so grimly out of the black
waters of the moat! It was of bad augury to look at them, she thought,
and she drew back from the window and sat down where she could see only
the sky.

Pina was making such preparations for her mistress's toilet as were
possible. Being a prudent woman she had brought in her pocket three
objects of the highest usefulness, a piece of white Spanish soap, a
comb, and a shabby little old rolling work-case of yellow leather, in
which there were needles and thread and pins. The figure of a wild
animal, which might have been meant for a bear, was embroidered in black
thread on the outer flap of the case. Pina had used it ever since
Ortensia could remember, and seemed to value it as much as any of her
few possessions. It was a very useful little thing, and she kept it
always well filled with sewing materials.

As the young girl did not move and showed no inclination to dress
herself, Pina came behind her and began to let down and comb her hair,
which she had not even taken down on the previous night, being far too
much exhausted to think of such a thing. She submitted her head
willingly to the skilled hands of her nurse.

'Where is he?' she asked after a time, and she felt that she was
blushing again.

'They slept on the floor in the passage,' Pina answered. 'Perhaps they
are asleep still. You shut your eyes as soon as you lay down, but I
opened the door again and looked out before I went to bed. Signor
Alessandro asked me if we needed anything, and then said good-night.'

'Will you go and see if they are still there, please?'

Pina crossed the room, drew back the bolt, and put out her head, looking
up and down the passage. There was no one to be seen, and she shut the
door again without bolting it. She came back and again began to comb out
the girl's hair.

'They are not there,' she said. 'Probably Signor Alessandro is ordering
the horses. He will come in a few minutes and tell us at what time we
are to start.'

A short silence followed.

'Have you ever been here before?' Ortensia asked presently.

'Yes,' Pina answered, 'I have been here before. I do not like Ferrara.'

'Why not? Have you any particular reason for not liking it?'

'It was here that my thumb was hurt,' said the nurse. 'That is a fair
reason, is it not?' She laughed rather harshly. 'To hate a place because
one has had an accident in it! The men would say that is just like a
woman!'

'I hope I may never come here again