n.

Rowland heard his news with a kind of fierce disgust; it seemed the
sinister counterpart of Christina's preternatural mildness at Madame
Grandoni's tea-party. She had been too plausible to be honest. Without
being able to trace the connection, he yet instinctively associated her
present rebellion with her meeting with Mary Garland. If she had not
seen Mary, she would have let things stand. It was monstrous to suppose
that she could have sacrificed so brilliant a fortune to a mere movement
of jealousy, to a refined instinct of feminine deviltry, to a desire to
frighten poor Mary from her security by again appearing in the field.
Yet Rowland remembered his first impression of her; she was "dangerous,"
and she had measured in each direction the perturbing effect of her
rupture. She was smiling her sweetest smile at it! For half an hour
Rowland simply detested her, and longed to denounce her to her face. Of
course all he could say to Giacosa was that he was extremely sorry. "But
I am not surprised," he added.

"You are not surprised?"

"With Miss Light everything is possible. Is n't that true?"

Another ripple seemed to play for an instant in the current of the old
man's irony, but he waived response. "It was a magnificent marriage,"
he said, solemnly. "I do not respect many people, but I respect Prince
Casamassima."

"I should judge him indeed to be a very honorable young man," said
Rowland.

"Eh, young as he is, he 's made of the old stuff. And now, perhaps he
's blowing his brains out. He is the last of his house; it 's a great
house. But Miss Light will have put an end to it!"

"Is that the view she takes of it?" Rowland ventured to ask.

This time, unmistakably, the Cavaliere smiled, but still in that very
out-of-the-way place. "You have observed Miss Light with attention," he
said, "and this brings me to my errand. Mrs. Light has a high opinion
of your wisdom, of your kindness, and she has reason to believe you have
influence with her daughter."

"I--with her daughter? Not a grain!"

"That is possibly your modesty. Mrs. Light believes that something may
yet be done, and that Christina will listen to you. She begs you to come
and see her before it is too late."

"But all this, my dear Cavaliere, is none of my business," Rowland
objected. "I can't possibly, in such a matter, take the responsibility
of advising Miss Light."

The Cavaliere fixed his eyes for a moment on the floor, in brief but
intense