of a little more quiet in the house, for
she saw that his talking distressed her mother. Further than this she
cared little what he said, and not at all for what he thought. Her mind
was generally occupied with the one subject which absorbed her thoughts,
and which had grown to be by far the most important part of her nature,
her love for Gianbattista Bordogni.

Upon that point she was inflexible. Her Uncle Paolo might have led her
to change her mind in regard to many things, for she was open to
persuasion where her common sense was concerned. But in her love for
Gianbattista she was fixed and determined. It would have been more easy
to turn her father from his ideas than to make Lucia give up the man she
loved. When Marzio had suddenly declared that she should marry the
lawyer, her first feeling had been one of ungovernable anger which had
soon found vent in tears. During the night she had thought the matter
over, and had come to the conclusion that it was only an evil jest,
invented by Marzio to give her pain. But in the morning it seemed to
her as though on the far horizon a black cloud of possible trouble were
gathering; she had admitted to herself that her father might be in
earnest, and she had felt something like the anticipation of the great
struggle of her life. Then she felt that she would die rather than
submit.

She had no theatrical desire to swear a fearful oath with Gianbattista
that they should drown themselves at the Ponte Quattro Capi rather than
be separated. Her nature was not dramatic, any more than his. The young
girl dressed herself quickly, and made up her mind that if any pressure
were brought to bear upon her she would not yield, but that, until then,
there was no use in making phrases, and it would be better to be as
cheerful as possible under the circumstances. But for Lucia's reassuring
manner, the Signora Pandolfi would have doubtless succumbed to her
feelings and gone to bed. Lucia, however, had no intention of allowing
her mother any such weakness, and accordingly alternately comforted her
and suggested means of escape from the position, as though she were
herself the mother and Maria Luisa were her child.

They found Don Paolo in his small lodging, and he bid them enter, that
they might all talk the matter over.

"In the first place," said the priest, "it is wrong. In the second
place it is impossible. Thirdly, Marzio will not attempt to carry out
his threat."

"Dear me! How simple