"Signore!" said Bianca, moderating her transports, "you have not told me the reason of Guiseppe's absence."
"I am afraid there is very little to tell, Signorina! He was lured to the Palazzo by an enemy, who kept him there until last night, when, luckily, I discovered where he was concealed and released him."
"Ah, Signor Hugo, how can I thank you for your kindness! Then my poor Guiseppe was hidden in that terrible room?"
"He was concealed near it, at all events," I replied evasively.
"And the voice in the darkness, Signor? Oh, that cruel, cruel voice! It. has haunted my dreams ever since!"
"It was nothing, Signorina; it was--it was a friend of mine, who came to assist me to look for Guiseppe!"
"Was it a signor or a Signora?" asked Bianca, who, evidently in her nervous agitation, had not distinguished the feminine tones of the unknown.
"It was a signor! a young signor whom I know!"
"But he saw us in the darkness. Dio! how terrible."
"No; he did not see us. He guessed we were there, as I told him we were going to look for Guiseppe, and he came to assist me."