And at that moment she felt that she did know.
Lucrezia regarded her with round-eyed amazement.
"But, signora, how can you—"
"There, Antonino has disappeared under the trees! We shall see him in a minute among the rocks. I'll go to meet him."
And she went quickly to the archway, and looked down the path where the lizards were darting to and fro in the sunshine. Almost directly Antonino reappeared, a small boy climbing steadily up the steep pathway, with a leather bag slung over his shoulder.
"Antonino!" she called to him. "Is it a telegram?"
"Si, signora!" he cried out.
He came up to her, panting, opened the bag, and gave her the folded paper.
"Go and get something to drink," she said. "To eat, too, if you're hungry."
Antonino ran off eagerly, while Hermione tore open the paper and read these words in French: