.

Sophy would not have felt so anxious had Miller been with her, but that
personage had found Italy with its "gibberish" and lack of most domestic
conveniences insupportable after the first two weeks, and so she had
respectfully given warning. Bobby, to Sophy's great relief, took her
departure calmly. Miller had been a dutiful but not endearing nurse.

Then the Marchesa had come to the fore with her usual kindliness, and
provided Bobby with the nurse who was to prove the love of his young
life. This woman was Rosa Ramoni, a Lombard peasant. Her dark,
square-lidded eyes reminded Sophy of the Duse's, but their expression
was very different--almost bovinely guileless, yet sparkling with
merriment, that gushed over at the least trifle, into her free,
delicious Contadina's laugh. Rosa had one of the wisest hearts in the
world, but her knowledge of nursery physic was primitive to say the
least. Even after seeing Dottore Camenis from Stresa, and hearing to her
great relief that Bobby's "naughty tummy" was only the result of
indigestion brought on by cold, Sophy was afraid to leave him quite to
Rosa's care for a day or two, so she had to refuse the invitation which
came from the Marchesa, the morning after Amaldi's return, and which
said that now they must have the _gita_ which Marco's visit to Rome had
broken up.

When Sophy wrote to explain, the Marchesa answered by saying, "Then the
first day your dear _tousin_ is well enough." Sophy could not refuse
without seeming ungracious. "This time, then," she thought, "but I must
make definite plans to-morrow for leaving. Bobby's cold gives me just
the right excuse...." But her heart felt very heavy and very lonely at
this decision of her reason.

The afternoon was all blue and gold--one of those perfect days in late
August, when the summer warmth sparkles with the zest of autumn. An old
school-friend of the Marchesa was arriving by the evening train from
Milan. So they were to use the _Fretta_, starting at five o'clock from
Villa Bianca and stopping at Isola Bella for tea. Afterwards Sophy would
be left at home, and the _Fretta_ would go on to Laveno to meet the
Marchesa's friend.

It seemed strange, startling somehow, to see Amaldi's face in this blaze
of sunshine, after last seeing it in the dim starlight. He was as
quietly composed as usual, however. The only difference that she noticed
about him was that he managed always when looking at her not to look
directly into her