e paper without a word, and her face terrified Susan.

"My dear ... don't go thinking the worst," she stammered. "You know how
newspapers exaggerate!"

"Not in England...." said Sophy dully.

Then she caught her breath. It was as if she had shot suddenly to the
surface of some black pool, and gasped in air again.

"Will you go with me to London?" she asked in that dead voice, keeping
her eyes on the paper.

Susan went pale.

"Oh, child!... _Think_ a minute...." she protested.

"Well ... if I must go alone...." said Sophy, and as she spoke she got
to her feet.

"No, no!--You shall never go alone, Sophy!"

"Then you'll come?"

"Yes," said Susan despairingly. She felt there was no use in arguing it,
yet as she went upstairs with Sophy to change her gown, she tried once
more. "Sophy, darling-- I know-- I understand how you feel," she said.
"But think, dear--think what it would be if some one saw you ...
there.... If it got to Lady Wychcote's ears.... Oh, child!... I'm so
mortally afraid of some dreadful tragedy coming out of all this for
you...."

"Don't you think the tragedy's dreadful enough as it is?" asked Sophy
rather wildly. She looked for a moment as if she were about to break
into crazy laughter. Then she held her face tight in both hands.

"Go and dress...." she muttered thickly after a second. "Go and order
the carriage.... There's a train in twenty minutes.... It will take us
more than ten minutes to drive to the station...."

The two women reached Amaldi's lodgings about eleven o'clock. His
Milanese servant, Piero, opened the door. He looked grave and rather
worried, but for the first time hope glimmered in Sophy when she saw his
face.

"The Marchese...?" she managed to ask.

Her voice was like the shadow of a voice. Piero said that Don Giovanni
was asleep under an opiate. The doctors had just gone. They did not
think the injuries as serious as they had thought last night.... But
Sophy was scarcely listening.

"'Don Giovanni'?" she repeated haltingly.

"_Si, Signora_ ... the brother of the Marchese. He arrived in England
for a short visit only yesterday morning. Eh, Santa Maria! ... a sad
visit it has proved...."

He begged the ladies to be seated while he went to tell his master of
their coming.

As he left the room, Sophy turned to Susan. "Sue...." she said. "Forgive
me ... but I must see him alone ... just for a few minutes. I won't be
long."

"But, Sophy...."

"I won't be long,