“But why does it follow that anybody is to blame, at all?  Why may she not have put herself to death?” said one of the previous speakers.

“A suicide! that is a new idea.  But it does not seem a very promising one.  Why should she kill herself?  She was in the full tide of success, and had just received an offer of marriage, if what we hear is true, from the richest man in Ravenna.  Is it likely that she should choose just that moment to make away with herself?” replied another.

“In any case the doctors will know what to tell us about that.  They can always tell whether anybody has killed themselves or been murdered by somebody else.”

“By the way, Signor Barone, have you heard whether the medical report has been made yet?  But I suppose the police would not let us know what the doctor’s opinion was, if it had been made.  Who knows who has been employed to examine the body?”

“I know!” answered the Baron Manutoli, “the Professore Tomosarchi.  And whatever can be found out by examining the body, he will find out, depend upon it.  I was asking about it just now.  The examination will take place to-morrow morning.”

“But who ever heard of such a thing as going off to the Pineta at that time in the morning, and after being up all night at a ball too?” said Lombardoni, spitefully.  “Why, it looks as if a man must have had some scheme, some out-of-the-way motive of some kind to do such a thing.”

“Not at all,” returned Manutoli angrily,” I don’t see that at all.  A charmingly imagined frolic, I should say, a capital wind-up for a last night of carnival.  I should have liked it myself.”

“And then,” said one of the others, “one can’t refuse such a girl as La Bianca.  And it’s two to one that she asked Ludovico to take her, for a lark.”

“But I happen to know,” said Leandro, quickly, that it was he who proposed it to her.  He persuaded her to go.”

“And how in the world do you know that, pray?” asked Manutoli, turning sharply upon him.

“I—­I heard it said.  I was told so.  I am sure I don’t know who it was said so.  Nobody has been talking about anything else.  Some fellow or other said that Ludovico had proposed the trip to her.”

“The fact is, in short, that you know just nothing at all about it.  You happen to know, forsooth!  It seems to me, Signor Conte, that you are strangely ready to fancy you know anything that might seem to go against Ludovico,” rejoined Manutoli.

“And what would be the result if it should turn out that he was guilty—­if be were condemned?” asked one of the younger men, looking afraid of his words, as he spoke them.

“God knows,—­the galleys, I suppose.  But one must not imagine such a thing.  It is too frightful,” said Manutoli.

“Horrible!  Shocking!  Impossible!” cried a chorus of voices.

“Good God!  Result!  The disgrace and destruction of the noblest family in the province.  The ending of a fine old name in infamy.  Gracious heaven, it is too horrible to think of,” exclaimed Manutoli, with much emotion.