, the boy-cardinal Giovanni de' Medici,
youngest of red-hatted fathers, who has since presented his broad dark
cheek very conspicuously to posterity as Pope Leo the Tenth, having been
detained at his favourite pastime of the chase, and having failed to
appear. It still wanted half an hour of sunset as he left the door of
the Scala palace, with the intention of proceeding forthwith to the Via
de' Bardi; but he had not gone far when, to his astonishment, he saw
Romola advancing towards him along the Borgo Pinti.

She wore a thick black veil and black mantle, but it was impossible to
mistake her figure and her walk; and by her side was a short stout form,
which he recognised as that of Monna Brigida, in spite of the unusual
plainness of her attire. Romola had not been bred up to devotional
observances, and the occasions on which she took the air elsewhere than
under the loggia on the roof of the house, were so rare and so much
dwelt on beforehand, because of Bardo's dislike to be left without her,
that Tito felt sure there must have been some sudden and urgent ground
for an absence of which he had heard nothing the day before. She saw
him through her veil and hastened her steps.

"Romola, has anything happened?" said Tito, turning to walk by her side.

She did not answer at the first moment, and Monna Brigida broke in.

"Ah, Messer Tito, you do well to turn round, for we are in haste. And
is it not a misfortune?--we are obliged to go round by the walls and
turn up the Via del Maglio, because of the Fair; for the contadine
coming in block up the way by the Nunziata, which would have taken us to
San Marco in half the time."

Tito's heart gave a great bound, and began to beat violently.

"Romola," he said, in a lower tone, "are you going to San Marco?"

They were now out of the Borgo Pinti and were under the city walls,
where they had wide gardens on their left-hand, and all was quiet.
Romola put aside her veil for the sake of breathing the air, and he
could see the subdued agitation in her face.

"Yes, Tito mio," she said, looking directly at him with sad eyes. "For
the first time I am doing something unknown to my father. It comforts
me that I have met you, for at least I can tell _you_. But if you are
going to him, it will be well for you not to say that you met me. He
thinks I am only gone to my cousin, because she sent for me. I left my
godfather with him: _he_ knows where I am going, and why. You rememb