 
 
 pay Marco's losses on the Bourse. That was the beginning 
 I was a faithful steward until then. Afterwards I had 
 difficulties of my own and and I listened to Monsignor 
 Tomei's advice, and drew from the same source in order 
 to meet them. Since then I have been in that man's 
 power, but now now I am not in his power any more.' 
 
 Edmund rose from his chair, and came towards the 
 Cardinal. 
 
 * Forgive me, Eminence/ he said, ' but is it necessary 
 that I should hear these things?' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli glanced at him. 
 
 'Yes, it is necessary,' he replied briefly. c Afterwards, 
 when you have heard them, you will perhaps change your 
 mind as to the advantages of an alliance with my niece. 
 No, Mr. Vane,' he added, as Edmund was about to speak, 
 ' I must insist that you hear me to the end. At first I be- 
 lieved in my niece's vocation, and I encouraged her in her 
 determination to take the veil. Gradually, however, doubts 
 arose in my mind and the money I did not dare 
 
 The Cardinal stammered, and seemed to lose the thread 
 of his ideas. His hesitation lasted only for a moment or 
 two, however, and then with an effort of the will he ap- 
 peared to overcome it. 
 
 'In the meantime,' he continued, c my financial diffi- 
 culties were pressing upon me always more and more 
 heavily. It is no use wearying you with particulars; but, 
 in order to escape from these difficulties, I yielded to 
 Tomei's counsels, and had recourse to my niece's fortune. 
 Then came my niece's illness, and I realized all that I 
 was doing. My doubts as to the genuineness of Diana's 
 vocation became a certainty, and I knew that her nature 
 was asserting itself over an artificial state, a condition 
 produced by constant suggestion acting upon a young and 
 impressionable mind. Monsignor Tomei had arranged a 
 scheme whereby, in the event of my niece entering a con- 
 vent, her fortune could yet have remained in my hands 
 for some years longer years in which I might reasonably 
 hope to replace the capital I had withdrawn from it. I 
 
364 DONNA DIANA 
 
 had to choose, Mr. Vane do you understand? to choose 
 between sacrificing my niece and and 
 
 ' But your Eminence has not hesitated/ interrupted 
 Vane. 
 
 'I have hesitated a great deal/ said Cardinal Savelli 
 simply ; ' but that is all over now. Tomei has been urging 
 me to place the remainder of my niece's fortune in his 
 hands, assuring me that he could employ it in such a man- 
 ner as to enable me to regain the money I have used. My 
 nephew Marco, too, believes in Tomei's assurances, but 
 he does not understand, and, moreover, he is in ignorance 
 that I. have ever drawn upon the capital except on the oc- 
 casion when I did so in order to help him. Marco only 
 thinks of how best to save me from the embarrassments 
 with which he knows me to be threatened. But Monsignor 
 Tomei, Monsignor Tomei is dishonest and unscrupulous, 
 and he is your enemy, Mr. Vane your enemy as well as 
 mine, as perhaps you will now have understood.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli paused and looked at Vane anxiously, 
 while Prince San Eocco muttered angry exclamations under 
 his breath. 
 
 'I think I understand everything/ replied Edmund, 
 f and, he added, ' I must beg your Eminence not to attempt 
 to explain more. You have already explained too much.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli sighed. 
 
 6 You are quite right, Mr. Vane/ he said, a little bitterly. 
 ' I understand perfectly that you will not care, after what 
 you have heard, to adhere to your wish to marry my niece.' 
 
 Vane smiled. 
 
 ( Your Eminence is entirely mistaken/ he replied quietly. 
 6 Donna Diana Savelli's fortune is absolutely nothing to 
 me, neither do I propose to inquire into its existence or non- 
 existence. I have the honour again to ask you, as Donna 
 Diana's guardian, for the permission to propose to her.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli stared at him for a moment as though 
 scarcely able to grasp the sense of his words, then he leaned 
 forward, and, covering his face with his hands, suddenly 
 burst into tears. 
 
CHAPTEE XXIX 
 
 MARCO SAVELLI had not deemed it advisable to be in the 
 house when the Cardinal received Edmund Vane. He had 
 no desire to take part in their meeting, feeling assured that 
 he should learn from his uncle all that had passed at it. 
 
 In the meantime he had hastened to Monsignor Tomer's 
 abode in the Via della Croce. His anger at the manner 
 in which Monsignor Tomei's accomplices had carried out 
 their instructions had increased considerably on seeing 
 that Cardinal Savelli was by no means so ready to be con- 
 vinced of Vane's culpability as he had hoped would be 
 the case. That Monsieur de Villebois should have been, 
 if not an actual witness of what had occurred the previous 
 night, at least in a position to prove that Vane had been 
 in his company up to a few minutes before the assault, 
 caused Marco not a little uneasiness. Had his brother Lino 
 been the only witness, a doubt must always have attached 
 to any testimony the latter might give, as both he and 
 Vane might reasonably be suspected of a desire to shield 
 one another. But with Monsieur de Villebois it was quite 
 a different matter, and Marco wondered how much the 
 elderly diplomatist had actually seen, and what his ex- 
 planation of the aggressions might be when Cardinal 
 Savelli should question him on the subject. 
 
 He had found Monsignor Tomei at home. Indeed, it 
 was evident to Marco that he was expected, for the priest's 
 housekeeper, after peering suspiciously through the par- 
 tially opened door, admitted him without any of her cus- 
 tomary hesitation and delay. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei greeted his visitor obsequiously. 
 
 1 Well, Don Marco,' he exclaimed, as soon as he had care- 
 fully closed the door of his sitting-room, 'you see how 
 
 365 
 
366 DONNA DIANA 
 
 right we were. You have read this morning's papers, of 
 course? It is very unfortunate that your brother, Don 
 Michelangelo, should have met with this accident. Ma 
 come si fa ! when a young man will go with bad com- 
 panions like that pig of an Englishman 
 
 Marco Savelli interrupted him angrily. 
 
 ' It is your men who are pigs ! 9 he exclaimed ' pigs, 
 and asses too! Why, in God's name, did they not wait 
 till Vane 'was alone? Instead of doing this, the bungling 
 idiots stab my brother ! ' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei shook his head. 
 
 ' It was a mistake/ he said. ' The knife should not have 
 been used; it was not at all necessary. But what would 
 you have ? The Englishman hit hard, and then the other 
 a mere lad lost his presence of mind. Luckily, how- 
 ever, Don Michelangelo's wound is not serious. Perhaps 
 it will turn out to be a good thing, Don Marco. People 
 will be all the more indignant with Vane for having led 
 your brother into such an affair. You have seen His 
 Eminence, I conclude ? How has he received this piece of 
 news ? ' 
 
 'He receives Vane/ said Marco bitterly, 'so you may 
 imagine how he has received the news! We have accom- 
 plished nothing absolutely nothing/ he added, ' if, in- 
 deed, we have not lost everything by the cursed stupidity 
 of this fellow whom you recommended as being so so 
 discreet/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked considerably taken back. 
 
 'His Eminence receives him! After all the hints that 
 appear in the newspapers as to the nature of the case?' 
 he exclaimed. ' But it is incredible, Don Marco ! 9 
 
 ' Incredible or not, it is true/ replied Marco. ' I have 
 been with the Cardinal this morning/ he continued. c He 
 is determined to take nothing for granted against Vane, 
 but to investigate everything for himself. Moreover, my 
 uncle San Eocco is to be present at the interview between 
 them, and he supports Vane, of course; my brother has 
 managed to gain him over to Vane's cause/ 
 
DONNA DIANA 367 
 
 6 He can know nothing/ said Monsignor Tomei. 
 
 ' No, but there was another witness, whose presence last 
 night those idiots seem to have overlooked/ 
 
 ' Oh, some attache ! ' returned Monsignor Tomei con- 
 temptuously. ' Nobody will pay much attention to the 
 evidence of one of those empty-headed young gentlemen.' 
 
 ' No attache/ said Marco dryly, ' but an ex-Conseiller of 
 Embassy Monsieur de Villebois.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei started uneasily. 
 
 ' Ah ! ' he exclaimed. ' I know Monsieur de Villebois 
 by name. A shrewd man, Don Marco a very shrewd 
 man! ' 
 
 6 Exactly ! And a man whose word will carry more 
 weight in Eome than either mine or yours, Monsignore/ 
 observed Marco Savelli a little insolently. ' We do not 
 know how much De Villebois may have seen, or what may 
 be Vane's object in having asked that my uncle should 
 receive him at the same time as himself.' 
 
 'But you will see His Eminence again to-day after 
 this interview has taken place ? ' asked Monsignor Tomei 
 anxiously. 
 
 ' I shall try to do so, certainly/ replied Marco, ' but that 
 will not be until this evening/ he added. 
 
 'It is some time since the Cardinal has sent for me/ 
 observed Monsignor Tomei, 'but there are matters requir- 
 ing his immediate attention. I have not wished to trouble 
 him, but it is very desirable that I should see him. Per- 
 haps, Don Marco, you will tell him this ? ' 
 
 Marco Savelli glanced at him. 
 
 e I will tell him/ he said slowly, ' but it is only fair that 
 I should warn you, Monsignore, that His Eminence seems 
 to have entertained doubts lately as to the soundness of 
 the advice you have given him. I do not think that he is 
 well ; in any case, he certainly is not like himself. He has 
 told me that under no circumstances will he permit his 
 niece's money to be again touched.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's eyes contracted, and his loose lips 
 parted in a disagreeable smile. 
 
368 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' He will have to touch it, whether he likes to do so or 
 not/ he observed, 'if he allows Donna Diana Savelli to 
 marry/ 
 
 ' That is what I have been trying my best to impress 
 upon him/ said Marco, ' but he does not appear to realize 
 it. It is strange/ he continued, ' but my uncle seems sud- 
 denly to have developed a conscience/ 
 
 ' Impulses, my dear Don Marco/ remarked Monsignor 
 Tomei ' impulses, not conscience. I always told you that 
 His Eminence was a man of impulses.' 
 
 Marco Savelli was silent for a moment. 
 
 ' His present impulse would appear to be to extricate 
 his affairs from your management/ he said presently. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei laughed. It was a coarse, vulgar 
 laugh, and Marco Savelli winced slightly as he heard it. 
 
 ' It would not be easy/ he said, ' and it would not be 
 a wise thing on His Eminence's part. It is never wise, 
 you know, Don Marco, to attempt to change horses while 
 Tossing a stream ; ' and he looked at Marco furtively. 
 
 The latter shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 'And what is to be done now?' he asked impatiently. 
 ' I mean/ he added, as Monsignor Tomei glanced at him 
 inquiringly, 'how can we induce the Cardinal to realize 
 that he cannot afford to gratify his impulses and allow 
 my cousin Diana to marry this Englishman or anybody 
 else, for that matter?' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei took a pinch of snuff. 
 
 ' Hitherto/ he replied, ( we have striven not to alarm 
 His Eminence unduly. If, as you say, Don Marco, he 
 does not realize his position, he must be made to do so 
 to realize it to the full. I have documents there/ he 
 added, pointing to his writing-desk, 'which cannot fail 
 to convince him. We must, so to speak, apply a little more 
 pressure just a little more pressure. In His Eminence's 
 own interest, you understand.' 
 
 Marco Savelli nodded. 
 
 'It is the only way/ he said. ( After all, my uncle 
 must be protected against himself against certain weak-. 
 
DONNA DIANA 369 
 
 nesses of character which, would lead him to ruin himself 
 and injure the credit of our family/ 
 
 ' Quite so, Don Marco quite so ! ' assented Monsignor 
 Tomei, rubbing his hands gently together. ' You will see 
 that the Cardinal will yield to reasonable arguments/ he 
 continued,, and he glanced again at his writing-desk. 
 
 ' Nothing can be done until I know what has passed at 
 the interview he will have with Vane to-day/ said Marco. 
 ' I will try to persuade my uncle to send for you, mon- 
 signore/ he added, ' and then we will see/ 
 
 ' Yes, we will see/ interrupted Monsignor Tomei. e I 
 think I can convince His Eminence that he cannot afford 
 to dispense with my services/ he concluded, with a sud- 
 den scowl. 
 
