Oh, it’s a fine estate and she paid cash down for it! To old Ranieri, you know … the miser, the father of the man who took her away, the father of her first lover.”

“You know or pretend to know more than I do about the adventures of her youth,” replied Salvator. “I only know one thing about her, and that is that she is the kindest, worthiest and most intelligent woman I have met Thank Heaven! Is she here then? What wonderful news! We are saved, Karol. We shall go and ask her for shelter and if you wish to be kind to me, you will make the acquaintance of my dear Floriani with a good grace. But nobody in Milan knows that she is living hereabouts. They told me that I would find her in Venice or its vicinity.”

“Oh, she lives almost hidden from the eyes of the world,” said the host “Such is her whim at the moment However, she is well known here, for she does much good. She is very good, the Signora.”

“Quick, then, a boat, quick,” cried Salvator jumping for joy. “Ah, what a pleasant surprise! And there was I without the slightest sense of happy presentiment that I should find her here.”

This word startled KaroL “Presentiments,” said he, “act on us without our knowledge and drive us where they will.”

But the irrepressible Albani would not listen. He went back and forth, he shouted, he had a boat brought up, he flung a valise into it, he entrusted the coach and bags to the care of his servant who was to remain at the inn at Iseo and he dragged the young prince on to the unsteady planks of the small boat.

He was in such a hurry to arrive and the vivacity of his character momentarily so overpowered the constraint he usually imposed on himself so as not to offend his friend’s permanent sadness, that he seized an oar and himself rowed with the boatman, singing like a bird and, with the release of his impetuous gaiety, threatening to capsize the boat.

4.

They had gone half way across the lake when he noticed an increase in pallor on Karol’s face. He left the rudder and sitting down near him said, “Dear prince, I am afraid you are displeased with me. Probably you did not wish to make this new acquaintance. I am sorry. When one is travelling one must depart a little from one’s habits. I had promised not to vex you with such things. I had forgotten … because I was so pleased.”

“I forgive you everything. I accept everything,” replied the prince, calmly. “Friendship lives on sacrifices. You have made so many sacrifices for me that I certainly owe you some. Yet I had hoped that you would never take me to the home of a loose woman.”

“Stop, stop,” cried Salvator, gripping his hand hard. “Don’t use such offending, wounding words. Had anyone else but you spoken of her in that way…”

“Forgive me,” Karol said. “I had not realised that she was … that is, must have been your mistress.”

“My mistress,” retorted Salvator quickly. “Ah, if it only could have been so! But she loved another at that time, and besides, who knows if she would have liked me even if I had known her when her heart was free? No, Karol, I have not been her lover, and as I was the friend of the man she loved when we knew one another (his name was Foscari, an excellent young man) and I knew her to be loyal and faithful, I never dreamed of desiring her. Oh, if she were only living alone to-day as they told me in Milan … And if she wished to love me … But no! Come, don’t frown: I do not think that I shall develop a burning passion for her … I haven’t seen her for a long, long time. Perhaps she is no longer beautiful And besides, my heart and my senses had assumed the habit of remaining calm in her presence. My imagination would require a great effort to pass from esteem and respect to … Yet I’m no hypocrite and I would not like to swear it When there is great friendship between a man and a woman … But probably if she lives alone she loves someone absent It is impossible for that warmhearted creature to live without love; so I shall have no bad thoughts towards her. I would not wish to lose her friendship for anything in the world”

“To judge from all these twistings and turnings,” said the prince with a melancholy smile, “I see that I stand to risk losing you, and my presentiment of misfortune could well be no dream.”

“Your presentiment! Ah, you keep on harking back to it I had forgotten it Well, if it tells you that my travels will come to an end with this enchantress and that I shall let you depart alone, it is an impudent liar. No, no, Karol, your health, your wish, our journey before everything else! If your presentiment had a face I would slap it.”

The two friends continued to talk a little more about Madame Floriani. The prince, who was in Italy for the first time, had never seen her, and all he knew of her was the fame of her talent and the notoriety of her love affairs. Salvator spoke of her with enthusiasm; but as one must not always place reliance on friends, we shall tell the reader ourselves what he must know for the moment concerning our heroine.

Lucrezia Floriani was an actress possessing a pure, superior gift, not in the grand manner, but always moving and sympathetic when she was playing a good part; exquisite, admirable in all the details of mime, which help the actor to set off to advantage the work of the true poet and to find charm in that of the inferior one.

She had achieved great success, not only as an actress, but also as an author; for she had carried her passion for her art as far as to venture to write plays, first in collaboration with a few literary friends and finally alone by her own inspiration. Her plays had been successful, not that they were masterpieces, but they were uncomplicated, their sentiment was genuine, the dialogue was good, and she acted in them herself She had never had herself called out after performances, but her secret, for the time being, was part of the act and the public itself called out her name amid the wreaths of flowers and applause which they lavished on her.

In that country, at that time, newspaper criticism was not greatly developed.