"Shall it be to-morrow?"
"Most willingly! At the same time as to-day?"
"If you please. And now I must say good-bye, and hasten home to keep my appointment with the young ladies."
"With many thanks."
[CHAPTER XI.]
Loitering amidst the artistic haunts of Firenze la bella, we seem to have forgotten some of our Roman acquaintances, who, when leaving the Eternal City, took the southern instead of the northern direction.
We know already that Naples, or its neighbourhood, was the Eltons' destination; it was also that of the three gentlemen who played so prominent a part at their ball. How strange it is that such a trio should have fixed on going to the same place, each moved by motives so unlike those of the others!
Mr. Earnscliffe went there because he wanted change of scene, and thought Naples the most interesting;—Mr. Lyne, because it was a part of his plan to visit the south of Italy before returning to France; had Flora Adair accepted him, he would have done so with her, as his bride; now he would do so alone, for he was far too methodical to allow a disappointment to interfere with any of his arrangements;—Mr. Caulfield's motive was to meet the Eltons, and he wished to get there before them, in order that the "dragoness" might not be able to say he had followed them.