 Marco Savelli soon afterwards took his departure. Not- 
 withstanding Monsignor Tomei's assurances that what had 
 occurred the night before was for the best, he was still 
 uneasy in his mind, and convinced that a grave error had 
 been made both in attacking Vane while the latter was in 
 Lino's company, and in having had recourse to arms. 
 
 During the remainder of the day he absented himself 
 from the Via Giulia. Rome was rapidly becoming empty, 
 as June that year had been a hotter month than usual. 
 Nevertheless, Marco was questioned by several friends as 
 to the truth of the story that was in everybody's mouth. 
 He contented himself with declaring that he knew no 
 more than was in the newspapers, and expressed his hopes 
 that his brother Lino would now drop the acquaintance of 
 so undesirable a companion as the Englishman, who was 
 in reality to blame for the whole affair. 
 
 Marco breakfasted that day at a little restaurant where 
 he would be unlikely to meet anybody he knew, or to be 
 recognised himself. He had telephoned to Countess Verini, 
 proposing to visit her in the afternoon, but the latter had 
 replied that she should not be alone until dinner-time, 
 after which hour he would certainly find her. 
 
 It was already dusk when he returned to the Via Giulia, 
 and was informed by Cardinal Savelli's servant that His 
 
370 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Eminence had retired to his own room for the night as he 
 was not feeling well, and had given orders that he was not 
 to be disturbed. 
 
 Marco changed his clothes, and, after a hasty dinner, 
 walked to Countess Verini's residence. Laura Verini was, 
 as she had, promised, alone, and received him with eager 
 curiosity. She had read every account published of the 
 attack made upon Lino Savelli and his friend, and had also 
 acquired some further information that was not in the 
 newspapers. The evening journals indeed had been more 
 reticent than their contemporaries of the morning. Marco 
 observed that in each of them the imputations contained 
 in the first accounts were either omitted or categorically 
 contradicted, leaving it to be understood that the aggres- 
 sion had been committed solely with the object of extort- 
 ing money by threats and violence. 
 
 6 It has been a blunder, Marco/ exclaimed Countess 
 Verini as soon as the servant who showed him into her 
 drawing-room had left the room 'an incredible blunder! 
 What in the world was the use of turning the whole thing 
 into a vulgar fattaccio ? ' 
 
 'Yes/ said Marco Savelli gloomily, 'it was a blunder; 
 you are quite right, Laura/ 
 
 ' Of course I am right ! 9 returned Laura Verini impa- 
 tiently. ' I suppose you know what has happened ? ' she 
 added. 
 
 Marco shook his head. 
 
 'What?' he asked eagerly. 
 
 ' De Villebois and your uncle San Eocco have been to 
 the Prefettura. The former has declared that he was with 
 your brother and Vane the whole evening; that he only 
 left them in order to follow three individuals whom he sus- 
 pected of having designs upon them, one of whom had 
 already been pointed out to him by Vane as a man who had 
 repeatedly followed the latter; that, had it not been for 
 their tactics in taking short-cuts in order to intercept 
 Vane in a street which they knew would be fairly deserted, 
 he would have been actually present at their assault, in- 
 
DONNA DIANA 371 
 
 stead of arriving a minute or two after it. The Prefetto 
 sent an official with your uncle and De Villebois to the 
 Questura hence the contradictions in the evening papers. 
 You have gained nothing, Marco nothing at all.' 
 
 ' How do you know this, Laura ? ' 
 
 ' How do I know this ? Why, I know it. I can usually 
 find out what I wish to know. It was a ridiculous blunder, 
 I tell you! Vane should have been trapped when he was 
 alone when there was nobody to confirm his statements. 
 And there should have been no violence, except such as 
 might have been necessary to keep him quiet till the guar- 
 dia should arrive. Then the mud would have stuck. But 
 
 now ' And Countess Verini paused, with a shrug of 
 
 her shoulders. 
 
 i I am furious with Tomei,' said Marco. ( It is all his 
 fault for not giving clearer instructions. But have you 
 heard anything else from the Questura, Laura ? 9 he asked 
 anxiously. 
 
 ' Whether the police are likely to discover the authors 
 of last night's aggressione, you mean ? Yes, Marco, I have 
 heard something of that also. It appears that no very 
 energetic measures will be taken to unearth them so I 
 have been told. The matter will be allowed to drop un- 
 less ' 
 
 ' Unless what?' 
 
 ' Unless your brother continues to insist upon a full 
 investigation being made. It appears that at present he 
 is desirous this should be done, but it is to be hoped 
 that he will be persuaded not to continue in his insist- 
 ence.' 
 
 Marco made no reply, but his face became several shades 
 paler than usual. 
 
 'When did you hear this, Laura?' he asked presently. 
 
 c This evening. Your uncle and De Villebois were at the 
 Questura about seven o'clock.' 
 
 6 Ah ! ' exclaimed Marco, ' then they had already seen 
 the Cardinal ; ' and he swore under his breath. e I wish 
 I knew what had passed at that interview,' he continued 
 
372 DONNA DIANA 
 
 impatiently. e I hoped I should have seen my uncle this 
 evening, but he had already gone to his room unwell, 
 his servant said. I have seen Tomei, of course, and we 
 have decided to bring more pressure to bear in order to 
 induce the Cardinal to abandon these sentimental ideas 
 about Diana. He must be frightened, Laura.' 
 
 ' Yes, but how do you propose to frighten him ? ' asked 
 Countess Verini. 
 
 ' Oh, Tomei declares he has the means of doing so. 
 He says that if my uncle once realizes his pecuniary 
 position, he will not dare to resist. I fancy Tomei has 
 more hold over him than we have any idea of. The 
 worst of it is that the Cardinal has found Tomei out, 
 and declares to me that he will have nothing more to 
 do with him.' 
 
 Countess Verini seemed to be lost in her thoughts, and 
 Marco looked at her curiously. 
 
 ' Have you told Tomei this?' she asked suddenly. 
 
 ' Yes. He does not appear to take it very seriously. He 
 feels too sure of his power, I believe. He as good as told 
 me that the Cardinal dared not break with him.' 
 
 ' Ah ! he told you that ? ' said Laura Verini quickly. 
 
 ( I am going to do what I can to-morrow to persuade the 
 Cardinal to send for Tomei/ said Marco, 'and then we 
 can both bring our arguments to bear upon the old gentle- 
 man. I believe Tomei is right : if my uncle is thoroughly 
 alarmed he will give way. We none of us like being found 
 out.' 
 
 * No/ observed Countess Verini dryly, ( it is so very un- 
 intelligent to be found out. But, Marco/ she continued, 
 ' if I were you, I should take your uncle's side, and assist 
 him in getting rid of this Tomei.' 
 
 Marco stared .at her in astonishment. 
 
 ' Get rid of Tomei ! ' he exclaimed. ' But, Laura, what 
 would be the use of that? Besides, I have gone too far 
 with him, you know. We are in the same boat, and must 
 sink or swim together.' 
 
 Countess Verini lighted a cigarette. 
 
DONNA DIANA 373 
 
 ( You are dense, Marco ! ' she said. ' I have always said 
 it, and I always shall say it. You have tried Tomei, and 
 he is useless. Now you tell me that he has lost his in- 
 fluence over the Cardinal, so he is more useless than ever. 
 What is the good of having to do with useless people? 
 Listen to me, caro mw, and be sensible. Do you not see 
 that by ranging yourself on your uncle's side against Tomei 
 you will acquire more influence over the former than 
 ever ? ' 
 
 ' But Tomei knows too much/ insisted Marco. 
 
 Countess Verini laughed contemptuously. 
 
 ' What does that matter ? ' she asked. ' Tomei is nothing 
 but a common priest of no very good repute. If he 
 threatens to be disagreeable, Cardinal Savelli has means 
 at his disposal to crush him. And as regards yourself, 
 if it is known that you have found out Tomei in dealing 
 dishonestly by your uncle's affairs, and have helped the 
 latter to get out of his clutches, who will credit anything 
 that the man may say against you? Really, Marco, I 
 should have thought that anybody like yourself, brought 
 up, as it were, in the atmosphere of the Vatican, would 
 know how easily a troublesome priest may be suppressed. 
 You have only to make Cardinal Savelli move in the mat- 
 ter, and get the ear of the Cardinal Vicar. We could name 
 plenty of instances, could we not, even within the Vatican 
 itself, in which ecclesiastics who have proved compromis- 
 ing have been transferred to a safe obscurity ? ? 
 
 'But if he threatens to make a scandal to expose the 
 Cardinal for tampering with Diana's fortune, and to ex- 
 pose me for well, for last night's business, for instance,' 
 objected Marco. 
 
 Countess Verini laughed. 
 
 'My dear Marco,' she said, 'he would make the Car- 
 dinal's fortune, and yours, too. The Vatican will always 
 pay for the washing of its adherents' dirty linen when the 
 latter are people of consequence. Casa Savelli is not likely 
 to suffer.' 
 
 Marco laughed also. 
 
374 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' What do you advise me to do, Laura ? ' he asked. 
 
 ' It is very simple. You have got all you can out of 
 Tomei which has not been much certainly and now you 
 can get rid of him. Profess to act in your uncle's inter- 
 ests in the interests of a deceived and injured man whose 
 confidence Monsignor Tomei has abused, and of whose lack 
 of business capacity he has taken advantage. You will not 
 find it difficult to assume a high moral tone, I know. 
 Your training as a seminarist will always help you.' 
 
 Marco's face flushed. 
 
 ' You need not be sarcastic/ he said irritably. 
 
 'But I am not in the least sarcastic/ retorted Laura 
 Verini with a little smile. 'You can do it admirably. 
 I always said you should have been a priest a society 
 priest, I mean via, Marco ! ' she added. ' I am only 
 laughing at you you look so serious ! What do you think 
 of my scheme?' she continued suddenly. 
 
 ' I think it is clever, like most of your schemes/ replied 
 Marco; 'but I am not certain of my ground. I do not 
 know what hold Tomei may possess over the Cardinal. 
 They might both turn against me/ he added suspiciously. 
 
 Laura Verini darted a keen glance at him. 
 
 6 1 have told you/ she replied, ' that you need not be 
 afraid of scandal, for if Tomei threatens it, he will find 
 that he will not be allowed to carry out his threats.' 
 
 e It is worth thinking about, certainly/ said Marco. ' In 
 the meantime, Laura/ he continued, 'thanks to Tomei's 
 blundering, we are further off than ever from getting this 
 money. And you I know you are in want of it.' 
 
 ' Oh, as to that/ answered Laura Yerini carelessly, ' I 
 am always in want of it. But it doesn't signify, Marco. 
 I have pacified most of my tradespeople. They will 
 wait now till the autumn and, by the autumn, who 
 knows ' 
 
 They talked on for some time, and then Countess Yerini, 
 always mindful of the proprieties, bade Marco good-night. 
 At a moment when the name of Savelli was in everybody's 
 mouth, she felt that it behoved her to be cautious, for, 
 
DONNA DIANA 375' 
 
 notwithstanding the advice she had just given to Marco, 
 she was by no means sure how either her lover or Cardinal 
 Savelli were going to emerge without a public scandal 
 from the position into which they had drifted. 
 
 And whatever might happen to others, the Countess 
 Verini had not the slightest intention of being compro- 
 mised herself. 
 
CHAPTEE XXX 
 
 THE following morning, while Marco Savelli was still in 
 his room, he received a message from the Cardinal saying 
 that the latter wished to see him at nine o'clock. 
 
 Marco had passed a restless night. He was feverishly 
 anxious to know the result of his uncle's interview with 
 Vane, and especially the part Monsieur de Villebois had 
 played in it. He had pondered a great deal, too, over 
 Countess Verini's suggestion that he should cut himself 
 adrift from Monsignor Tomei. It was a suggestion which 
 had at first startled him on account of its boldness, but 
 the more he thought over it, the more convinced he became 
 that Laura's advice was sound. It would be necessary, 
 however, to proceed with caution. This determination on 
 the Cardinal's part to free himself from Monsignor To- 
 mei's influence might only be another impulse an im- 
 pulse which would probably be at once stifled when Car- 
 dinal Savelli should finally realize that he was completely 
 in the latter's power, both financially and, as Marco had 
 for some time been convinced, morally. 
 
