he was
mastered by superior cunning, instead of disconcerting, quieted him
wonderfully; so he put by the resources of his ingenuity for the next
opportunity, and returned stealthily to his starting-point, where the
signora found him awaiting her with composure. The man was in mortal
terror lest he might be held guilty of a trust betrayed, in leaving his
mistress for an hour, even in obedience to her command, at this crisis:
but it was not in his nature to state the case openly to the signora,
whom he knew to be his mistress's friend, or to think of practising other
than shrewd evasion to accomplish his duty and satisfy his conscience.

Laura said, without smiling, 'The street-door opens with a key,' and she
placed the key in his hand, also her fan to carry. Once out of the house,
she was sure that he would not forsake his immediate charge of the fan:
she walked on, heavily veiled, confident of his following. The Duchess of
Graatli's house neighboured the Corso Francesco; numerous carriages were
disburdening their freights of fair guests, and now and then an Austrian
officer in full uniform ran up the steps, glittering under the lamps. 'I
go in among them,' thought Laura. It rejoiced her that she had come on
foot. Forgetting Beppo, and her black fan, as no Italian woman would have
done but she who paced in an acute quivering of the anguish of hopeless
remembrances and hopeless thirst of vengeance, she suffered herself to be
conducted in the midst of the guests, and shuddered like one who has
taken a fever-chill as she fulfilled the duchess's directions; she passed
down the length of the saloon, through a light of visages that were not
human to her sensations.

Meantime Beppo, oppressed by his custody of the fan, and expecting that
most serviceable lady's instrument to be sent for at any minute, stood
among a strange body of semi-feudal retainers below, where he was soon
singled out by the duchess's chasseur, a Styrian, who, masking his fury
under jest, in the South-German manner, endeavoured to lead him up to an
altercation. But Beppo was much too supple to be entrapped. He apologized
for any possible offences that he might have committed, assuring the
chasseur that he considered one hat as good as another, and some hats
better than others: in proof of extreme cordiality, he accepted the task
of repeating the chasseur's name, which was 'Jacob Baumwalder
Feckelwitz,' a tolerable mouthful for an Italian; and it was with