'I thought I should have died.'
He took the bouquet of flowers from one of the vases and handed it to her and went with her towards the door, almost hurrying her departure, for this woman's every look and gesture and word was a fresh sword-thrust in his heart.
'Good-bye, dear heart!' said the hapless creature to him with unspeakable tenderness. 'Think of me.'
[CHAPTER VII]
On the morning of the 20th of May, as Andrea Sperelli was walking along the Corso in the radiant sunshine, he heard his name called from the doorway of the Club.
On the pavement in front of it was a group of gentlemen amusing themselves by watching the ladies pass and talking scandal. They were Giulio Musellaro, Ludovico Barbarisi, the Duke of Grimiti, Galeazzo Secinaro, Gino Bomminaco, and two or three others.
'Have you heard what happened last night?' Barbarisi asked him.
'No, what?'
'Don Manuel Ferrès, the Minister for Guatemala——'