Early in the evening Nina was standing with Giovanni a little apart.  Giovanni was unusually quiet, and both had fallen into reverie, from which Nina was aroused by the sudden announcement of a jarring name.  Like the ceaseless beating of the waves upon a beach, she had heard the long rolling titles, “Sua Excellenza la principessa di Malio,” “Il Conte e la Contessa Casabella,” “Donna Francesca Dobini,” “Sua Excellenza il Duca e la Duchessa Astarte,” and then—­“Messa Smeet!”

Nina felt a swift pity for the beautiful woman who was forced to suffer the ignominy of being thus announced.  She had herself been daily conscious of that same flatness when, after the long announcement of her aunt’s and uncle’s names, came the blankness of “Messa Randolf.”

And in that moment, divining the impression made upon her mind, Giovanni seized his opportunity.  His eyes looked ardently into hers, his smile was transporting as, with all the warmth of which his voice was capable, he said, “Donna Nina Sansevero, Marchesa di Valdo!”

Nina’s heart fluttered strangely, her will was swayed by the moment’s thrill, as she heard him continuing:  “It can surely not surprise you to hear in spoken words what has long been in my heart to——­” But his sentence was broken off abruptly, for a sudden thinning of the crush revealed the Contessa Potensi close beside them.  Heedless of Nina, the contessa demanded that Giovanni take her into the supper room for a cup of tea, and Nina was left with Carpazzi, who had at that moment also joined them.  He took no notice of her absent-mindedness and kept the conversation going briskly without much help from her, until gradually she became able to focus her attention upon him.

He talked of many things and finally of Cecelia Potenzi.  That he should have spoken the name of the girl he loved was quite foreign to his, or in fact to any, Italian nature.  But by now Nina had become thoroughly interested in what he was telling her and her sympathetic eyes had a way of urging confidences, and besides, as Carpazzi knew, she was very fond of Cecelia.  He spoke quite frankly therefore of his hopes and plans.  He was desperately interested in Derby’s mining project because he owned a piece of property within a few miles of Vencata and if the Sansevero sulphur mines turned out well probably all the land in the neighborhood would also be leased by Derby’s company, and it might be that he and Cecelia could be married.

Nina had already observed the young girl in question and she and Carpazzi made their way toward her.  Gradually other young people joined them until a merry group was formed at that side of the room.

The music at that moment was by a young violinist, a protege of the Princess Sansevero’s (a brother, by the way, of the peasant Marcella, whose marriage to Pedro the princess had arranged).  The boy had real talent, and the princess had denied herself not a few things in order to help him complete his education.