"I am all right now, thanks," replied Lucio coldly, perceiving that she did not believe him.
They exchanged a rapid glance. He was the first, with an effort of will, to question her:
"Are you alone, Miss Ford?"
"How alone?" she asked, pretending not to understand.
"Isn't your travelling companion with you?" he asked, with difficulty suppressing his emotion.
"She is not with me," she replied coldly.
"Isn't she in Florence?" he asked again, unable this time to conceal his anxiety.
For a moment Miss Ford hesitated. Then she replied again:
"She is not in Florence."