to come upon the fugitive, and they had taken their departure on a
certain morning. On that same day Lady Rowley was walking with Nora
and one of the other girls through the hall of the hotel, when they
were met in full face--by Mr. Glascock! Lady Rowley and Lucy were in
front, and they, of course, did not know the man. Nora had seen him
at once, and in her confusion hardly knew how to bear herself. Mr.
Glascock was passing by her without recognising her,--had passed her
mother and sister, and had so far gone on, that Nora had determined
to make no sign, when he chanced to look up and see who it was that
was so close to him. "Miss Rowley," he said, "who thought of meeting
you in Florence!" Lady Rowley, of course, turned round, and there was
an introduction. Poor Nora, though she knew nothing of her mother's
schemes, was confused and ill at ease. Mr. Glascock was very civil,
but at the same time rather cold. Lady Rowley was all smiles and
courtesy. She had, she said, heard his name from her daughters, and
was very happy to make his acquaintance. Lucy looked on somewhat
astonished to find that the lover whom her sister had been blamed for
rejecting, and who was spoken of with so many encomiums, was so old a
man. Mr. Glascock asked after Mrs. Trevelyan; and Lady Rowley, in a
low, melancholy whisper, told him that they were now all in Florence,
in the hope of meeting Mr. Trevelyan. "You have heard the sad story,
I know, Mr. Glascock,--and therefore I do not mind telling you." Mr.
Glascock acknowledged that he did know the story, and informed her
that he had seen Mr. Trevelyan in Florence within the last ten days.
This was so interesting, that, at Lady Rowley's request, he went with
them up to their rooms, and in this way the acquaintance was made. It
turned out that Mr. Glascock had spoken to Mr. Trevelyan, and that
Trevelyan had told him that he meant for the present to take up his
residence in some small Italian town. "And how was he looking, Mr.
Glascock?"
"Very ill, Lady Rowley;--very ill, indeed."
"Do not tell her so, Mr. Glascock. She has gone now with her father
to Siena. We think that he is there, with the boy,--or, at least,
that he may be heard of there. And you;--you are living here?" Mr.
Glascock said that he was living between Naples and Florence,--going
occasionally to Naples, a place that he hated, to see his father,
and coming back at intervals to the capital. Nora sat by, and hardly
spoke a word. She
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