 Nine o'clock had scarcely struck when Marco Savelli 
 entered his uncle's study. 
 
 A glance at the Cardinal showed him that the latter was 
 in an extremely nervous state, which he was evidently try- 
 ing to control. After greeting his nephew, Cardinal Sa- 
 velli, whose hands, Marco noticed, were trembling in a way 
 that was quite unusual with them, went through a pretence 
 of arranging the papers upon the writing-table at which he 
 was sitting. Once or twice he seemed as though about to 
 speak; then he checked himself as if reluctant or afraid 
 to do so. 
 
 'You had your interview with Vane yesterday after- 
 noon, I conclude,' said Marco at length. 
 
 376 
 
DONNA DIANA 377 
 
 ' Yes, yes, Marco/ replied Cardinal Savelli hurriedly. 
 ' It is about this I wish to speak to you. You are wrong, 
 the newspapers were wrong, as to there having been any- 
 thing discreditable either to Mr. Vane or to Lino in their 
 adventure of Thursday night. It is quite the reverse, in- 
 deed quite the reverse. An abominable thing ! ' And the 
 Cardinal paused, looking at Marco eagerly. 
 
 ' I am delighted to hear it/ the latter observed dryly. 
 ' But perhaps, Uncle Camillo/ he added, i you will explain 
 your reasons for being so quickly convinced of Vane's in- 
 nocence. I must tell you that those who know the life he 
 leads in Rome, and the kind of society he frequents, are 
 not the least surprised at his having got himself into this 
 disagreeable position. Tomei ' 
 
 ' Tomei ! ' exclaimed the Cardinal indignantly. ' Do not 
 quote Tomei to me, Marco! The man is a mascalzone, I 
 tell you a scoundrel ! If it were not for my own weak- 
 ness and folly in having hitherto allowed myself to be 
 more or less in his power, I would expose him yes, I 
 would expose him for what he is an imbroglione and an 
 assassin! But even as it is, I will get him sent where 
 he can do no more mischief and where he will find nobody 
 but peasants with whom to play the usurer.' 
 
 Marco raised his eyebrows. 
 
 ( I do not understand/ he said quietly. Unless you will 
 explain a little more fully, I cannot follow you.' 
 
 ' Of course not, Marco/ replied Cardinal Savelli. ' How 
 should you understand? You, like myself, have been de- 
 ceived by Tomei's animosity against Mr. Vane. You would 
 not believe, for instance, that Tomei was the instigator 
 of the attack made upon him two nights ago that ' 
 
 Marco Savelli started violently and became very pale. 
 
 6 What do you 'mean ? ' he exclaimed. 
 
 ' No/ continued the Cardinal hurriedly. ' You would 
 certainly not believe it; but it is true, Marco. Tomei 
 planned the outrage. It was a cowardly a devilish plan. 
 He was determined that I should entrust him with the 
 manipulation of Diana's capital, and Vane was in the way. 
 
378 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Tomei was determined to prevent Diana from marrying 
 and Vane wished to marry her. So he conceived the dia- 
 bolical scheme of placing Mr. Vane in an equivocal situa- 
 tion whereby his character might suffer, in the hopes that 
 we should indignantly refuse to entertain his proposal for 
 Diana/ 
 
 Marco turned suddenly to the window, so that his uncle 
 could not see his face. 
 
 ' It is impossible ! ' he exclaimed hoarsely ' impossible, 
 Uncle Camillo ! Vane has no doubt invented the story in 
 order to explain away the affair of two nights ago/ 
 
 'Vane did not tell me the story/ returned Cardinal 
 Savelli abruptly. 
 
 ' Then who did ? ' Marco asked hastily. 
 
 * Monsieur de Villebois/ replied the Cardinal. ' He rec- 
 ognised one of the individuals two men and a woman 
 who were apparently watching Vane outside the Porta 
 San Giovanni that night, for the same man whom the lat- 
 ter had already pointed out to him as being constantly 
 spying upon him. De Villebois followed these individu- 
 als and overheard their conversation. He heard this man 
 say to his companions that if any mistake were made, 
 and the Englishman were not hopelessly compromised, 
 they would not get their money from Monsignor Tomei/ 
 
 Marco was silent. It was fortunate, perhaps, that the 
 Cardinal could not see the expression of mingled fear and 
 anger on his nephew's countenance. Cardinal Savelli 
 recommenced sorting his papers nervously. For a minute 
 or two neither of them spoke. Suddenly the Louis Qua- 
 torze clock above the door struck the quarter after nine, 
 and the Cardinal looked up quickly. 
 
 'I have sent for Tomei/ he said; '.he will be here at 
 half-past nine. I wish you to stay with me, Marco/ he 
 added. ' I will not be alone with that man/ 
 
 Marco nodded. 
 
 ' Yes/ he answered, ' I will stay. But you have not told 
 me how matters stand between you and Vane regarding 
 Diana, I mean/ 
 
DONNA DIANA 379 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at him and hesitated. 
 
 'You have a bad opinion of Vane, I know/ he said, 
 'but, as I said before, you have been deceived by Tomei. 
 To my mind he has completely proved his case or, rather, 
 it has been proved for him by the testimony of an un- 
 prejudiced witness such as Monsieur de Villebois.' 
 
 6 And so/ interposed Marco, e you will allow him to marry 
 Diana?' 
 
 ' If Diana chooses to marry him yes/ replied Cardinal 
 Savelli, looking steadily at his nephew. ' The child shall 
 decide for herself/ he added, with a slight sigh. 
 
 ' And her dot? ' asked Marco abruptly. ' Vane will want 
 to see that/ he added. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli directed a keen glance at his nephew. 
 
 * That is another instance in which we have misjudged 
 this Englishman/ he said. ' He is rich. Diana's dot is 
 nothing to him. He wants Diana herself, and would take 
 her even if she had no dot/ 
 
 6 Ah ! ' exclaimed Marco. ' He has told you so, I suppose/ 
 
 'Yes/ returned the Cardinal quietly, 'he has told me 
 so. This/ he continued, 'is what I mean to tell Mon- 
 signor Tomei when he comes this, and a few other things. 
 I shall be curious to see what line he will take/ 
 
 ' So shall I/ muttered his nephew under his breath. 
 
 ' What do you say, Marco ? ' inquired Cardinal Savelli 
 somewhat sharply. 
 
 e You have quite decided, then, to dispense with Tomer's 
 services for the future?' Marco asked. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli got up from his chair and began to walk 
 up and down the room. 
 
 ' I have no need of his services/ he said irritably, ' and 
 I wish to God I had never had anything to do with him. 
 He thinks that he is indispensable to me that I dare not 
 get rid of him. But he shall see he shall see, Marco. 
 And you you will support me, will you not?' 
 
 He stopped for a moment and looked earnestly at his 
 nephew, and Marco fancied that he detected a slight ex- 
 pression of suspicion in his gaze. 
 
380 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' You see, Marco/ he continued quickly, ' I have been 
 very much to blame in allowing myself to be guided by a 
 man like Tomei. To be sure, I did not suspect him of be- 
 ing the scoundrel he is. But the man is a peasant a 
 semi-educated peasant and you know what that may 
 mean. We have too many of them in higher positions 
 than Monsignor Tomei. Tomei is convinced that he has 
 me in his power. He knows that I have used some of 
 Diana's money for you and and for other purposes. 
 But he is mistaken, Marco I am going to show him 
 that he is mistaken, and that I know him now for what 
 he is.' 
 
 ' But are you sure it is wise to quarrel with him ? ' 
 hazarded Marco. ' Have you thought well, Uncle Camillo ? ' 
 
 ' Madonna Santissima ! Have I thought well ! ' ejacu- 
 lated Cardinal Savelli; and then he turned to Marco 
 quickly. 'You seem to be afraid of Tomei,' he said sus- 
 piciously. ' I will tell you the truth, Marco/ he added 
 suddenly. ' I have thought sometimes that Tomei was 
 using you as an unconscious tool in order to gain his 
 own ends with me. Mind, I say unconscious, for, of 
 course, I know that you would have been the first to warn 
 me against him, had you had the least idea that he was 
 what he is. I do not blame you, Marco, for, after all, 
 you have been deceived as well as myself. But now the 
 time has come when Tomei must learn that I decline to 
 have anything more to do with him.' 
 
 e And you feel that you can tell him this ? ' said Marco. 
 'Kemember/ he continued, 'he might be a dangerous en- 
 emy. Your Eminence cannot afford that a word should 
 be said regarding your administration of Diana's fortune. 
 And if it were known that money had been employed for 
 my benefit out of that fortune, I should be supposed to 
 have been acting in collusion with Monsignor Tomei.' 
 
 Marco's concluding words had an instant effect. The 
 suspicious expression that Cardinal Savelli's face had 
 worn a moment before suddenly vanished, and he looked 
 at his favourite nephew with a glance of deep affection. 
 
DONNA DIANA 381 
 
 ' I understand/ he said gently. ' You are afraid for me, 
 because you think this mascalzone may try to damage me 
 in revenge for his dismissal. But you need not be afraid, 
 Marco neither for me nor for yourself. Believe me, 
 Tomei may do his worst; he will not be able to injure 
 either of us very seriously.' 
 
 Marco was silent. He felt completely mystified. His 
 uncle must surely have some very good reasons for speak- 
 ing as confidently as he did. Perhaps Monsignor Tomei 
 had exaggerated the extent of the hold he pretended to 
 possess over the Cardinal. But what if Tomei, in his 
 anger at finding himself dismissed from the Cardinal's 
 confidence, should reveal everything and declare that he 
 had acted throughout with the full cognizance and at the 
 suggestion of Don Marco Savelli? 
 
 Marco looked at the clock, and saw that it was on the 
 point of striking the half-hour. In a minute or two he 
 would have to decide upon the course he should pursue. 
 Perhaps Laura Verini had been right, and his wiser policy 
 would be to range himself upon his uncle's side. It was 
 strange that the latter should have sought his help and 
 support with an insistence which was almost pathetic. 
 That the Cardinal should have done so seemed to prove 
 the soundness of Laura's advice. 
 
 And if Tomei threatened reprisals? Bah! he might 
 threaten them. Probably he would threaten them, but, as 
 Laura had pointed out, Tomei could be suppressed. Evi- 
 dently the Cardinal had no fear of him, so why should he A 
 Marco, be afraid? 
 
 His reflections were interrupted, by the entry of a serv- 
 ant, who informed Cardinal Savelli that Monsignor Tomei 
 was waiting to be received. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli cast a rapid glance at his nephew. 
 
 ' Show Monsignor Tomei in here,' he said to the man 
 briefly, f and admit nobody else this morning.' 
 
 Marco Savelli looked at him, and wondered at the sud- 
 den alteration in his expression and manner. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli had drawn himself up in his chair, and 
 
382 DONNA DIANA' 
 
 his whole person seemed to have assumed a certain severe 
 dignity. As Marco looked at him, he experienced a sensa- 
 tion of confidence and relief. This, at any rate, was not 
 the attitude of a man about to receive a person of whom he 
 stood in any fear. Tomei must have exaggerated, and, 
 Marco thought with a sudden anger, he had no doubt done 
 so in order purposely to deceive him as to the power he 
 professed to have acquired over the Cardinal. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei entered the room with his most busi- 
 nesslike air, and bowed to Cardinal Savelli and Marco as 
 he wished them buon giorno. He evinced no surprise at 
 seeing Marco, being, indeed, convinced it was owing to 
 the latter that he had been summoned so speedily. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli acknowledged his salutation by a cold 
 inclination of the head. He did not, as was his custom, 
 rise from his chair, but remained seated at his writing- 
 table, whence he looked keenly and steadily at his visitor. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei advanced towards him, and then he 
 paused in some embarrassment. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli made no motion to him to sit down, 
 and, consequently, etiquette obliged him to remain 
 standing. 
 
 'Your Eminence wished to see me?' he said, as the 
 Cardinal did not break the silence. 
 
