"And how fares it with my father?"
"As it should with the father of such a daughter."
"Of such a daughter--"
"Pardon me, dearest Countess. You are in a hurry, and I am still so impressed by your father's great and noble nature, that I would rather we were both calm--"
"I am quite calm now; pray tell me, have you a message for me?"
"I have not. But it seems to me, dear Countess, as if I were just beginning to understand you.--Oh, what a man your father is!"
Irma looked up in surprise. She thought of Appiani speaking to Odoardo.
The colonel continued, calmly:
"Dear Countess, I am not an enthusiastic youth; but, during the short time I was permitted to spend with your father, I felt as if the exalted existence which had once been my ideal had become a real, living fact. Such perfect communings are impossible unless one feels sure that he is looked upon with favor, and I feel that I have had the good fortune to gain your father's good opinion."
"You fully deserve it. Excuse me, while I lay off my hat. Pray take a seat and tell me more about father." She removed her hat; her excitement had only added to her beauty.