Signor Fortini had rather mitigated than exaggerated the truth in speaking to the Marchese Ludovico of his uncle’s state of mind.  During all these days his condition was truly deplorable.  He had never, in all this time, left the Palazzo, and had scarcely left his own chamber.  He absolutely refused to see anybody save Signor Fortini.  He could not sleep by night, or remain at rest in the same place for half-an-hour together during the day.

Of course he could attend to none of the numerous duties—­mostly labours of benevolence—­that usually occupied his time.  His servants thought that he was losing his reason; yet, in the midst of all the terrible distress that was weighing him down, the usual kindness and considerate benevolence of his nature and habitual conduct had shone out.  The only one thing that he had given any attention to was the gratification of the wishes, and the promotion of the welfare, of an old servant.

Niccolo, the old groom who was mentioned, as the reader may, perhaps, remember, on the occasion of a certain conversation which Lawyer Fortini had with him, as having been all his life in the service of the Marchese, and of his father before him, was getting, as he had himself remarked to the lawyer, almost too old for his work.  He had always hitherto absolutely refused, with the masterful obstinacy of an old favourite, all proposals of retirement; but, on the next morning but one after the fatal Ash Wednesday, while the Marchese had been in such a state of painful agitation that he could hardly bear to be addressed by his own servant, he had, to the great surprise of all the household, sent for old Niccolo, who had remained with him more than an hour.

On coming out from the interview the old groom said that he had himself asked for the audience his master had given him; but it did not seem at all clear to the other servants when or how he could have done so.  He said that he had spoken to his master on the subject long before; and how kind and good it was of the Marchese to think of his old servant’s affairs in all his trouble.  His master had arranged for him, he said, what he had long wished for, though it seemed to all the household that old Niccolo had always rejected any proposal of the sort.  He was to have a pension, and go to live with a niece of his who was married in Rome.

It was odd that none of his fellow-servants had ever heard anything of any such niece.  But old Niccolo was not a man of a communicative turn; and perhaps nothing had ever chanced to lead him to speak of her.  Now he was to join her at once; he was to start for Faenza that very afternoon, so as to catch there the diligence from Bologna to Rome.

But why such a sudden start?  Why should he go off and leave them all, at a few hours’ notice.

Well, the fact was, that the day after the morrow was his niece’s birthday.  And he thought he should like to give her the joyful surprise of seeing her old uncle and learning the new arrangements on that day.  And his dear thoughtful master, who was always so kind to everybody, had entered into his scheme, and so arranged it.