not
to perceive that her voice, her gestures, her eyes, her entire being,
betrayed a nervousness at that moment almost upon the verge of sadness.

Was she still reserved from the day before, or was she a prey to one of
those inexplicable transactions, which had led Dorsenne in his
meditations of the night to such strange suspicions? Those suspicions
returned to him with the feeling that, of all the persons present, Alba
was the only one who seemed to be aware of the drama which undoubtedly
was brewing. He resolved to seek once more for the solution of the living
enigma which that singular girl was. How lovely she appeared to him that
evening with, those two expressions which gave her an almost tragical
look! The corners of her mouth drooped somewhat; her upper lip, almost
too short, disclosed her teeth, and in the lower part of her pale face
was a bitterness so prematurely sad! Why? It was not the time to ask the
question. First of all, it was necessary for the young man to go in
search of Madame Steno on the terrace, which terminated in a paradise of
Italian voluptuousness, the salon furnished in imitation of Paris. Shrubs
blossomed in large terra-cotta vases. Statuettes were to be seen on the
balustrade, and, beyond, the pines of the Villa Bonaparte outlined their
black umbrellas against a sky of blue velvet, strewn with large stars. A
vague aroma of acacias, from a garden near by, floated in the air, which
was light, caressing, and warm. The soft atmosphere sufficed to convict
of falsehood the Contessina, who had evidently wished to justify the
tete-a-tete of her mother and of Maitland. The two lovers were indeed
together in the perfume, the mystery and the solitude of the obscure and
quiet terrace.

It took Dorsenne, who came from the bright glare of the salon, a moment
to distinguish in the darkness the features of the Countess who, dressed
all in white, was lying upon a willow couch with soft cushions of silk.
She was smoking a cigarette, the lighted end of which, at each breath she
drew, gave sufficient light to show that, notwithstanding the coolness of
the night, her lovely neck, so long and flexible, about which was clasped
a collar of pearls, was bare, as well as her fair shoulders and her
perfect arms, laden with bracelets, which were visible through her wide,
flowing sleeves. On advancing, Julien recognized, through the vegetable
odors of that spring night, the strong scent of the Virginian tobacco
which