 'Yes, I wished to see you, monsignore,' answered Car- 
 dinal Savelli quietly, ' but I do not think that I shall detain 
 you long.' 
 
 e I was about to write to ask for an audience of your 
 Eminence when your message reached me,' continued Mon- 
 signor Tomei. ' I have several matters which need your 
 attention.' 
 
 'They will wait,' interrupted the Cardinal coldly. 'I 
 also have matters to discuss requiring your attention, mon- 
 signore and your explanation.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei glanced at Marco Savelli. 
 
 'Pardon me, Eminence,' he said, 'but the business to 
 which I allude will not wait. It has waited too long for 
 settlement/ 
 
DONNA DIANA 383 
 
 There was a covert insolence in his tone that did not 
 escape Marco's quick ears. It did not escape the Cardinal 
 either, for the latter drew himself up and gave Monsignor 
 Tomei a look before which the latter's eyes involuntarily 
 dropped. 
 
 ' Of course/ he continued hastily, ' your Eminence's 
 business with me must take precedence. May I ask what 
 these matters are that require my attention and explana- 
 tion?' 
 
 ' It is scarcely necessary for you to do so/ returned 
 Cardinal Savelli, and his eyes gleamed with a sudden flash 
 of anger. ' You read the newspapers, I conclude/ he added 
 sarcastically. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei made an apologetic gesture. 
 
 ' Ah ! ' he exclaimed, ' I begin to understand what your 
 Eminence refers to. Of course, I read the account of the 
 disgraceful affair in the Via Urbana the other night. I 
 am not surprised. I have heard things concerning that 
 English gentleman which fully account for his being 
 mixed up in such a matter. But I regret that Don Michel- 
 angelo Savelli should so nearly have fallen a victim to his 
 companion's evil practices, though I must congratulate 
 your Eminence and Don Marco on his having escaped 
 with what is, I understand, a comparatively trifling 
 wound/ 
 
 ' Have you paid his aggressors yet, monsignore ? ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli spoke slowly and deliberately, but each 
 word was delivered like a thrust of a rapier. 
 
 Monsignor Tomei started, and his face became livid. 
 
 ( I I do not understand, Eminence/ he gasped. 
 
 The Cardinal laughed abruptly. 
 
 e Ah ! you do not understand ! It seems, then, that it 
 is I, and not you, who must explain. I ask you if you have 
 paid your accomplices, monsignore the scoundrels whom 
 you hired to bring false accusations against Mr. Vane in 
 order to compromise him in my eyes, and to oblige me to 
 refuse my consent to any question of marriage between him 
 and my niece, Donna Diana Savelli.' 
 
384 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Monsignor Tomei attempted to speak, but the words died 
 away on his tongue into an inarticulate murmur. 
 
 * Shall I explain to you your object for doing this ? ' 
 continued Cardinal Savelli mercilessly. ' You did it be- 
 cause you were determined that I should entrust the re- 
 mainder of my niece's capital to your administration 
 the portion that you had not yet succeeded in persuading 
 me to mortgage, or to use in order to procure myself some 
 temporary relief from the embarrassments which you have 
 gradually created for me embarrassments you have care- 
 fully built up on the foundations of my own folly and 
 carelessness. You feared Mr. Vane, monsignore, because 
 you knew that, should he marry my niece, your schemes 
 must fail. And so you sought to poison my mind against 
 him with your slanderous hints and suggestions, as you 
 tried to poison the mind of my nephew, Don Marco.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli paused. He had become more excited 
 while he was speaking, and his face was suffused by a deep 
 crimson flush. 
 
 At the mention of Marco's name, Monsignor Tomei 
 looked up quickly. 
 
 ' Don Marco will tell your Eminence that these insinua- 
 tions against me are false,' he exclaimed eagerly. ' They 
 have been suggested to your Eminence by some person 
 who is determined to destroy your confidence in me.' 
 
 ( Insinuations ! ' repeated the Cardinal. ' You are mis- 
 taken. I make no insinuations against you; I state facts.' 
 
 " Don Marco,' said Monsignor Tomei, turning to him 
 quickly, ' I call upon you to protect me against these ac- 
 cusations. You know that I have been loyal to His Emi- 
 nence's interests and to your own ' 
 
 ' I do not see how my interests are concerned, mon- 
 signore,' interrupted Marco coldly. e My uncle,' he added, 
 e derives his information as to what occurred in the Via 
 Urbana on the night of San Giovanni, not from the news- 
 papers, but from an eye-witness. It is for you to protect 
 yourself, if you can do so. My uncle himself, of course, 
 can be the only judge as to the manner in which you have 
 
DONNA DIANA 385 
 
 acted in regard to his own private affairs, and as to the 
 advantage or disadvantage he may have gained through 
 your counsels/ 
 
 ( Yes, Marco/ interposed Cardinal Savelli, ' you are quite 
 right. I am the judge of how Monsignor Tomei has ful- 
 filled the trust I was foolish enough to repose in him. 
 But I will be no unjust judge/ he added, and for the 
 first time since Monsignor Tomei had entered the room 
 his voice assumed a more gentle tone. ( When * I requested 
 Monsignor Tomei to assist me with his advice/ he con- 
 tinued, ( I had already yielded to temptation I had al- 
 ready borrowed from my niece's fortune. I do not forget 
 that, and although the fact does not justify your subse- 
 quent conduct, monsignore, it at least in some way ex- 
 cuses it. You thought that because I had been dishonest 
 I should be so to the end, and you made sure I should fall 
 an easy victim to your schemes. You have been mistaken, 
 monsignore. I have lost the right to say any more to 
 you than this. But, at the same time, you will under- 
 stand that I do not any longer require your services, and 
 that I am about to place my affairs in the hands of others. 
 As to your connivance in the attempted outrage upon Mr, 
 Vane, in which my nephew, Don Michelangelo Savelli, so 
 nearly lost his life, you will settle that matter with your 
 own conscience, and with your accomplices.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei hesitated for a moment, as the Qar- 
 dinal paused and looked at him as though to intimate that 
 he had nothing more to say. 
 
 Then the rage and mortification which had been boiling 
 within him burst forth in a torrent of words. 
 
 'Your Eminence is right/ he cried angrily. 'I will 
 settle that matter with my accomplices 9 and he darted 
 a sinister look at Marco Savelli 'but first of all I will 
 give you some of the explanations you have asked for. 
 You will be a just judge, you tell me, so you will hear what 
 I have to say oh yes, you will hear it, because you must 
 hear it because I, Tomei, will make you hear it. You 
 think that you can dismiss me that you can throw me 
 
386 DONNA DIANA 
 
 aside like an empty wine-flask but you are mistaken, 
 per Dio! Every franc that you possess is in my power, 
 Eminence, and you have already fraudulently fraudu- 
 lently, do you understand? mortgaged the greater part 
 of your ward's capital. A word from me, and those who 
 hold these mortgages will foreclose, and then well, your 
 Eminence may guess the result. You will be not only 
 ruined, but dishonoured. Details will be made public 
 which you can scarcely wish to be known. What, for in- 
 stance, will be said when it comes out that Cardinal 
 Savelli stole yes, stole a hundred thousand lire from 
 the reserve capital of a credit bank of which he was the 
 honoured patron and director? Will the Holy Father be 
 pleased to hear this fact, and to know that yet another 
 financial scandal has burst so near to the threshold of 
 the Vatican? And what will the Koman world say when 
 it knows that His Eminence Cardinal Savelli, a Eoman 
 prince, because he found himself unable to repay to the 
 bank the sum he had embezzled, and because he feared 
 detection, took the money from his niece's fortune ? ' 
 
 Marco Savelli uttered a sharp exclamation of surprise 
 and consternation. He looked at his uncle, expecting every 
 moment to hear from him a contemptuous denial of Mon- 
 signor Tomei's allegation. 
 
 But no denial came. Cardinal Savelli continued to look 
 steadily at the angry man who was standing before him, 
 accompanying his stream of words with violent gesticu- 
 lations. 
 
 Suddenly Monsignor Tomei broke off with a harsh, 
 strident laugh. 
 
 ' What has your Eminence to say ? ' he asked, as the Car- 
 dinal sat gazing quietly and almost 'indifferently at him. 
 c You wanted money,' he added, e and I found you money. 
 It was no affair of mine if the security you offered be- 
 longed not to you, but to Donna Diana Savelli, since you, 
 as her guardian, could invest her capital in any way that 
 seemed good to you. As soon as I realized the truth, I did 
 my best to save your Eminence from the consequences of 
 
DONNA DIANA 387 
 
 your acts by endeavouring to make arrangements whereby, 
 in the event of your niece taking the veil, her money might 
 still remain in your hands for some years, during which 
 time you might have paid off your debts to her.' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli looked at the clock. 
 
 ' Have you done, monsignore ? ' he asked coldly. 
 
 Monsignore Tomei turned to Marco Savelli. 
 
 ' Once again, Don Marco/ he said, ' I call upon you to 
 reason with His Eminence to explain to him that, as I 
 said before, I have acted in his interests and in yours/ 
 
 He had scarcely spoken the last words than the Cardi- 
 nal's voice rang out imperiously. 
 
 ' Be so good as to leave my nephew's name out of the 
 discussion,' he said. ' You have not, and never have had, 
 any authority to act in Don Marco Savelli's interests, and 
 you have no possible right to appeal to him.' 
 
 A malevolent scowl overspread Monsignor Tomei's 
 features, and his eyes seemed to recede into his head. 
 Without appearing to notice the Cardinal's remark, he 
 addressed Marco again: 
 
 ' I must ask you,' he repeated, ( to explain to His Emi- 
 nence Cardinal Savelli that I have acted not only in his 
 interests, but in your own.' 
 
 Marco looked at him, and saw that he was trembling all 
 over with suppressed rage. Then he looked at the Cardinal. 
 His uncle appeared to be cold and impassive, almost as 
 though he had no personal concern in what was going on 
 around him. Every now and then Marco saw that he 
 played nervously with an ivory paper-knife which lay on 
 the writing-table. He noticed, too, that the deep-red flush 
 had never passed from his face, and that occasionally his 
 mouth twitched almost convulsively. 
 
 Still, there were no signs of hesitation or moral fear on 
 his' uncle's countenance, and it was evident that he had 
 no intention of giving way before Monsignor Tomei's men- 
 aces of exposure and scandal. 
 
 Marco Savelli turned to the latter and looked at him 
 coldly. 
 
388 DONNA DIANA 
 
 ' You have made a mistake, monsignore/ he said, with an 
 insolent smile. ' As you have heard just now from my 
 uncle, you have never had any authority to act on my be- 
 half, and you have no possible right to appeal to me to 
 intercede for you with His Eminence. I am here/ he 
 added, ' to support my uncle, and to aid him in putting an 
 end to a system of management of his affairs which ap- 
 pears to have been very disastrous. The latter part of the 
 question, however, has nothing to do with me personally; 
 but I must decline to associate myself in any way with the 
 instigator of a dastardly outrage that nearly cost my brother 
 his life.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei's face turned livid again, and he 
 struck his head with his clenched fist. 
 
 ' Basta, Don Marco ! ' he exclaimed. ' I have had your 
 answer, and now now I will conclude my explanations to 
 His Eminence/ 
 
 6 There is no need for any further explanations/ said the 
 Cardinal, with a slight wave of his hand. ' My nephew 
 Marco and I understand one another perfectly, and what he 
 has just said to you meets with my full approval my full 
 approval/ he repeated, glancing at Marco affectionately. 
 ' Wait ! ' he exclaimed, holding up his hand, as Monsignor 
 Tomei was about to speak. ' Before you leave us, mon- 
 signore, I have one more thing to say to you; afterwards, 
 I will not detain you any longer. Yesterday I received 
 Mr. Vane, the Englishman whose character, and perhaps 
 whose life, you have endeavoured to destroy. He asked 
 me to give him my permission to marry Donna Diana 
 Savelli. I have given it, subject to her consent. You 
 will now perhaps understand that no further part of my 
 niece's fortune is likely to find its way into the pockets 
 of others.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei appeared scarcely to heed him. His 
 eyes were fixed on Marco Savelli with a savage glare of 
 hatred and contempt. 
 
