and she was as faithful in friendship as she was inconstant in love.  Her large handwriting, so elegant in its composition, had covered pages and pages before she said:  “I have a rendezvous at eleven o’clock with Maitland.  Ardea will be here at ten to talk of his marriage.  I have accounts from Finoli to examine.  I hope that Gorka will not come, too, this morning."....  Persons in whom the feeling of love is very complete, but very physical, are thus.  They give themselves and take themselves back altogether.  The Countess experienced no more pity than fear in thinking of her betrayed lover.  She had determined to say to him, “I no longer love you,” frankly, openly, and to offer him his choice between a final rupture or a firm friendship.

The only annoyance depended upon the word of explanation, which she desired to see postponed until afternoon, when she would be free, an annoyance which, however, did not prevent her from examining with her usual accuracy the additions and multiplications of her intendant, who stood near her with a face such as Bonifagio gave to his Pharisees.  He managed the seven hundred hectares of Piove, near Padua, Madame Steno’s favorite estate.  She had increased the revenue from it tenfold, by the draining of a sterile and often malignant lagoon, which, situated a metre below the water-level, had proved of surprising fertility; and she calculated the probable operations for weeks in advance with the detailed and precise knowledge of rural cultivation which is the characteristic of the Italian aristocracy and the permanent cause of its vitality.

“Then you estimate the gain from the silkworms at about fifty kilos of cocoons to an ounce?”

“Yes, Excellency,” replied the intendant.

“One hundred ounces of yellow; one hundred times fifty makes five thousand,” resumed the Countess.  “At four francs fifty?”

“Perhaps five, Excellency,” said the intendant.

“Let us say twenty-two thousand five hundred,” said the Countess, “and as much for the Japanese....  That will bring us in our outlay for building.”

“Yes, Excellency.  And about the wine?”

“I am of the opinion, after what you have told me of the vineyard, that you should sell as quickly as possible to Kauffmann’s agent all that remains of the last crop, but not at less than six francs.  You know it is necessary that our casks be emptied and cleaned after the month of August....  If we were to fail this time, for the first year that we manufacture our wine with the new machine, it would be too bad.”

“Yes, Excellency.  And the horses?”

“I think that is an opportunity we should not let escape.  My advice is that you take the express to Florence to-day at two o’clock.  You will reach Verona to-morrow morning.  You will conclude the bargain.  The horses will be sent to Piove the same evening....