“I trust it may; I build much on the fact that there was no struggle.  She was put to death by some means which scarcely allowed her time to wake from the sleep,” returned the lawyer.  “You are going, then, now, Signor Barone, to see this Paolina?”

“Yes; if I find her still up, which I suppose I shall, for it is not late,” said Manutoli, looking at his watch.

“Better be a little cautious in speaking to her, you know; best to avoid alarming her,” said Fortini.

“The express object of my visit to her is to prevent her from being alarmed,” rejoined the Baron.

“Yes; but—­what I mean is that—­it would be desirable, you see, to lead her to speak.  What we want now is to know exactly what she did and where she went after seeing the Marchesino and La Bianca in the bagarino together.  Also to ascertain whether she was seen by anybody to do whatever she did or to go wherever it was she went.  And, I think, that you might very probably learn this from her more effectually than I should.  She would be more likely to be on her guard with me, you see.”

“I’ll try what I can do; my real belief is that she is the guilty person,” said Manutoli.

“To-morrow I will see what I can do at St. Apollinare.  She cannot have been in the church without seeing and speaking to somebody.  There are a Capucin and a lay-brother always there, I take it; we shall see what they can tell us.  But I can’t go out there till after the medical examination.  I have arranged with my old friend Tomosarchi to be present at it,” said the lawyer.

“I shall be most anxious to hear the result,” said the Baron.

“If you will be here about ten o’clock—­my breakfast hour—­I shall be able to tell you.”

“Thanks.  A rivederci dunque—­”

“Stay; one more word before you go, Signor Barone.  As we are both engaged in this inquiry, and both interested on the same side, I may as well tell you, perhaps, that there is one other person to whom my attention has been drawn as being open to suspicion in this matter—­ the Conte Leandro Lombardoni.”

“The Conte Leandro!  You don’t say so!  Impossible!”

“Just listen one moment, Signor Barone.  It is certain that the Conte Leandro passed out of the city by the Porta Nuova at a very early hour this morning—­at an earlier hour than either the girl Paolina or the Marchesino and La Bianca.”

“The Conte Leandro—­out of the Porta Nuova—­at such an hour in the morning.  For what possible purpose?”

“Ay, that is the question.  For what possible purpose?  But the fact is certain.  Though endeavouring to conceal himself by means of his cloak, he was perfectly well recognized by the men at the gate.  For what possible purpose?  No doubt you know, Signor Barone, much better than I, who am not much in the way of hearing of such things—­unless in cases where I make it my business to hear of them, you understand, Signor Barone,—­you, no doubt, know that the Signor Conte has been besieging, as I may say, this poor Lalli woman with his attentions and verses ever since she came here; also, that the lady would have nothing to say to him or to his verses—­that she has, in short, snubbed him and mortified his vanity in the sight of all the town during the whole of the past Carnival.”