Prince Don Asdrubale came up to his daughter. He was a rich man, who for the last twenty years had not taken reckoning with his steward, who lent him his own revenues at a very high rate of interest. If you met him in the street, you would have taken him for an old actor; you would not have observed that his hands were ornamented with five or six enormous rings set with big diamonds. His two sons had become Jesuits and afterwards died insane. He had forgotten them; but he was vexed that his only daughter Vanina would not marry. She was now nineteen, and had refused the most brilliant matches. What was her reason? The same as Sulla’s for abdicating: her contempt for the Romans.
The day after the ball, Vanina noticed that her father, the most careless of men, who had never in his life taken the trouble to carry a key, very carefully shut the door of a little stair which led to some rooms on the third floor of the palace. The windows of these rooms looked on to a terrace adorned with orange-trees. Vanina went to pay some visits in Rome; on her return, the main entrance of the palace was blocked by the preparations for an illumination, so the carriage went in by the courts at the back. Vanina looked up, and saw to her astonishment that one of the windows of the rooms which her father had shut with such care was open. She got rid of her companion, climbed to the top of the palace, and searched about until she found a little grated window, which gave a view of the terrace ornamented with orange-trees. The open window that she had noticed was close beside her. That room must certainly be occupied; but by whom? Next day, Vanina managed to obtain the key of a little door which opened on to the terrace ornamented with orange-trees.
She stealthily approached the window, which was still open. A sun-shutter helped to cover it. Inside the room was a bed and some one in the bed. Her first impulse was to withdraw; but she caught sight of a woman’s dress thrown on a chair. Looking more closely at the person in the bed, she saw that she was fair and apparently very young. She had no more doubt about its being a woman. The dress thrown down on the chair was stained with blood; there was blood on the woman’s shoes, too, laid on a table. The stranger moved; Vanina perceived that she was wounded. A large cloth, spotted with blood, covered her breast; the cloth was only kept on with ribbons; it was no surgeon’s hand that had fixed it so. Vanina noticed that every day, about four o’clock, her father shut himself up in his room, then went to see the stranger; he soon came downstairs again, and took the carriage to visit the Countess Vitteleschi. Immediately he had gone, Vanina climbed up to the little terrace from which she could see the stranger. Her feelings were actively excited in favour of this most unfortunate young woman; she tried to guess at her adventure. The blood-stained dress thrown on a chair seemed to have been pierced with dagger-thrusts. Vanina could count the rents. One day she saw the stranger more distinctly: her blue eyes were gazing towards heaven; she seemed to be praying. Soon tears filled her lovely eyes; the young princess could scarcely refrain from speaking to her. The next day Vanina summoned up courage to hide herself in the little terrace before her father arrived. She saw Don Asdrubale go into the stranger’s room; he carried a little basket containing provisions. The prince seemed to be disturbed and did not say much. He spoke so low that, although the sash of the window was open, Vanina could not make out what he said. He went away immediately.
“The poor woman must have some very terrible enemies,” said Vanina to herself, “that my father, who is usually so careless, dares not trust anybody, and takes the trouble of climbing a hundred and twenty steps every day.”
One evening when Vanina softly advanced her head in the direction of the stranger’s window, she met her eyes, and all was discovered. Vanina fell on her knees, and exclaimed:
“I love you; I am at your service!”
The stranger signed to her to come in.
“I owe you many apologies!” exclaimed Vanina. “How offensive my foolish curiosity must seem to you! I swear secrecy, and, if you insist on it, I shall never return.”
“Who would not be happy to see you?” said the stranger. “Do you live in this palace?”
“Of course,” replied Vanina; “but I see you do not know me; I am Vanina, Don Asdrubale’s daughter.”