red with this fact, nothing in his previous life had been of any
importance whatever. Even the circumstances of his position with regard
to his aunt sank into insignificance. She might do what she pleased, she
might try to ruin him, she might persecute him to the extreme limit of
her ingenuity, she might invent calumnies intended to disgrace him; he
was confident of victory and sure of himself.

One of the first unmistakable signs of genuine love is the certainty of
doing the impossible. An hour before meeting Cecilia, Guido had been
reduced to the deepest despondency, and had talked gravely of ending a
life that was not worth living. A fortnight had passed, and he defied
his aunt, Monsieur Leroy, the whole world, an adverse fate, and the
powers of evil. They might do their worst, now, for he was full of
strength, and ten times more alive than he had ever been before.

It was true that he could not see the smallest change in Cecilia's
manner towards him since the memorable evening on which she had
laughingly agreed to take advantage of what was thrust upon them both.
Her colour did not change by the least shade of a blush when she met
him; there was not the slightest quivering of the delicate eyelids,
there was nothing but the most friendly frankness in the steady look of
welcome. But she liked him very much, and was at no pains to conceal it.
She liked him better than any one she had ever met in her short life,
except her stepfather, and she told Guido so with charming unconcern.
As he could not be jealous of the dead ambassador, he was not at all
discouraged by the comparison. Sometimes he was rather flattered by it,
and he could not but feel that he had already acquired a position from
which any future suitor would find it hard to dislodge him.

The Countess Fortiguerra looked on with wondering satisfaction. Her
daughter had not led her to believe that she would readily accept what
must soon be looked upon by society as an engagement, and what would
certainly be one before long. When Guido went to see his aunt, she
received him with expansive expressions of affection.

He noticed a change in the Princess, which he could only explain by the
satisfaction he supposed she felt in his conduct. There were times when
her artificial face softened with a look of genuine feeling, especially
when she was silent and inattentive. Guido knew her well enough, he
thought, to impute these signs to her inward contentment at the pros