uld ask. Whereupon Temistocle pointed
to his throat.

"Will he live?" was the next question; to which the man answered by
raising his shoulders to his ears, elevating his eyebrows, and at the
same time shutting his eyes, while he spread out the palms of his hands
over his basket of cards--whereby he meant to signify that he did not
know, but doubted greatly. It being impossible to extract any further
information from him, the visitor had nothing left but to leave his card
and turn away. Within, the wounded man was watched by a Sister of Mercy.
The surgeon had pronounced his recovery probable if he had proper care:
the wound was a dangerous one, but not likely to prove mortal unless the
patient died of the fever or of exhaustion.

The young gentlemen of leisure who thus obtained the news of the two
duellists, lost no time in carrying it from house to house. Giovanni
himself sent twice in the course of the day to inquire after his
antagonist, and received by his servant the answer which was given to
everybody. By the time the early winter night was descending upon Rome,
there were two perfectly well-authenticated stories circulated in regard
to the cause of the quarrel--neither of which, of course, contained a
grain of truth. In the first place, it was confidently asserted by one
party, represented by Valdarno and his set, that Giovanni had taken
offence at Del Ferice for having proposed to call him to be examined
before the Duchessa d'Astrardente in regard to his absence from town:
that this was a palpable excuse for picking a quarrel, because it was
well known that Saracinesca loved the Astrardente, and that Del Ferice
was always in his way.

"Giovanni is a rough fellow," remarked Valdarno, "and will not stand any
opposition, so he took the first opportunity of getting the man out of
the way. Do you see? The old story--jealous of the wrong man. Can one be
jealous of Del Ferice? Bah!"

"And who would have been the right man to attack?" was asked.

"Her husband, of course," returned Valdarno with a sneer. "That angel of
beauty has the ineffably eccentric idea that she loves that old
transparency, that old magic-lantern slide of a man!"

On the other hand, there was a party of people who affirmed, as beyond
all doubt, that the duel had been brought about by Giovanni's forgetting
his dance with Donna Tullia. Del Ferice was naturally willing to put
himself forward in her defence, reckoning on the favour he would gain i