'Ruggiero—Ludovico—sit down. Giulio, will you sit here?'
He offered them tea, cigarettes, liqueurs. The conversation grew very lively. Grimiti and Barbarisi gave the news of Rome, especially the more spicy items of society gossip. The aroma of the tea mingled with that of the tobacco.
'I have brought you a chest of tea,' said Musellaro to Sperelli, 'and much better tea too than your famous Kien Loung used to drink.'
'Ah, do you remember, in London, how he used to make tea after the poetical method of the Great Emperor?'
'I say,' said Grimiti, 'do you know that the fair Clara Green is in Rome? I saw her on Sunday at the Villa Borghese. She recognised me and stopped her carriage to speak to me. She is as lovely as ever. You remember her passion for you, and how she went on when she thought you were in love with Constance Landbrooke? She instantly asked for news of you.'
'I should be very pleased to see her again. Does she still dress in green and wear sunflowers in her hat?
'Oh no. She has apparently abandoned the æsthetic for good and all. She goes in for feathers now. On Sunday, she was wearing an enormous hat à la Montpensier with a perfectly fabulous feather in it.'
'The season is in full swing, I suppose?'
'Earlier than usual this year, both as to saints and sinners.'
'Which of the saints are already in Rome?'