'Those eyes!' I said, looking into them fervently.
'Ah!' she sighed again.
'Madam,' said a pageboy, coming up to her, 'Messer Piacentini begs that you will come to him.'
She gave a little cry of annoyance.
'My husband!' Then, rising from her seat, she turned to me, holding out her hand; I immediately offered my arm, and we solemnly crossed the room to Ercole Piacentini. Here she bowed very graciously to me, and I smiled on the happy husband with the utmost sweetness, while he looked very grim and took not the faintest notice of me; then I marched off, feeling particularly pleased with myself.
The Count and Countess were on the point of taking their departure: they were followed by Ercole and his wife; the remaining guests soon went, and in a little while there were left only Matteo and myself, two other men and Checco.
III
CHECCO led us to a smaller room, at some distance from the great hall of the reception; then, turning to a man I did not know, he said, 'Did you hear the Piacentini?'
'Yes!' he answered; and for a moment they looked at one another silently.
'He would not have been so bold without good cause,' added the man.