As for Mrs. Willoughby, in spite of her self-reproach about her purely imaginary neglect of Minnie, she felt such an extraordinary relief that it affected all her nature.  The others might feel fatigue from the journey.  Not she.  She was willing to continue the journey for an indefinite period, so long as she had the sweet consciousness that she was bearing Minnie farther and farther away from the grasp of “that horrid man.”  The consequence was, that she was lively, lovely, brilliant, cheerful, and altogether delightful.  She was as tender to Minnie as a mother could be.  She was lavish in her promises of what she would do for her.  She chatted gayly with Ethel about a thousand things, and was delighted to find that Ethel reciprocated.  She rallied Lady Dalrymple on her silence, and congratulated her over and over, in spite of Minnie’s frowns, on the success of her generalship.  And so at last the weary Campagna was traversed, and the two carriages began to ascend among the mountains.

Several other travelers were passing over that Campagna road, and in the same direction.  They were not near enough for their faces to be discerned, but the ladies could look back and see the signs of their presence.  First there was a carriage with two men, and about two miles behind another carriage with two other men; while behind these, again, there rode a solitary horseman, who was gradually gaining on the other travelers.

Now, if it had been possible for Mrs. Willoughby to look back and discern the faces of the travelers who were moving along the road behind her, what a sudden overturn there would have been in her feelings, and what a blight would have fallen upon her spirits!  But Mrs. Willoughby remained in the most blissful ignorance of the persons of these travelers, and so was able to maintain the sunshine of her soul.

At length there came over that sunny soul the first cloud.

The solitary horseman, who had been riding behind, had overtaken the different carriages.

The first carriage contained Lord Hawbury and Scone Dacres.  As the horseman passed, he recognized them with a careless nod and smile.

Scone Dacres grasped Lord Hawbury’s arm.

“Did you see him?” he cried.  “The Italian!  I thought so!  What do you say now?  Wasn’t I right?”

“By Jove!” cried Lord Hawbury.

Whereupon Dacres relapsed into silence, sitting upright, glaring after the horseman, cherishing in his gloomy soul the darkest and most vengeful thoughts.

The horseman rode on further, and overtook the next carriage.  In this there were two men, one in the uniform of the Papal Zouaves, the other in rusty black.  He turned toward these, and greeted them with the same nod and smile.

“Do you see that man, parson?” said the Baron to his companion.  “Do you recognize him?”

“No.”

“Well, you saw him at Minnie’s house.  He came in.”

“No, he didn’t.”