Beatrice laughed again.
"Translate originality as original sin and constancy as the art of
acting constantly!" she retorted.
"Why?" enquired San Miniato without losing his temper. He thought the
question would be hard to answer.
"Why not?" asked Beatrice. "You will not deny me a little grain of
original sin, will you? It will make our life so much more varied and
amusing, and when I say that you act constantly--I only mean what you
said of yourself, that you are constant in your actions."
"You so rarely spare me a compliment, Donna Beatrice, that you must
forgive me for not having understood that one sooner. Accept my best
thanks--"
"And agree to the expression of my most distinguished sentiments, as the
French say at the end of a letter," said Beatrice, rising. "And now that
I have complimented everybody, and been civil, and pleased everybody,
and have been thanked and have taken all the original sin of the party
upon my own shoulders, I will go and have a swim before breakfast.
Good-bye, mamma. Good-bye, Count."
With a quick nod, she turned and left them, and went in search of
Teresina, whose duty it was to accompany her to the bath.
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