“Ah! you are a pessimist, I see,” she remarked, looking straight into my eyes.
“No, not exactly. I suppose I shall marry some day.”
“And you are engaged—eh?”
“No,” I laughed, “it hasn’t got so far as that yet. A single kiss and a few letters—that’s the present stage.”
“And the lady is Engleesh?”
“Ah! The rest must, for the present, remain a mystery, mademoiselle,” I laughed, wondering what the Marquis would say if he discovered us idling away the morning like that.
And so we chatted and laughed on, the best of friends. I tried to obtain some facts regarding her visit to Abbazia, but she was not communicative. Knowing that she was well aware of my visit to the Stefanie, I mentioned it casually, adding:
“You must have already left before my arrival.”
For an instant she raised her eyes to mine with a keen look of inquiry, but, finding me in earnest, lowered her gaze again.
At length I saw from my watch that we must move again, if we intended to be back to luncheon, therefore we rose and re-entering the car drove by the sea-road, back to the town. She seemed delighted with her ride.