“Gaspare, I order you to tell me.”
“Signora,” he said, “such things are not in my service. I am here to work, not to answer questions.”
He spoke quietly now, heavily, and moved his feet on the carpet.
“You disobey me?”
“Signora, I shall always obey all your orders as a servant.”
“And as a friend, Gaspare, as a friend! You are my friend, aren’t you?”
Her voice had suddenly changed, and in answer to it his face changed. He looked into her face, and his eyes were full of a lustrous softness that was like a gentle and warm caress.
“Signora, you know what I am for you. Then leave me alone, Signora.” He spoke solemnly. “You ought to trust me, Signora, you ought to trust me.”
“I do trust you. But you—do you trust me?”
“Si, Signora.”