“Coming as though to taunt us with our downfall; though certainly that lovely brow and those tearful eyes have no scorn in them. She must have been a great beauty.”
“Pracontal raves of her beauty, and says that none of these pictures do her justice, except one at Urbino. At least, he gathers this from the journal, which he swears by as if it were gospel.”
“I 'd call her handsomer in that picture than in our fresco. I wonder if this were painted earlier or later?”
“I can answer that question, for the old sacristan who came up here yesterday, and fell to talking about the chapel, mentioned how the painter—a gran' maestro he called him—bargained to be buried at the foot of the altar, and the Marchese had not kept his word, not liking to break up the marble pavement, and had him interred outside the walls, with the prior's grave and a monk at either side of him. His brushes and colors, and his tools for fresco-work, were all buried in the chapel; for they had been blessed by the Pope's Nuncio, after the completion of the basilica at Udine. Have n't I remembered my story well, and the old fellow didn't tell it above nine times over? This was old Lami's last work, and here his last resting-place.”
“What is it seems so familiar to me in that name? Every time you have uttered it I am ready to say I have heard it before.”
“What so likely, from Augustus or your sister.”
“No. I can answer for it that neither of them ever spoke of him to me. I know it was not from them I heard it.”
“But how tell the story of this suit without naming him?”
“They never did tell me the story of the suit, beyond the fact that my grandfather had been married privately in early life, and left a son whom he had not seen nor recognized, but took every means to disavow and disown. Wait now a moment; my mind is coming to it. I think I have the clew to this old fellow's name. I must go back to the villa, however, to be certain.”
“Not a word of our discovery here to any one,” cried Cutbill. “We must arrange to bring them all here, and let them be surprised as we were.”