But it was not probable that he ever would know it, and he
sat in his place, silent and unmoved, steering the boat to her
destination, and thinking of her.
It was not dusk when the boat was alongside of the low jagged rocks
which lie between the landward needle and the cliffs, making a sort of
rough platform in which there are here and there smooth flat places worn
by the waves and often full of dry salt for a day or two after a storm.
There, to the Marchesa's inexpressible relief, the numberless objects
inscribed in the catalogue of her comforts were already arranged, and
she suffered herself to be lifted from the boat and carried ashore by
Ruggiero and his brother, without once murmuring or complaining of
fatigue--a truly wonderful triumph for San Miniato's generalship.
There was the table, the screen, and the lamp, the chairs and the
carpet--all the necessary furniture for the Marchesa's dining-room. And
there at her place stood an immaculate individual in an evening coat and
a white tie, ready and anxious to do her bidding. She surveyed the
preparations with more satisfaction than she generally showed at
anything.
Pages:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125