"Forever!" she murmured presently, as if speaking to herself. "United forever!"
"You and I," said the engineer, addressing his colleague in celibacy in the Venetian dialect, "you and I, Signor Giacomo, never go in for any such nonsense!"
"You are always in good spirits, most worshipful engineer!" Signor Giacomo answered, while his conscience was telling him that in his time he had gone in for far worse "nonsense."
The bride and groom did not return.
"Signor Giacomo," the engineer continued, "there will be no going to bed for us to-night."
The unfortunate man writhed, puffed and winked hard but did not reply.
Still the bride and groom were absent.
"Piero," said Signora Teresa, "ring the bell."
"Signor Giacomo," the engineer began, composedly, "shall we ring the bell?"
"That would seem to be the Signora's wish," the little man replied, steering his course as best he could between the brother and sister. "However, I express no opinion."