“You can’t lose any one you love, who loves you. But it may take a dreadful time to have everything come right.” She sighed. “Adela,” she said with sudden daring. “Did you ever know that Erard had relatives? A father and brother; the brother has just died, Mr. Jennings told me—we knew them.”
Mrs. Wilbur listened quietly until her friend stopped, afraid to continue.
“No! I don’t know anything about Mr. Erard’s family. But when he wants to tell me, he will, and until then they do not interest me.”
Jennings seemed in no great haste to leave Florence. He would disappear for a few days, and when he turned up at the Villa Rosadina he had “merely been off for exercise.” But large slices of the lingering sunny days he spent with the two American women. Mrs. Wilbur was conscious that he was watching and studying her. He seemed as much interested in her as in Molly. Indeed they had rather most of the desultory talk on their rambles. Now and then Molly Parker interrupted them in a heated tête-à-tête.
“Another soulful talk, darn ’em,” she would mutter. “Anyhow Adela has an awful heavy chin, and when she gets excited it is positively ugly.” She had vague fears that Adela was capable of corrupting even Jennings: you never knew how foolish a man could be. So when at one of these ruffled moments Mrs. Wilbur called affectionately,—“Come here, Molly, and kiss me.” Miss Parker shook her head jauntily. “I don’t like being kissed.” And fishing out a stray cigarette, she lit it mischievously.
“Molly!” Mrs. Wilbur exclaimed.
“Vivian Vavasour does it: that’s why she is so dried up and sallow. Mr. Erard taught me. Every one smokes in the Circle.” She turned to Jennings. “Adela is squeamish. Then she dislikes new habits.”
Jennings laughed appreciatively.
“By the way, Adela, I am going to write Walter to come on next Easter and take me to Rome for the Carnival. That’s the custom in the Circle,” she explained to Jennings. “We take men instead of maids when we travel. It’s lots nicer; you have some one to lug the bags and to run errands. Besides, it shocks people and makes you talked about.”