 Suddenly he turned towards Cardinal Savelli. 
 
 ( Listen, Eminence ! ' he exclaimed, and there was an 
 
DONNA DIANA 389 
 
 angry hiss in his voice as he spoke. ' I, too, have some 
 more things to tell you, and you will hear them because 
 you are a just judge ; ' and he laughed derisively. ' You 
 approve of what your nephew has just told me, and you 
 and Don Marco Savelli ha! ha! ha! you understand 
 each other perfectly! Well, this is all as it should be 
 this love and confidence between an ecclesiastic like your 
 Eminence, who may not have acknowledged children of his 
 own, and a dutiful nephew. As you are in such perfect 
 accord with Don Marco, it will be no news to you that the 
 hundred thousand lire you gave him out of your niece's 
 fortune in order to save his credit was expended, not to 
 defray unlucky speculations on the Bourse, but to pay the 
 debts of his mistress, the Countess Verini, a lady whom 
 you doubtless know. And again, you will be aware that 
 Don Marco Savelli is in further need of money for the 
 same interesting object, and that he he, or the Countess 
 Verini is the true originator of the scheme by which 
 Donna Diana was to enter a convent, the authorities of 
 which should consent to wait for the entire payment of 
 her dot/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli laughed scornfully. 
 
 ' Basta,' monsignore ! ' he interrupted contemptuously. 
 f Having failed in your attempt to blacken Mr. Vane's char- 
 acter, it is of no use to attempt to do the same thing by 
 my nephew. No, Marco ! ' he exclaimed, as the latter 
 made a sudden movement, as though he were about to throw 
 himself upon Monsignor Tomei. ' Let him speak. We will 
 see to what extent he will seek to excuse himself by calum- 
 niating others.' 
 
 Marco Savelli turned aside with a suppressed oath, and 
 Monsignor Tomei drew nearer to the table at which the 
 Cardinal was sitting. 
 
 ( Your Eminence is just very just ! ' he said with a 
 calmness all the more ominous because so evidently forced 
 and unnatural. ' I have still some explanations to make, 
 and I trust that your Eminence will regard them as suf- 
 ficient. You have accused me of being the instigator of 
 
390 DONNA DIANA 
 
 the attack made upon Mr. Vane, but, of course, your Em- 
 inence knows that Don Marco arranged that little affair. 
 It was natural, perhaps. Your nephew wanted his share 
 of Donna Diana SavellFs fortune, and Mr. Vane was in 
 the way ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli suddenly rose to his feet and pointed to 
 the door. 
 
 ' Go ! 9 he exclaimed ' go, or I will have the servants 
 put you out by force ! Do you think that you can frighten 
 me? You may keep your threats and your calumnies for 
 clients of your own order, monsignore. Go, I say ! What 
 you are owed you shall be paid, but do not dare to show 
 your face here again/ 
 
 Monsignor Tomei did not move from where he was 
 standing. Suddenly, with a rapid motion, he put his hand 
 into the pockets of his soutane. 
 
 6 No/ he said, with a short laugh, as both Cardinal Sa- 
 velli and Marco drew back apprehensively, ( I am not 
 armed, except with papers. I am a business man, Em- 
 inence a business man. Perhaps you will do me the 
 favour of looking over these documents/ he added. 
 
 He extended at the same moment two papers from his 
 pocket, one of which was a letter and the other a folded 
 sheet of quarto size, and held them out towards the Car- 
 dinal. 
 
 With a sudden rush Marco Savelli sprang towards him, 
 and attempted to wrench them out of his hand. 
 
 ' They are forgeries ! ' he exclaimed. ( Do you hear, 
 uncle ? I swear to you that they are forgeries ! ' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei, with a rapid movement, held the 
 papers behind his back. 
 
 Then he turned to the Cardinal. 
 
 'Your Eminence is determined to be a just judge/ he 
 said, with an evil smile, ' and, as such, I trust these docu- 
 ments to your honour.' 
 
 Then, bending over the writing-table, he spread them out 
 before Cardinal Savelli. 
 
 But Cardinal Savelli was looking at his nephew, and as 
 
DONJSTA DIANA 391 
 
 he looked an expression of doubt came into his eyes, to be 
 succeeded by an expression of terrible suspicion. 
 
 ' They are forgeries ! ' Marco cried again. 
 
 He was very pale, and his black eyes roamed restlessly 
 round the room, as though seeking to fix themselves any- 
 where but on the Cardinal's face. Monsignor Tomei, stand- 
 ing at Cardinal Savelli's side, watched him with a mali- 
 cious smile. 
 
 'In that letter/ he said quietly, 'your Eminence will 
 find some further explanations. It is a letter of very 
 recent date, as you may notice; indeed, it is dated from 
 the Scacchi Club scarcely a week ago. In it Don Marco 
 Savelli urges me to lose no time in bringing about Mr. 
 Vane's disgrace, as he has learned from your Eminence 
 that you intended to receive Mr. Vane on St. John's Day. 
 Don Marco adds that such an interview would probably be 
 fatal to his plans, and that it must never take place. 
 I must beg your Eminence to read the letter for your- 
 self/ 
 
 Cardinal Savelli took the paper from him almost me- 
 chanically. His hands trembled violently as he held it up 
 to his eyes and began to read it. 
 
 Suddenly a low cry broke from him, a cry that sounded 
 like the moan of some creature in mortal pain. 
 
 ( You, Marco you ! ' he exclaimed. 
 
 < The second paper,' interrupted Monsignor Tomei. ( Will 
 your Eminence listen to the contents of the second paper ? 
 It is merely a formality a written promise by which Don 
 Marco Savelli binds himself to pay me a sum of two 
 thousand five hundred francs on my obtaining from you 
 twenty-five thousand francs on his behalf before the month 
 of September next. If your Eminence desires any further 
 explanations concerning this second document, I have no 
 doubt that the Countess Verini could supply them. The 
 first paper, I think, explains itself, and 9 
 
 'A just judge,' muttered Cardinal Savelli <a just 
 judge and an unjust steward.' 
 
 And then he laughed the same, strange, mirthless 
 
392 DONNA DIANA 
 
 laugh that had shocked and startled Prince San Rocco and 
 Edmund Vane the day before. Suddenly he rose from his 
 chair and came towards the spot where Marco was stand- 
 ing. 
 
 The latter tried to speak, but only the word ' Forgery ! ' 
 came in a hoarse whisper from his colourless lips. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli stopped a few feet away from him. 
 
 ' No,' he exclaimed, ' it is too late to lie now. Those 
 papers are no forgeries, and you you ' He stam- 
 mered for a moment and then recovered himself. ' God 
 has punished me/ he said dully. ' It was for you I first 
 took the money, for I loved you, Marco, as though you had 
 been my own son. Could you not have trusted me ? Was 
 I not worthier of your trust than that man, whom you knew 
 was driving me into committing fresh acts of dishonesty? 
 And now, when at last I was beginning to see a way out of 
 my difficulties when at last, thanks to a stranger's gen- 
 erosity, I could hope to rid myself for ever of that man 
 
 who has been my curse now, I say ' Cardinal Savelli 
 
 staggered suddenly and drew his hands across his eyes. 
 ' Marco ! ' he said faintly. 
 
 But Marco Savelli scarcely heeded him. He ground his 
 teeth and cursed himself for a short-sighted fool. He had 
 been a fool, indeed, for he had forgotten the letter he had 
 written to Monsignor Tomei, urging him to direct his ac- 
 complices to execute their commission without further de- 
 lay. The signed promise to pay Monsignor Tomei a hun- 
 dred pounds should the latter be successful in persuading 
 the Cardinal to advance the sum Laura Verini had asked 
 him for had not escaped his memory. He had already 
 settled in his mind how he would account for the existence 
 of this paper, should Tomei produce it. It would not be 
 difficult to persuade the Cardinal that he had deliberately 
 laid a trap for Monsignor Tomei, in order to discover how 
 far the latter was open to bribery. Of course, it was Vane 
 who had placed the Cardinal in such a position with regard 
 to Diana's dot that he could afford to shake off Monsignor 
 Tomei, and this accounted for his uncle's anxiety that Vane 
 
DONNA DIANA 393 
 
 should be able to clear himself from the accusations made 
 against him of leading a dissolute life. The Cardinal's last 
 words had revealed also to Monsignor Tomei what was 
 passing in his mind, and explained his indifference to the 
 threats of exposure by which the latter had hoped to terrify 
 him. 
 
 ( It is fortunate for your Eminence/ Monsignor Tomei 
 said with a sneer, ( that Don Marco did not succeed in pre- 
 venting Mr. Vane from calling upon you yesterday.' 
 
 The words seemed to rouse Cardinal Savelli to sudden 
 fury. A moment before his voice and manner had been 
 those of a man cruelly wounded in the tenderest feelings; 
 but Monsignor Tomei had hardly ceased speaking when a 
 wave of uncontrollable anger and contempt seemed to 
 sweep over him. 
 
 ' Yes/ he exclaimed, ' it is fortunate for me that my 
 nephew Marco is a murderer only in intent. Is it not 
 enough to be a coward and a liar ? Ah ! ' he continued, 
 turning to Marco, 'you do not know how I have fought 
 against the horrible suspicion that you my nephew were 
 acting in collusion with that man ! ' and he pointed with 
 trembling fingers to Monsignor Tomei. ' I could see that 
 Vane suspected it, and De Villebois, but they were more 
 merciful than you they tried to keep the truth the dis- 
 grace from me.' 
 
 ( The papers are forgeries forgeries, I tell you ! ' mut- 
 tered Marco Savelli sullenly. * That scoundrel of a priest 
 has concocted these lies to ruin me ! ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli made a step towards him. He raised 
 his arm, and almost it seemed as though he were about 
 to strike his nephew. 
 
 6 Liar ! ' he said hoarsely ' liar and coward ! From that 
 man that usurer who calls himself a priest I expect 
 nothing. He is a peasant. But you you are a Savelli, 
 and a Savelli, I say my brother's son ! ' 
 
 His voice rose until it became almost a shriek. Sud- 
 denly he struggled for breath. A few inarticulate words, 
 confused and senseless, fell from his lips, and he raised 
 
394 DONNA DIANA 
 
 his hands to his throat and tore convulsively at the collar 
 underneath his soutane. 
 
 The next moment he tottered, and then, with a choking 
 sob. Cardinal Savelli fell to the ground, unconscious and 
 breathing heavily. 
 
 Marco Savelli uttered an exclamation of alarm and hor- 
 ror. Throwing himself on his knees beside his uncle, 
 he endeavoured to raise him, and to loosen the collar at 
 which the Cardinal's hands were still feebly clutching. 
 
 ' Go ! ' he exclaimed hurriedly to Monsignor Tomei, ' get 
 help the servants! You have had your revenge.' 
 
 Monsignor Tomei looked at him. 
 
 ( Yes, Don Marco,' he said, ' I have had my revenge 
 although I am only a peasant.' 
 
 And then he turned away and left the room. 
 
 In the anticamera a servant was dozing over a news- 
 paper, and Monsignor Tomei tapped him on the shoulder. 
 
 ( His Eminence is unwell/ he said to the man. ' I think 
 Don Marco Savelli requires assistance/ 
 
 And then, taking his hat, and a dusty black alpaca um- 
 brella he used as a protection against the sun, Monsignor 
 Tomei let himself out of the Cardinal's apartment and 
 hurried down the cool staircase into the glare and bustle 
 of the streets. 
 
CHAPTEE XXXI 
 
 THE season of vintage had begun. On the slopes of hill- 
 sides clad in green and gold, groups of contadini were busy 
 pulling the bunches of purple Cesanese or of white Moscato 
 grapes. 
 
 Strings of mule-carts filled with the spoils of the vine- 
 yard wended their way to the tinelli, or buildings in which 
 the grapes are pressed, and the close September air re- 
 sounded with the songs and laughter of the men and women 
 accompanying them. 
 
 The fierce heat of summer had driven Pan into the re- 
 cesses of the woodlands, and to-day Bacchus reigned over 
 the fields, merry and wanton as in the olden days before 
 the coming of the Galilean. 
 
