little disappointed, too----' the
girl began, and then she stopped.

'That would not have been good manners, my lady,' Pina said primly.
'When a gentleman has carried off a young lady, with her own consent,
the least he can do is to look pleased, I am sure!'

'I thought you would understand better,' Ortensia answered in a tone of
disappointment.

Some one knocked at the door, not loudly but sharply, and as if in a
hurry; Pina went at once to see who it was, and found Stradella himself
outside.

'May I come in?' he asked quickly.

Beyond Pina, as he looked in, he saw Ortensia in her brown cloak, with
her hair down and all combed out over her shoulders, and without waiting
for an answer he pushed past the nurse and went to her. Instinctively
she drew the cloak more closely round her, but she looked up with a
bright smile, which vanished when she saw his expression in the strong
light. He spoke anxiously, without even a word of greeting.

'There are no horses to be had,' he said. 'I have done my best, but the
Pope's Nuncio is passing through and has engaged everything there was.
There is not even a public coach to Bologna till to-morrow morning. I am
more distressed than I can tell you! I have sent my man out to see if he
can find anything, and he will if there is a beast to be had. If not, we
shall have to wait here.'

While he was speaking, the door had closed softly and Pina was gone.
Ortensia saw her go out and put out one hand timidly between the folds
of the cloak, for her arm was bare, and she tried to cover it. At the
same time the glorious colour rose in her face, the third time since
she had opened her eyes that morning.

'I am glad,' she said simply, as soon as her hand was in his.

He glanced behind him and saw that Pina had disappeared. Then without a
word he drew the lovely girl up to him, and for a while they stood
clasped in each other's arms; and she forgot that hers were bare, and he
scarcely knew it; and if their faces drew back one from the other for a
few seconds, it was that their eyes might meet in one another's depths;
and the broad morning sun shone full upon the two through the open
window, making the girl's auburn hair blaze like dark red gold, and a
white radiance glowed in her pure forehead and snowy arms.

Stradella shivered a little, even in the sunshine, as he let her go, and
she sank upon her chair, finding his hand again and holding it fast as
if she feared lest he should leav