him.

"Leave that to me," she answered gently. "I've thought of a way.... I
think I can manage ... but it will take time, of course."

Another thing that proved to her the depth of his self-humiliation and
genuine regret was the fact that he wished to apologise to Amaldi.

"I shall tell him the brute fact," he said, "that I was drunk with that
_Grappa_ stuff. He can accept my apology or not, as he chooses."

He wrote the note of apology the morning after their talk.

"Shall I post it or send it by Luigi?" he asked, looking not at her but
the letter which he was holding. Sophy thought a moment, then she said:

"We are leaving Wednesday, and I ought to see the Marchesa before I go.
Suppose you let me take it! I can leave it with her."

"Do," he said, giving her the letter; then he took her hand in both his.
"Thanks, Sophy," he added, under his breath.

Sophy started for Le Vigne about ten o'clock. She took Luigi with her to
run the launch--he was fortunately cleverer as a _meccanico_ than as a
valet. The sky was coloured like blue morning-glories, and the lake like
gentian. Clouds and foam dissolved on the great sheets of blue like snow
melting upon flame. But the beauty of the day seemed cruel to Sophy. It
was like the laughter of water in sunlight above the place where a ship
has foundered. Camenis had happened to mention the fact that Amaldi was
in Milan, else she could not have gone for that farewell visit, onerous
as she felt it to be.

And even as it was, she shrank from seeing the Marchesa. Had Amaldi told
her? Her cheek tingled shame at the thought. But the next instant she
felt that she knew him better than that. No; he would not have told any
one of that scene which had been so degrading for her.

But when she reached Le Vigne, she found that the Marchesa had gone to
Belgirate for the day. Old Carletto seemed deeply sorry for her
disappointment.

"_Che peccato, signora! Che peccato!_" he kept saying, shaking his white
head slowly and clicking his tongue. The Signora Marchesa would be so
sad, so very sad to miss the signora. Then he brightened up.

"But the Marchesino is here, signora!" he exclaimed. "The Marchesino is
very busy in his study ... but he would wish me to disturb him on such
an occasion. He will know how to find the Signora Marchesa."

Sophy had started for the darsena again in real panic. She even forgot
to leave Cecil's letter with the old butler.

"No--no! Don't disturb the Marches