 Diana Savelli, quite restored to health after six weeks 
 convalescence spent at Viareggio, had returned with Prin- 
 cess San JRocco to Magnano, where a family party had 
 assembled. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon, the sultry heat of the mid- 
 September day had passed, and a cool breeze stirred the 
 leaves of a group of venerable chestnut-trees beneath which 
 the older members of the party were seated, while the 
 others, and among them Diana, were playing lawn-tennis 
 in a desultory fashion close by. 
 
 Life at Magnano was simple indeed, almost primitive 
 when compared with country-house life in England or 
 other northern countries. The house itself was a rambling 
 structure containing an enormous number of rooms, a 
 certain proportion of which were furnished more or less 
 scantily, while the majority were either empty or served as 
 storehouses, granaries, or in any other capacity for which 
 they might be temporarily needed. At Magnano the San 
 
 395 
 
396 DONNA DIANA 
 
 Kocco family was in villeggiatura, a synonymous term at 
 least, according to foreign notions with hard beds, small 
 washing-basins, tough meat, and general, though healthy, 
 discomfort. 
 
 Seated in a wicker arm-chair, and following the game 
 of lawn-tennis with evident interest, was Cardinal Savelli. 
 He had rallied in a wonderful way from his apoplectic 
 seizure, which for the space of a few days had brought him 
 to death's door. Indeed, the doctors had declared that 
 his determination to live had largely contributed to his 
 recovery, which, for the time being, was almost complete. 
 
 Princess San Eocco every now and then rose from her 
 chair to satisfy herself that her brother was not feeling 
 chilly, and occasionally she would suggest calling to Lino 
 Savelli, who was Diana's partner in the game of lawn- 
 tennis, to assist in moving him into the sun, for the Car- 
 dinal was only gradually recovering the use of his right 
 side, which had remained partially paralyzed after his 
 seizure. 
 
 But Cardinal Savelli had refused to allow the game to 
 be interrupted on his account. His attention seemed to 
 be absorbed in watching the movements of his niece Diana. 
 Occasionally, when a merry laugh from the latter fell 
 upon his ears, he would smile gently, and if by any chance 
 she hit a ball over the net, he would call to her, 'Brava, 
 Diana brava ! ' 
 
 Cardinal Savelli, at the earnest wish of his brother-in- 
 law and sister, had consented to come for some weeks to 
 Magnano so soon as he should be able to move from Rome ; 
 and the doctors had strongly recommended the change to 
 the quiet life and fresher air of the lovely country sur- 
 rounding Viterbo, in the midst of which Magnano was 
 situated. 
 
 Much had happened since the morning when the Car- 
 dinal, worn out by remorse for the past and anxiety for 
 the future, had fallen to the ground in his study, stricken 
 down by the discovery of his favourite nephew's heartless 
 treachery. The intelligence of his sudden seizure had 
 
DONNA DIANA 397 
 
 no sooner reached Palazzo San Eocco than both the Prince 
 and Princess had hurried to his bedside. The, former 
 already more than suspected the cause of his brother-in- 
 law's state, and his suspicions had been confirmed not 
 only by Edmund Vane, who felt that under such circum- 
 stances any further attempt to conceal the whole truth 
 from the Cardinal's family would be folly, but also by his 
 nephew, Lino Savelli. 
 
 A family council had been held at Palazzo San Rocco. 
 at which, however, Marco was not present. Nothing would 
 induce Prince San Rocco to receive the latter, nor would 
 he allow his name to be mentioned. 
 
 Vane could not at the time understand how the Prince 
 knew what had passed between the Cardinal and Marco 
 Savelli. He subsequently learned that two days after his 
 brother-in-law's seizure Prince San Rocco had received 
 through the post a registered packet, despatched to him 
 anonymously, containing the documents Monsignor Tomei 
 had shown to the Cardinal. 
 
 It was at this family council, held while Cardinal Sa- 
 velli, though he had recovered consciousness, was still lying 
 in a critical condition, that Edmund Vane had been rep- 
 resented by his friend Lino Savelli. He had begged the 
 latter formally to repeat what he had already said to the 
 Cardinal in Prince San Rocco's presence, and to explain 
 to the Prince and Princess that, should he become Donna 
 Diana's affianced husband, he would, of course, do all in 
 his power to act with the family in such a way as to pre- 
 vent any breath of scandal from touching either Cardinal 
 Savelli or Marco. 
 
 Since the Cardinal had been at Magnano both his health 
 and his spirits had greatly improved. Not a little of this 
 improvement was due both to Diana Savelli and to her 
 cousin Lino, who, completely recovered from his wound, 
 was spending a few weeks of the autumn with his relations. 
 It appeared as though neither could do enough to show 
 their sympathy with Cardinal Savelli, and Lino especially 
 was unremitting in his attention to him. 
 
398 DONNA DIANA 
 
 By degrees the expression of mental pain and anxiety 
 which the Cardinal's face had worn for so many months 
 almost disappeared, and only when left alone with his own 
 thought would it return, to vanish again when Diana or 
 Lino approached him. Marco's name was never mentioned 
 between Lino and his uncle, and this fact sufficed to make 
 the Cardinal aware that Lino knew all that had occurred. 
 
 Cardinal Savelli could not guess that his nephew was 
 reproaching himself bitterly for having suspected him of 
 encouraging Diana to embrace a religious life in order to 
 further his own interests, and still less could he know 
 that for some days Lino had permitted himself to enter- 
 tain a horrible doubt lest his uncle should have connived 
 at the attempt to ruin Vane's chances of marrying her. 
 But now the clouds that had gathered so ominously round 
 Cardinal Savelli seemed to be gradually but surely break- 
 ing up and drifting away. He felt that he was surrounded 
 by affection and sympathy, all the more grateful because 
 proceeding from quarters in which he had never cared to 
 look for either. 
 
 One thing, and one thing only, he hoped for, and he 
 prayed for it with all the fervour at his command. He 
 must live live to replace at all events a considerable por- 
 tion of the money he had abstracted from his niece's 
 capital. Surely God, who had been so merciful to him, 
 would grant his prayer! Each time his eyes rested on 
 Diana he thought of this, his great desire, and prayed 
 humbly, fervently, that God would give him time only 
 a few years before calling him to an account of his 
 stewardship. 
 
 In the meantime, that evening was to bring Edmund 
 Vane to Magnano for the formal signing of his marriage 
 contract, and Cardinal Savelli looked forward to giving to 
 him and Diana his blessing on their approaching union. 
 
 During their stay at Viareggio, Princess San Eocco had 
 acquainted Diana with Vane's request, and her niece's 
 manner had left her in no doubt as to the latter's senti- 
 ments regarding him. 
 
DONNA DIANA 399 
 
 The necessary preliminaries having been duly arranged, 
 it had been finally settled that the fidanzamenifo should 
 take place at Magnano in a quiet and informal manner in 
 the presence of near relatives and one or two old friends. 
 True to his promise, Edmund Vane had absolutely de- 
 clined to benefit by any part of Diana's fortune. He had, 
 on the contrary, made ample settlements upon her in the 
 event of his death. 
 
 Presently the tennis-party broke up, and the players 
 came to repose themselves under the chestnut-trees where 
 the Cardinal and Princess San Rocco were sitting, while 
 the Prince and an elderly cousin were playing a game 
 of dominoes on a stone table near by. 
 
 ' Diana is becoming quite a good player,' said Cardinal 
 Savelli, smiling ' really quite a good player. Not that 
 I am any judge, but ' 
 
 ' She played atrociously, Uncle Camillo,' interrupted 
 Lino, laughing ; ( but then, poor Diana ! she had an excuse. 
 She was always listening for the whistle of the train from 
 Rome, you know. One cannot play lawn-tennis and watch 
 for trains at the same time.' 
 
 And that evening, about seven o'clock, Edmund Vane 
 arrived. 
 
 He was accompanied by a cousin, the head of another 
 branch of his family, and by Monsieur de Villebois, who 
 had returned to Rome in September on purpose to be 
 present at an event in the bringing about of which he 
 had played so important a part. 
 
 The first twenty-four hours of Edmund's visit were 
 somewhat tantalizing, for he could never succeed in seeing 
 Diana alone. 
 
 ( I call it damned nonsense all this etiquette ! ' he 
 grumbled to Lino Savelli at the end of his first day at 
 Magnano, when the Prince had taken him to see the grapes 
 being pressed and the Princess had shown him her bantams. 
 ' In my country,' he added, ' we manage things differently. 
 People have a habit of suddenly remembering that they 
 have letters to write, or that they have left their pocket- 
 
400 DONNA DIANA 
 
 handkerchiefs upstairs, when an engaged couple are in the 
 house. But here in Italy you have other ideas, I know. 
 It doesn't say much for your Italian morals, Lino.' 
 
 Lino Savelli laughed. 
 
 ( You may be thankful that Frau von Raben is no longer 
 here/ he observed. ' She would have guarded Diana like 
 a watch-dog.' 
 
 ' What has become of Frau von Raben ? ' asked Vane. 
 
 ' She is studying the relations of sex in her native land,' 
 replied Lino dryly. ' My uncle San Rocco is very amusing 
 about her he declares the cows give more milk since she 
 has gone. But, Eddie,' he added, 'don't mention her 
 name to the Cardinal; we never talk of her before him, 
 or of ' 
 
 ' Of course not ! ' exclaimed Edmund hastily. f Tell me, 
 Lino,' he continued, ( shall I ever have an opportunity of 
 seeing Donna Diana alone ? ' 
 
 ' Leave it to me,' said Lino. ' I will explain to my aunt 
 that, being a foreigner and a barbarian, Diana will be quite 
 safe with you.' 
 
 And the following afternoon the whole party, with the 
 exception of Cardinal Savelli, went to a tenuta on the estate 
 to see the newly gathered grapes being trodden in the 
 primitive fashion that still obtains in the wine-growing 
 district around Rome. Mule-carts, laden with baskets of 
 the purple bunches, discharged their contents into the great 
 press to be trampled by eager, excited peasants whose nether 
 limbs were stained dark by the spurting juice. And then, 
 when they had watched the process for a little time, Lino 
 Savelli proposed that they should walk back through the 
 vineyards which had not yet been despoiled of their 
 fruit, and eat some of the sweet muscat grapes for which 
 Magnano was famous. 
 
 And here, amidst the branching vines with their autumn 
 foliage of green and ruddy gold, with only the cicale shrill- 
 ing in the grassy banks above to hear him, Edmund asked 
 Diana Savelli all the old, old questions, and the cicale 
 heard the answers. 
 
DONNA DIANA 401 
 
 Cardinal Savelli was sitting in his favourite spot under 
 the chestnut-trees when the party returned f ronf their ex- 
 pedition, and Edmund and Diana, who had walked on 
 ahead of the rest, found him there. 
 
 The Cardinal looked at them inquiringly with a gentle 
 smile, and Vane, taking Diana's hand, led her up to him 
 without a word. Cardinal Savelli bent forward, and, as 
 they were about to kiss his ring, restrained them with an 
 affectionate gesture. Then he made the sign of the Cross 
 over them. 
 
 ( God bless you you and those who come after you ! ' 
 he said softly; and he leaned back with a little sigh. 
 ' Thank God ! ' he exclaimed, and his lips moved in prayer, 
 the prayer that he had repeated so often, so earnestly, con- 
 fident that God, who had shown such mercy, must surely 
 listen to it. 
 
 That evening there was a merry dinner-party, to which 
 the Princess had invited a few of their neighbours, and 
 afterwards the contract of marriage between Edmund Vane 
 and Diana Savelli was duly signed. Cardinal Savelli pro- 
 posed the healths of the sposi, and at one moment his 
 voice faltered with emotion as he did so. It was only for 
 a moment, however, and then he regained his natural com- 
 posure. 
 
 In the last days of October Edmund Vane and Diana 
 Savelli were married. The Syndic of Eome conducted the 
 civil ceremony at the Capitol, and the religious marriage 
 was performed by Cardinal Savelli in his private chapel. 
 
