'I can imagine that it might be dull, if I were alone.'
Aliandra turned her head slowly and looked at him gravely for a moment. Then she smiled.
'If you were alone here,' she said, 'you would not have the excitement of taking care of a father with a broken leg, as I have.'
'Excitement!' Francesco laughed. 'Yes. I imagined what your existence would be like, so I came all the way from Rome to help you pass the time.'
'How merciful! But I am grateful, for though I love my father dearly, a broken leg as a subject of conversation, morning, noon, and night, leaves something to be desired.'
'I suppose the old gentleman is anxious about himself and talks about his leg all the time.'
'When you are not there, he generally does. You do him good, I am sure.'
'And so you are grateful to me for coming? Really?'
'Yes. What did you expect?'