he
recollection of that afternoon at the Villa Madama. It belonged to the
class of things about which she was determined never to think again.
"Arise and conquer!" She had come back to her real self, and had
overcome.

He stopped singing, but his hands still lay on the keys and he struck
occasional chords; and he turned his face half towards her, and spoke in
an undertone.

"I am very sorry if I offended you by not coming more often to your
house," he said. "Guido told me. I thought perhaps you would understand
why I did not come."

Cecilia looked at him and was silent for a moment, but she felt very
strong and sure of herself.

"Signor Lamberti," she said presently, "I want to ask you to do
something--for me."

There was a little emphasis on the last word. He turned quite towards
her now, but he still made chords on the instrument, for he knew that
the Countess had extraordinary ears. His impulse was to tell her that he
would do anything she asked of him, no matter how hard it might be; but
he controlled it.

"Certainly," he answered. "What is it?"

"Forget that we met in the Forum, and forget what we said to each other
at the garden party. Will you? It was all a coincidence, of course, but
I behaved very foolishly, and I do not like to think that you remember
it. Will you try and forget it all?"

"I will try," Lamberti answered, looking down at the keys. "At all
events, I can promise never to remind you of it, as I did just now."

"That is what I meant," Cecilia said. "Let us never remind each other of
it. Of course we cannot really forget, in our own selves, but we can
begin again from the beginning, this evening, as if it had never
happened. We can be real friends, as we ought to be."

"Can we?" Lamberti asked the question in a doubtful tone, and glanced
uneasily at her.

"I can, if you can," she answered courageously, "and I mean to be."

"Then I can, too," Lamberti said, but his lips shut tightly as if he
regretted the words as soon as they were spoken.

"It will be easy, now," Cecilia went on. "It will be much easier
because----" She stopped.

"Why will it be so much easier?" Lamberti asked, looking down again.

"We were not going to speak of those things again," Cecilia said. "We
had better not begin."

"I only ask that one question. Tell me why it will be easier now. It may
help me to forget."

"It will be easier--because I do not dream of you any more--I mean of
the man who is like you.