 After its conclusion the bride and bridegroom, accom- 
 panied by those who had been present in the chapel, drove 
 down to St. Peter's, in accordance with the time-honoured 
 Roman custom, and there remained for a few minutes in 
 prayer before the altar of the Blessed Sacrament, and again 
 at the shrine of the Apostles. 
 
 As they left the church, Edmund and Diana paused on 
 the top of the wide steps leading into the piazza. The 
 mellow October sun was streaming down from the blue 
 
402 DONNA DIANA 
 
 sky above them. It flooded the vast space in golden light, 
 and sparkled upon the great fountains flinging their waters 
 into the warm, balmy air. 
 
 ' You will never regret your choice, Diana ? ' Vane asked 
 of her softly. 
 
 Diana looked at him and smiled. And the sunlight 
 seemed to catch her smile and toss it back to him. 
 
 THE END 
 
COUNT HANNIBAL 
 
 A ROMANCE OF THE COURT OF FRANCE 
 
 BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN 
 
 AUTHOR OF "A GENTLEMAN OF FRANCE," "UNDER THE RED ROBE,' 
 "THE CASTLE INN," ETC., ETC. 
 
 With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, cloth, ornamental, $1.5O 
 
 " It is very seldom that one runs across a historical novel the plot of which is 
 so ably sustained, the characters so strongly drawn, the local color or atmosphere 
 so satisfactory. ' Count Hannibal ' is the strongest and most interest- 
 
 ing novel as yet written by this popular author." BOSTON TIMES. 
 
 " Stanley J. Weyman has had hundreds of imitators since he wrote ' A Gen- 
 tleman of France,' but no man has yet surpassed him. I know of no book in 
 the whole list of popular favorites that holds one's interest more intensely or 
 more continuously than l Count Hannibal ' does. And what an insistent, throat- 
 
 gripping interest it is ! 
 
 What is the use of hopin_ 
 romances so long as the public is fed on books like this ? Such a story has zest 
 
 r hat is the use of hoping for a decadence of the craze for historical 
 
 for the most jaded palate ; nay, it can hold the interest even of a book reviewer. 
 From the first page to the last there is not a moment when one's desire to finish 
 the book weakens. Along with the ordinary interest of curiosity there goes that 
 of a delightful and unique love story involving no little skill in character deline- 
 ation." RECORD- HERALD, CHICAGO. 
 
 ' ' A spirited, tersely interesting and most vivid story of scenes and incidents 
 and portrayals of various characters that lived and fought and bled in the lurid 
 days that saw the massacre of St. Bartholomew. . . . This is Mr. Weyman's 
 most graphic and realistic novel." PICAYUNE, NEW ORLEANS. 
 
 " Mr. Weyman has surpassed himself in 'Count Hannibal.' The scene of 
 the story is laid chiefly in Paris, at the time of the massacre of St. Bartholo- 
 mew. . . . We are made to grasp the soul of Count Hannibal and are tacitly 
 asked to let its envelope take care of itself. . . . Never has Mr. Weyman 
 achieved, in fact, a higher degree of verisimilitude. Count Hannibal may leave 
 us breathless with his despotic methods, but he is not abnormal ; he is one of the 
 Frenchmen who shared the temper which made the St. Bartholomew, and he is in- 
 tensely human too . . . how the tangle of events in which he and half a 
 dozen others are involved is straightened out we refrain from disclosing. The 
 reader who once takes up this book will want to find all this out for himself " 
 
 NEW YORK TRIBUNE. 
 
 "A story in Mr. Weyman's best vein, with the crimson horror of St. Bar- 
 tholomew as an historical setting. ' Count Hannibal ' is a worthy companion of 
 A Gentleman of France ' and * The Red Cockade,' and Mr. Weyman's hand is 
 as cunning as ever in fashioning a romance which will send a thrill through the 
 most jaded reader and keep even a reviewer from his bed." 
 
 BOOKMAN, LONDON. 
 
 " The book is rapid, is absorbing, and the hero is a distinctly interesting 
 character in himself, apart from his deeds of daring." ATHENAEUM. 
 
 " Mr. Stanley Weyman's ' Count Hannibal ' is fully worthy of his great repu- 
 tation the style is brilliant, easy and clear ; the invention of subject and the 
 turns of fortune in the story surprising ; above all, the subtle painting of a man 
 and a woman's heart is done with inexhaustible knowledge." GUARDIAN. 
 
 " A picturesque and vigorous romance. The narrative will be followed with 
 breathless interest." TIMES, LONDON. 
 
 LONGMANS, GBEEN, & 00,, 91-93 HTTH AVENUE, NEW YOBK. 
 
SOPHIA 
 
 BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN 
 
 AUTHOR OF "A GENTLEMAN OF FRANCE," "UNDER THE R*2D ROBE," ETC. 
 
 With 12 Illustrations by C. Hammond. Crown 8vo, cloth, 
 ornamental, $1.50. 
 
 " Mr. Weyman's new romance illustrates the types and manners of fashion- 
 able London society in the year 1742. In everything that means the revival of 
 an historical atmosphere it is skilful, and, on the whole, just. The characters 
 also are well realized. . . . ' Sophia ' is a decidedly interesting novel. . . . 
 The tale moves swiftly, hurrying on from the town to the heath, from hatred to 
 love, from imprisonment on bread and water to diamonds . . . and a dozen 
 other things. Sophia, the heroine, is a bundle of girlish foolishness and charms, 
 * Sophia,' the book, is a bundle of more or less extraordinary episodes woven 
 into a story in the most beguiling manner." NEW YORK TRIBUNE, April, 1900. 
 
 "It is a good, lively, melodramatic story of love and adventure . . . it is 
 safe to say that nobody who reads the lively episode in the first chapter will 
 leave the book unfinished, because there is not a moment's break in the swift 
 and dramatic narrative until the last page. . . . The dramatic sequence is 
 nearly faultless." TRIBUNE, CHICAGO. 
 
 " Sophia, with her mistakes, her adventures, and her final surrender; Sophia 
 moving among the eighteenth century world of fashion at Vauxhall ; Sophia fly- 
 ing through the country roads, pursued by an adventurer, and Sophia captured 
 by her husband, transport one so far from this work-a-day life that the reader 
 comes back surprised to find that this prosaic world is still here after that too- 
 brief excursion into the realm of fancy." 
 
 NEW YORK COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER. 
 
 "The gem of the book is its description of the long coach-ride made by 
 Sophia to Sir Hervey's home in Sussex, the attempt made by highwaymen to 
 rob her, and her adventures at the paved ford and in the house made silent by 
 smallpox, where she took refuge. This section of the story is almost as breath- 
 less as Smollett. ... In the general firmness of touch, and sureness of 
 historic portrayal, the book deserves high praise." BUFFALO EXPRESS. 
 
 " l Sophia ' contains, in its earlier part, a series of incidents that is, we believe, 
 the most ingenious yet planned by its author. . . . The adventure develops 
 and grows, the tension increases with each page, to such an extent that tne 
 hackneyed adjective, 'breathless, 1 finds an appropriate place." 
 
 NEW YORK MAIL AND EXPRESS. 
 
 " ' Sophia,' his latest, is also one of his best. A delightful spirit of adventure 
 hangs about the story ; something interesting happens in every chapter. The 
 admirable ease of style, the smooth and natural dialogue, the perfect adjust- 
 ment of events and sequences conceal all the usual obtiusive mechanism, and 
 
 and genuine people." PUBLIC LEDGER, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
 "Those who read Mr. Stanley J. Weyman's 'Castle Inn' with delight, will 
 find in his ' Sophia ' an equally brilliant performance, in which they are intro- 
 duced to another part of the Georgian era. . . . Mr. Weyman knows the 
 eighteenth century from top to bottom, and could any time be more suitable 
 for the writer of romance ? . . . There is only one way to define the subtle 
 charm and distinction of this book, and that is to say that it deserves a place on 
 the book-shelf beside those dainty volumes in which Mr. Austin Dobson has em- 
 balmed the very spirit of the period of the hoop and the patch, the coffee-house, 
 and the sedan chair. And could Mr. Stanley Weyman ask for better company 
 for his books than that ? "EVENING SUN, NEW YORK. 
 
 " Contains what is probably the most ingenious and exciting situation even 
 he has ever invented." BOOK BUYER, NEW YORK. 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN. & 00., 91-93 FIFTH AVE,, NEW YOBK. 
 
THE CASTLE INN. 
 
 A ROMANCE. 
 
 BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "A GENTLEMAN OF FRANCE," "UNDER THE RED ROBE, 
 
 "SHREWSBURY," ETC., ETC. 
 
 With six full-page Illustrations by Walter Appleton Clark. 
 Crown 8vo, Cloth, ornamental, $ 1 .50. 
 
 ' A talc which is full of old-world romance and adventure. It has a strong flavor 
 of the under life in England when George the Third was young, when sign-posts 
 served also as gibbets, when travel was by coach and highwaymen were many, when 
 men drank deep and played high. There are plenty of stirring scenes along the way, 
 plenty of treachery and fighting at cross-purposes which lead to intricate and dramatic 
 situations. The heroine's charms recall Mile, de Cocheforet in ' Under the Red Robe,' 
 ad she proves herself a maid of spirit through all the mishaps which befall her. One 
 of the most notable things about ' The Castle Inn ' is the way in which Mr. Weyman 
 has caught the spirit of the age, and manages to imbue his readers with its feeling." 
 
 DETROIT FREE PRESS. 
 
 " . . . . In 'The Castle Inn,' this master of romance tells a story of the time 
 of George III. in the third person. ... A story of rapid action, with a swinging 
 succession of moving incidents that keep the reader incessantly on the qui vive. It 
 deals with human emotions with directness and thoughtful ness." 
 
 THE PRESS, PHILA., PA. 
 
 "... ' The Castle Inn ' . . . is so fresh and entertaining that it takes one 
 back to 'A Gentleman of France,' and other good things this author did several years 
 ago. Mr. Weyman, in looking about for an appropriate setting for his romance, very 
 wisely eschews scenes and people of to-day, and chooses, instead, England a hundred 
 and thirty years ago, when George III. was on her throne, and living was a far more 
 picturesque business than it is now. Beautiful maidens could be kidnapped then; 
 daring lovers faced pistols and swords in behalf of their sweethearts, and altogether 
 the pace was a lively one. Mr. Weyman knows how to use the attractive colorings to 
 the best advantage possible." CHICAGO EVENING POST. 
 
 "... a piece of work which is infinitely better than anything else which he 
 has accomplished. He has treated the eighteenth century, the time of the elder Pitt, 
 with a grasp and a sympathy that presage a greater reputation for this novelist than 
 he has enjoyed hitherto. The story itself is worth the telling, but the great thing is 
 the way it is told." NEW YORK SUN. 
 
 "... he has a firm grasp of his period in this book, and revives the atmos- 
 phere of the last century in England, with its shallow graces and profound brutality > 
 coherently and even with eloquence . . . it is a most interesting story, which 
 should please the reader of romantic tastes and sustain the author's reputation." 
 
 NEW YORK TRIBUNE. 
 
 "The characters in the book are all entertaining, and many of them are droll, 
 while a few, like the conscientious Mr. Fishwick, the attorney, arid the cringing 
 parasite, Mr. Thomasson, are, in their own way, masterpieces of character study. 
 Take it all in all, ' The Castle Inn ' is in many ways the best work which has yet come 
 from Mr. Weyman's pen." COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER, NEW YORK. 
 
 " Mr. Weyman has surpassed himself in ' The Castle Inn.' From coyer to cover 
 the book teems with adventure and romance, and the love episode is delicious. Julia 
 will live as one of the most graceful heroines in the literature of pur time. . . . 
 We get an excellent idea of the doings of fashionable society in the time when George 
 III. was young, and altogether the volume can be heartily recommended as the besi 
 thing that Weyman has done, and, in the opinion of one, at least, the most fascinating 
 book of the season." HOME JOURNAL, NEW YORK. 
 
 LONGMANS, GBEEN, & CO,, 91-93 FITTH ATE,, NEW YOBK. 
 
