As for the ladies, their excitement was great.  The doors were thin, and they had heard every word of the conversation.  With Mrs. Willoughby there was but one opinion as to the Baron’s motive:  she thought he had come to get a peep at Minnie, and also to frighten them back to Rome by silly stories.  His signal failure afforded her great triumph.  Minnie, as usual, sympathized with him, but said nothing.  As for Ethel, the sudden arrival of Lord Hawbury was overwhelming, and brought a return of all her former excitement.  The sound of his voice again vibrated through her, and at first there began to arise no end of wild hopes, which, however, were as quickly dispelled.  The question arose, What brought him there?  There seemed to her but one answer, and that was his infatuation for Minnie.  Yet to her, as well as to Lady Dalrymple, it seemed very singular that he should be so warm a friend to Minnie’s tormentor.  It was a puzzling thing.  Perhaps he did not know that the Baron was Minnie’s lover.  Perhaps he thought that his friend would give her up, and he could win her.  Amidst these thoughts there came a wild hope that perhaps he did not love Minnie so very much, after all.  But this hope soon was dispelled as she recalled the events of the past, and reflected on his cool and easy indifference to every thing connected with her.

Such emotions as these actuated the ladies; and when the guests had gone they joined their aunt once more, and deliberated.  Minnie took no part in the debate, but sat apart, looking like an injured being.  There was among them all the same opinion, and that was that it was all a clumsy device of the Baron’s to frighten them back to Rome.  Such being their opinion, they did not occupy much time in debating about their course on the morrow.  The idea of going back did not enter their heads.

This event gave a much more agreeable feeling to Mrs. Willoughby and Lady Dalrymple than they had known since they had been aware that the Baron had followed them.  They felt that they had grappled with the difficulty.  They had met the enemy and defeated him.  Besides, the presence of Hawbury was of itself a guarantee of peace.  There could be no further danger of any unpleasant scenes while Hawbury was with him.  Girasole’s presence, also, was felt to be an additional guarantee of safety.

It was felt by all to be a remarkable circumstance that so many men should have followed them on what they had intended as quite a secret journey.  These gentlemen who followed them were the very ones, and the only ones, from whom they wished to conceal it.  Yet it had all been revealed to them, and lo! here they all were.  Some debate arose as to whether it would not be better to go back to Rome now, and defy the Baron, and leave by another route.  But this debate was soon given up, and they looked forward to the journey as one which might afford new and peculiar enjoyment.