AFTER DARK [154]
came into his eyes, and he half raised the paper to his lips. At the same moment, some one knocked at the door of the room. He started, and felt himself changing color guiltily as one of his servants entered.
"My mistress is awake," the man said, with a very grave face, and a very constrained manner; "and the gentlemen in attendance desire me to say--"
He was interrupted, before he could give his message, by one of the medical men, who had followed him into the room.
"I wish I had better news to communicate," began the doctor, gently.
"She is worse, then?' said Fabio, sinking back into the chair from which he had risen the moment before.
"She has awakened weaker instead of stronger after her sleep," returned the doctor, evasively. "I never like to give up all hope till the very last, but--"
"It is cruel not to be candid with him," interposed another voice--the voice of the doctor from Florence, who had just entered the room. "Strengthen yourself to bear the worst," he continued, addressing himself to Fabio. "She is dying. Can you compose yourself enough to go to her bedside?"
Pale and speechless, Fabio rose from his chair, and made a sign in the affirmative. He trembled so that the doctor who had first spoken was obliged to lead him out of the room.
"Your mistress has some near relations in Pisa, has she not?" said the doctor from Florence, appealing to the servant who waited near him.
"Her father, sir, Signor Luca Lomi; and her uncle, Father Rocco," answered the man. "They were here all through the day, until my mistress fell asleep."
"Do you know where to find them now?"'
"Signor Luca told me he should be at his studio, and Father Rocco said I might find him at his lodgings."
"Send for them both directly. Stay, who is your mistress's confessor? He ought to be summoned without loss of time."
"My mistress's confessor is Father Rocco, sir."
"Very well--send, or go yourself, at once. Even minutes may be of importance now." Saying this, the doctor turned away, and sat down to wait for any last demands on his services, in the chair which Fabio had just left.
CHAPTER III.
BEFORE the servant could get to the priest's lodgings a visitor had applied there for admission, and had been immediately received by Father Rocco himself. This favored guest was a little man, very sprucely and neatly dressed, and oppressively polite in his manner. He bowed when he first sat down, he bowed when he answered the usual inquiries about his health, and he bowed, for the third time, when Father Rocco asked what had brought him from Florence.
"Rather an awkward business," replied the little man, recovering himself uneasily after his third bow. "The dressmaker, named Nanina, whom you placed under my wife's protection about a year ago--"
"What of her? " inquired the priest eagerly.
"I regret to say she has left us, with her child-sister, and their very disagreeable dog, that growls at everybody."
"When did they go?"
"Only yesterday. I came here at once to tell you, as you were so very particular in recommending us to take care of her. It is not our fault that she has gone. My wife was kindness itself to her, and I always treated her like a duchess. I bought dinner-mats of her sister; I even put up with the thieving and growling of the disagreeable dog--"
"Where have they gone to? Have you found out that?"
"I have found out, by application at the passport-office, that they have not left Florence--but what particular part of the city they have removed to, I have not yet had time to discover."
"And pray why did they leave you, in the first place? Nanina is not a girl to do anything without a reason. She must have had some cause for going away. What was it?"
The little man hesitated, and made a fourth bow.
"You remember your private instructions to my wife and myself, when you first brought Nanina to our house?" he said, looking away rather uneasily while he spoke.
"Yes; you were to watch her, but to take care that she did not suspect you. It was just possible, at that time,
"My mistress is awake," the man said, with a very grave face, and a very constrained manner; "and the gentlemen in attendance desire me to say--"
He was interrupted, before he could give his message, by one of the medical men, who had followed him into the room.
"I wish I had better news to communicate," began the doctor, gently.
"She is worse, then?' said Fabio, sinking back into the chair from which he had risen the moment before.
"She has awakened weaker instead of stronger after her sleep," returned the doctor, evasively. "I never like to give up all hope till the very last, but--"
"It is cruel not to be candid with him," interposed another voice--the voice of the doctor from Florence, who had just entered the room. "Strengthen yourself to bear the worst," he continued, addressing himself to Fabio. "She is dying. Can you compose yourself enough to go to her bedside?"
Pale and speechless, Fabio rose from his chair, and made a sign in the affirmative. He trembled so that the doctor who had first spoken was obliged to lead him out of the room.
"Your mistress has some near relations in Pisa, has she not?" said the doctor from Florence, appealing to the servant who waited near him.
"Her father, sir, Signor Luca Lomi; and her uncle, Father Rocco," answered the man. "They were here all through the day, until my mistress fell asleep."
"Do you know where to find them now?"'
"Signor Luca told me he should be at his studio, and Father Rocco said I might find him at his lodgings."
"Send for them both directly. Stay, who is your mistress's confessor? He ought to be summoned without loss of time."
"My mistress's confessor is Father Rocco, sir."
"Very well--send, or go yourself, at once. Even minutes may be of importance now." Saying this, the doctor turned away, and sat down to wait for any last demands on his services, in the chair which Fabio had just left.
CHAPTER III.
BEFORE the servant could get to the priest's lodgings a visitor had applied there for admission, and had been immediately received by Father Rocco himself. This favored guest was a little man, very sprucely and neatly dressed, and oppressively polite in his manner. He bowed when he first sat down, he bowed when he answered the usual inquiries about his health, and he bowed, for the third time, when Father Rocco asked what had brought him from Florence.
"Rather an awkward business," replied the little man, recovering himself uneasily after his third bow. "The dressmaker, named Nanina, whom you placed under my wife's protection about a year ago--"
"What of her? " inquired the priest eagerly.
"I regret to say she has left us, with her child-sister, and their very disagreeable dog, that growls at everybody."
"When did they go?"
"Only yesterday. I came here at once to tell you, as you were so very particular in recommending us to take care of her. It is not our fault that she has gone. My wife was kindness itself to her, and I always treated her like a duchess. I bought dinner-mats of her sister; I even put up with the thieving and growling of the disagreeable dog--"
"Where have they gone to? Have you found out that?"
"I have found out, by application at the passport-office, that they have not left Florence--but what particular part of the city they have removed to, I have not yet had time to discover."
"And pray why did they leave you, in the first place? Nanina is not a girl to do anything without a reason. She must have had some cause for going away. What was it?"
The little man hesitated, and made a fourth bow.
"You remember your private instructions to my wife and myself, when you first brought Nanina to our house?" he said, looking away rather uneasily while he spoke.
"Yes; you were to watch her, but to take care that she did not suspect you. It was just possible, at that time,