He will not let her die before she knows--before she knows
I love her!"
XXXIII.
The chain of circumstance had lengthened by several links round the
radiant life of Sylvie Hermenstem since that bright winter morning
when she had been startled out of her reverie, in the gardens of the
Villa Borghese, by the unexpected appearance of Monsignor Gherardi.
The untimely deaths of the Marquis Fontenelle and the actor Miraudin
in the duel over her name, had caused so much malicious and cruel
gossip, that she had withdrawn herself almost entirely from Roman
society, which had, with one venomous consent, declared that she was
only marrying Aubrey Leigh to shield herself from her esclandre with
the late Marquis. And then the murderous attack on her friend Angela
Sovrani, which occurred almost immediately after her engagement to
Aubrey was announced, had occupied all her thoughts--so that she had
almost forgotten the promise she had made to grant a private
interview to Gherardi whenever he should seek it. And she was not a
little vexed one morning when she was talking to her betrothed
concerning the plans which were now in progress for their going to
England as soon as possible, to receive a note reminding her of that
promise, and requesting permission to call upon her that very
afternoon.
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