all dowry, and she was said to be
extravagant--two objections then not so easily overcome as now. Moreover,
she was considered to be somewhat flighty; and the social jury decided
that when she was married, she would be excellent company, but would make
a very poor wife. Almost before they had finished discussing her,
however, she had found a husband, in the shape of the wealthy foreign
contractor, Mayer, who wanted a wife from a good Roman house, and cared
not at all for money. She treated him very well, but was speedily
delivered from all her cares by his untimely death. Then, of all her
fellow-citizens, none was found save the eccentric old Saracinesca,
who believed that she would do for his son; wherein it appeared that
Giovanni's father was the man of all others who least understood
Giovanni's inclinations. But this match fell to the ground, owing to
Giovanni's attachment to Corona, and Madame Mayer was left with the
prospect of remaining a widow for the rest of her life, or of marrying
a poor man. She chose the latter alternative, and fate threw into her way
the cleverest poor man in Rome, as though desiring to compensate her for
not having married one of the greatest nobles, in the person of Giovanni.
Though she was always a centre of attraction, no one of those she most
attracted wanted to marry her, and all expressed their unqualified
approval of her ultimate choice. One said she was very generous to marry
a penniless gentleman; another remarked that she showed wisdom in
choosing a man who was in the way of making himself a good position under
the Italian Government; a third observed that he was delighted, because
he could enjoy her society without being suspected of wanting to marry
her; and all agreed in praising her, and in treating Del Ferice with the
respect due to a man highly favored by fortune.

Donna Tullia named the wedding-day, and her affianced husband departed in
high spirits with himself, with her, and with his scheme. He felt still a
little excited, and wanted to be alone. He hardly realised the magnitude
of the plot he had undertaken, and needed time to reflect upon it; but
with the true instinct of an intriguing genius he recognised at once that
his new plan was the thing he had sought for long and ardently, and that
it was worth all his other plans put together. Accordingly he went home,
and proceeded to devote himself to the study of the question, sending a
note to a friend of his--a young lawy