And a deep silence fell between them,--a silence which
was only broken by the door opening to admit Prince Sovrani who,
pausing on the threshold, said,
"Brother, if you will allow yourself to be disturbed, Angela would
like to see you in her studio. There are several people there,--her
fiance, Varillo among the number,--and I think the girl would be
glad of your presence."
The Cardinal started as from a dream, and rose from his chair.
"I will come at once--yes--I will come," he said, "I must not be
selfish and think only of my own troubles!" He stood erect,--he was
still in the scarlet robes in which he had made his appearance at
the Vatican, and they fell regally about his tall dignified form,
the vivid colour intensifying the pallor of his thin features. A
servant entering at the moment with two large silver candelabra
ablaze with lights, created an effect of luminance in the room that
made him appear to even greater advantage as an imposing figure of
ecclesiastical authority, and Prince Pietro looked at him with the
admiring affection and respect which he, though a cynic and sceptic,
had always felt for the brother of his wife,--affection and respect
which had if anything become intensified since that beloved one's
untimely death.
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