IN SPITE OF ALL 
 
 By EDNA LYALL 
 
 AUTHOR OF "DONOYAN," " DOREEN," "HOPE, THE HERMIT," ETC., ETC. 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth, $1.5O 
 
 " The days when England was rent with civil war, when Puritan and Cava- 
 lier fought for Parliament and King ; when Cromwell's Roundheads struggled 
 heroically against the lawless Charles and finally won this is the period chosen 
 for this splendid story . . . while of necessity there is abundance of war, the 
 story is, above all, one of love tried and triumphant . . . Finely written, 
 full of striking pictures of men and events. 
 
 The book is full of people with whom each of us is familiar through reading 
 history, and every one of them is drawn with rare fidelity to truth. The tale 
 should have a hearty welcome from all classes of readers." 
 
 NASHVILLE AMERICAN. 
 
 " The 1 romance . . . the familiar one of a Royalist maiden and a Puritan 
 lover who espoused the cause of the people . . . is of deep interest and the 
 story thrills with the excitement of conflicts and adventures, mingled with the 
 gentle influences of love. 
 
 The book is pleasing in all respects, and the story is exceedingly well told^ 
 holding interest to the end. "EVERY EVENING, WILMINGTON, DEL. 
 
 " This story of 532 pages is one which will win its thousands of readers, as a 
 story of love and trial, war and separation, must when handled with the skill 
 which this author's training has given her." MAIL AND EXPRESS, N. Y. 
 
 " It has much historic interest . . . A pretty romance holds the reader's 
 interest all through the book. The hero is a Puritan, while the girl he loves, 
 Hilary, as sweet and wilful and true a maid as could have been found in those 
 stormy times, is a bishop's niece and therefore a Royalist in all her sympathies. 
 There are strong dramatic scenes in the book the battlefield and the political 
 intrigue of court life are portrayed and also the religious strife existing at the 
 time. The bigotry of the Church and the fanaticism of many of the Puritans is 
 well portrayed. The book, like all that this author has written, is interesting 
 and wholesome." REPUBLICAN, DENVER, COL. 
 
 "The story is clean, pure and wholesome, has plenty of adventure and a 
 goodly amount of love-making, and is written in an easy, pleasant strain that 
 makes it an entertaining book. " BALTIMORE AMERICAN. 
 
 "Is well worth the reading." CHURCHMAN, N. Y. 
 
 " The high moral tone of the book and its historical accuracy will commend 
 it to the better class of novel readers." CONGREGATIONALIST, BOSTON. 
 
 "The latest book by Edna Lyall may safely be said to be one of the best of 
 recent historical novels." BOSTON TRANSCRIPT. 
 
 LONGMANS, GBEEN, & CO., 91-93 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW TOBK. 
 
CYNTHIA'S WAY 
 
 By Mrs. ALFRED SIDGWICK 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE INNER SHRINE," "THE GRASSHOPPERS," ETC. 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth, $1.5O 
 
 " This is a tale of an heiress that is not met with every day. Cynthia Blount 
 is a millionairess whose wish it is to be loved for her own sake and not for her 
 material wealth. As a means to this end she takes a situation, which has been 
 offered to a friend, as English governess in a German family. . . . German 
 family life is very intimately and faithfully depicted, and most of the characters 
 are well drawn and interesting. * Cynthia's Way ' is well worth reading." 
 
 DAILY CHRONICLE, NEWCASTLE, ENG. 
 
 This is an unusually interesting book . . . it is so artistically handled, 
 SO delightfully unravelled that one forgets and forgives ... for light, inter- 
 esting literature, a joy to the traveller, this dainty book has not been surpassed 
 in many moons." SPIRIT OF THE TIMES, NEW YORK. 
 
 " A delightful story of German life. . . . Altogether the story deserves 
 higher praise than it is possible to give to the ruck of current fiction." 
 
 JOURNAL, PROVIDENCE, R. I. 
 
 " It is a most amusing novel. . . . For the fairness of the book it would 
 be unsafe to vouch, but there can be no doubt that it is entertaining. Even a 
 German might smile over it. "REPUBLICAN, SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
 
 "The dialogue of the book fairly sparkles, and the light fiction of the year 
 offers no more charming medium of pleasure." DENVER REPUBLICAN. 
 
 ".This is an amusing, clever book, full of humorous scenes, a satirical under- 
 standing of the lighter sides of character, done with a light touch and much 
 taste." COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER, N. Y. 
 
 "There are so few really bright and entertaining novels this season that 
 4 Cynthia's Way ' will be gladly seized upon by hungry novel readers. The style 
 is very taking and amusing." BOSTON BEACON. 
 
 " This is a taking story, humorous and brisk, with a flavor of originality 
 that makes it appetizing." FREE PRESS, DETROIT, MICH. 
 
 " A most readable story of pure tone and interesting matter . . . can be 
 heartily recommended to anyone liking a wholesome tale of interesting people." 
 
 COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, Kv. 
 
 " Mrs. Sidgwick's new novel, ' Cynthia's Way 'her cleverest piece of work 
 thus far reminds us strongly of ' The Benefactress." The same fresh, vivacious, 
 and femininely ironical style marks the two stories and wins upon the reader 
 with irresistible beguilement No one will put down the history of Cynthia, we 
 Imagine, until the last page is reached." N. Y. TRIBUNE. 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, & 00., 91-93 FIPTH AVENUE, NEW YOEK. 
 
THE WHIRLIGIG 
 
 By MAYNE LINDSAY 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE VALLEY OF SAPPHIRES 
 
 With 3 full-page Illustrations by Maurice Grieffenhagen 
 Crown 8vo, $1 .25 
 
 "Crisp and clever diction, thrilling yet always possible situations, with 
 strength sustained throughout, are the features of the story. It is a perfect 
 romance." LLOYDS' NEWS. 
 
 " Fairly takes one off his feet with its crowded, impetuous, bustling succes- 
 sion of events. The story is well told and holds the interest. . . . The story 
 while discoursing of dangerous things does it lightly and with a skillful hand." 
 
 COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KY. 
 
 ' ' Makes stirring reading . . . the action takes place within three days, 
 and the reader is carried along breathlessly from one chapter to another." 
 
 CHICAGO TRIBUNE. 
 
 "And surely it is a 'Whirligig' which Mayne Lindsay has devised, abun- 
 dant in well-preserved mystery, with the proper amount of sword-play and the due 
 complement of broken heads, and full of exciting yet possible situations. Mr. 
 Lindsay, though comparatively a new writer, shows nothing of the amateur in 
 this dashing, roystering story, which, aside from its incidents, is good in charac- 
 ter drawing." DETROIT FREE PRESS. 
 
 " The author is a young and comparatively new writer, but has shown un- 
 usual skill and ingenuity in this novel. Seldom has an author succeeded in 
 crowding two days of a man's life so full of stirring, unexpected events as are 
 here provided for the hero. " CHICAGO EVENING POST. 
 
 "A sparkling, very prettily turned little romance, whimsical and pictur- 
 esque." NEW YORK TIMES. 
 
 "Among stories of adventure it would be hard to match ' The Whirligig.' 
 . . . It starts in a quiet, if unconventional, way, but once fairly launched on 
 the stream of narrative, the reader is carried along, in breathless, eager haste to 
 the very end. It is a story to thrill the pulses and keep one on the edge of 
 ardent curiosity as to what is going to turn up next." THB BEACON, BOSTON. 
 
 " There is no dozing or drowsing to be done over this novel. It is a swiftly 
 moving tale of breathless excitement It is drawn according to a familiar pat- 
 tern ; but it has merits of its own that will compel the attention and absorbed 
 interest of every reader who once takes it up. The writer is new, but should 
 soon become well known and popular, if he can do this sort of thing again." 
 
 PHILADELPHIA TIMES. 
 
 LONGMANS, GBEEN, & CO., 91-93 FIPTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 
 
THE CHEVALIER D'AURIAC. 
 
 A ROMANCE. 
 BY S. LEVETT YEATS. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE HONOUR OF SAVELU," ETC, ETC. 
 1 2mo, cloth, ornamental, $1.25. 
 
 " The story is full of action, it is alive from cover to cover, and is so compact with thrill. 
 ing adventure that there is no room for a dull page. The chevalier tells his own story, but 
 he is the most charming of egoists. He wins our sympathies from the outset by his boyish 
 naivete, his downright manliness and bravery. . . . Not only has Mr. Yeats written an 
 excellent tale of adventure, but he has shown a close study of character which does not bor- 
 row merely from the trappings of historical actors, but which denotes a keen knowledge of 
 human nature, and a shrewd insight into the workings of human motives. . . . The 
 fashion of the period is kept well in mind, the style of writing has just that touch of old- 
 fashioned formality which serves to veil the past from the present, and to throw the lights 
 and shadows into a harmony of tone. . . . The work has literary quality of a genuine 
 sort in it, which raises it above a numerous host of its fellows in kind/' 
 
 BOOKMAN, NEW YORK. 
 
 "... A story of Huguenot days, brim full of action that takes shape in plots, sud- 
 den surprises, fierce encounters, and cunning intrigues. The author is so saturated with the 
 tunes of which he writes that the story is realism itself. . . . The story is brilliant and 
 thrilling, and whoever sits down to give it attention will reach the last page with regret" 
 
 GLOBE, BOSTON. 
 
 "... A tale of more than usual interest and of genuine literary merit . . . 
 The characters and scenes in a sense seem far removed, yet they live in our hearts and seem 
 contemporaneous through the skill and philosophic treatment of the author. Those men and 
 women seem akin to us; they are flesh and blood, and are impelled by human motives as we 
 are. One cannot follow the fortunes of this hero without feeling refreshed and benefited." 
 
 GLOBE-DEMOCRAT, ST. Louis. 
 
 " A book that may be recommended to all those who appreciate a good, hearty, rollicking 
 story of adventure, with lots of fierce fighting and a proper proportion of love-making. . . 
 There is in his novel no more history than is necessary, and no tedious detail ; it is a story 
 inspired by, but not slavishly following, history. . . . The book is full of incident, and 
 from the first chapter to the last the action never flags. ... In the Chevalier the author 
 has conceived a sympathetic character, for d' Auriac is more human and less of a puppet than 
 most heroes of historical novels, and consequently there are few readers who will not find en- 
 joyment in the story of his thrilling adventures. . . . This book should be read by all 
 who love a good story of adventures. There is not a dull page in it." NEW YORK SUN. 
 
 "A capital story of the Dumas- Weyman order. . . . The first chapters bring one 
 right into the thick of the story, and from thence on the interest is unflagging. The Cheva- 
 lier himself is an admirably studied character, whose straightforwardness and simplicity, 
 bravery, and impulsive and reckless chivalry, win the reader's sympathy. D'Auriac has 
 something of the intense vitality of Dumas's heroes, and the delightful improbabilities through 
 which he passes so invincibly have a certain human quality which renders them akin to our 
 day. Mr. Levett Yeats has done better in this book than in anything else he has written." 
 
 PICAYUNE, NEW ORLEANS. 
 
 "The interest in the story does not lag for an instant; all is life and action. The pict- 
 uresque historical setting is admirably painted, and the characters are skilfully drawn, espe- 
 cially that of the king, a true monarch, a brave soldier, and a gentleman. The Chevalier is 
 the typical hero of romance, fearing nothing save a stain on his honor, and with such a hero 
 there can not but be vigor and excitement in every page of the story." 
 
 MAIL AND EXPRESS, NEW YORK. 
 
 " As a story of adventure, pure and simple, after the type originally seen in Dumas'i 
 'Three Musketeers,' the book is well worthy of high praise. OUTLOOK, NEW YORK. 
 
 " We find all the fascination of mediaeval France, which have made Mr. Weyman's stories 
 such general favorites. . . . We do not see how any intelligent reader can take it up 
 without keen enjoyment" LIVING CHURCH, CHICAGO. 
 
 LONGMANS, GBEEN, & 00., 91-93 FHTH AVE., NEW TORE. 
 
THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW 
 
 AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS 
 
 WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN 
 THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY 
 WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH 
 DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY 
 OVERDUE. 
 
 *WK 5261935 
 
 LD 21-100m-8,'34 
 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY