Giuliana faced her and held out her hand frankly.
‘No,’ she answered. ‘I’m not that sort of friend. But if I see you are going wrong I shall try to save you in spite of yourself.’
‘Thank you, dear,’ said Maria, trying to feel grateful; ‘but I shall not go wrong. You don’t quite understand me—that’s all.’
‘I hope you are right,’ replied Giuliana, ‘but I believe you are quite mistaken.’
They did not part very cordially, and when Giuliana was alone in her carriage she almost made up her mind to save her friend by force. She thought of writing to Castiglione himself, to tell him frankly that it was his duty as a man of honour to stay away. He might possibly have accepted the warning if she had carried out her intention, but she soon saw many reasons for not interfering so directly.
‘Beware of first impulses,’ says the cynic, ‘for they are generally good ones.’
CHAPTER VIII
Two days later Maria received a letter from Castiglione saying that his return was now a matter of certainty, but that there were formalities to be fulfilled which would take some little time. Most fortunately there was a step in the regiment. The crabbed old major of the Piedmont Lancers was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of another regiment, the senior captain was gazetted major, and Castiglione himself would come back as the junior captain, probably during the next month.