ggs, on her husband's
introducing him, and immediately embarking on the friendliest
conversation with him, exactly as if she had known him all her life.
What a strange creature; what a very strange creature. It was natural,
she being so strange, that one should have, perhaps, misjudged her. . .

"I'm sure you want some tea," said Briggs with eager hospitality
to Lotty. He thought her delightful,--freckles, picnic-untidiness and
all. Just such a sister would he--

"This is cold," he said, feeling the teapot. "I'll tell
Francesca to make you some fresh--"

He broke off and blushed. "Aren't I forgetting myself," he said,
laughing and looking round at them.

"Very natural, very natural," Mr. Wilkins reassured him.

"I'll go and tell Francesca," said Rose, getting up.

"No, no," said Briggs. "Don't go away." And he put his hands to
his mouth and shouted.

"Francesca!" shouted Briggs.

She came running. No summons in their experience had been
answered by her with such celerity.

"'Her Master's voice,'" remarked Mr. Wilkins; aptly, he
considered.

"Make fresh tea," ordered Briggs in Italian. "Quick--quick--"
And then remembering himself he blushed again, and begged everybody's
pardon.

"Very natural, very natural," Mr. Wilkins reassured him.

Briggs then explained to Lotty what he had explained twice
already, once to Rose and once to the other two, that he was on his way
to Rome and thought he would get out at Mezzago and just look in to see
if they were comfortable and continue his journey the next day, staying
the night in an hotel at Mezzago.

"But how ridiculous," said Lotty. "Of course you must stay here.
It's your house. There's Kate Lumley's room," she added, turning to
Mrs. Fisher. "You wouldn't mind Mr. Briggs having it for one night?
Kate Lumley isn't in it, you know," she said turning to Briggs again
and laughing.

And Mrs. Fisher to her immense surprise laughed too. She knew
that any other time this remark would have struck her as excessively
unseemly, and yet now she only thought it funny.

No indeed, she assured Briggs, Kate Lumley was not in that room.
Very fortunately, for she was an excessively wide person and the room
was excessively narrow. Kate Lumley might get into it, but that was
about all. Once in, she would fit it so tightly that probably she
would never be able to get out again. It was entirely at Mr. Briggs's
disposal, and she hoped he would do nothing so absurd as