"Very well. Now go before you are discovered."
During the afternoon his excitement increased deliciously, and that evening he found himself pacing the shaded street near the La Branche home, with the eager restlessness of a lover.
It was indeed late when Vittoria finally appeared.
"Myra Nell is such a chatterbox," she explained, "that I couldn't get her to bed. Have you waited long?"
"I dare say. I'm not sure."
"This is very exciting, is it not?" She glanced over her shoulder up the ill-lighted street. Rows of shade trees cast long inky blots between the corner illuminations; the houses on either side sat well back in their yards, increasing the sense of isolation. "It is quite a new experience for me."
"For me, too."
"I hope we're not seen. Signore Norvin Blake and a trained nurse! Oh, the comment!"
"There's a bench near by where we can sit. Passers-by will take us for servants."
"You are the butler, I am the maid," she laughed.