er meant it enough to be interested in the project, at
any rate, for later the two men dined together, and they discussed
arrangements and expedients all the evening.

Derby went to the Palazzo Sansevero the next day, but again he had much
to talk over with the prince, and saw little of Nina. In some
unaccountable way she seemed changed; nothing definite happened to mark
the difference that he vaguely felt, but Mrs. Davis's remark came back
to him--"The Europeans are so finished," and he wondered whether Nina
found him unfinished; he even wondered whether he was or not--which was
a good deal of wondering for him.

At first, Sansevero's investment in the "Little Devil" had seemed to
Derby merely the unfortunate venture the prince thought it, but when, in
the course of their talk, it came out that Scorpa was the "friend" who
had sold him the mine, Derby was sure that the duke had deliberately
saddled him with a property which he knew to be useless. And yet every
word that Scorpa had urged as a reason for the mine's value, was--taken
literally--true. The mine was in close proximity to his own; the
surveys, furthermore, showed the "Little Devil" to be the richest in
sulphur deposit of any in the region. But if the mine was as valuable as
Scorpa declared, it was scarcely compatible with all that was known of
his character that out of purely disinterested friendship, he should put
such a prize in Sansevero's hands, while he bought up for himself less
valuable mines at higher prices. Derby kept his opinions to himself;
but his blood boiled with indignation and, mentally, he resolved to beat
Scorpa if it was humanly possible.

As Derby was leaving, Nina deliberately went from the room with him. "I
want to speak with John a few minutes," she said to her aunt. "We are
both Americans, you know," she added, laughing. In the adjoining room
she motioned him to sit beside her, but he stood instead, leaning
against the window frame. She looked up with something like apology. "Am
I keeping you?" she asked quickly. "Are you in a hurry?"

Almost with the manner of Mr. Randolph, he pulled out his watch. "Not
especially. I have an appointment with the Duke Scorpa--but not for half
an hour." She had not noticed before the nervously hurried manner of her
countrymen. There were many things she wanted to talk to John about--but
she might as well have tried to carry on a restful conversation at a
railroad station, when the train was coming in