“Why will you persist in talking about the matter?” she asked at length.  “It is between us two.”

“It seems to me that it concerns me,” returned Saracinesca, who was naturally pertinacious.  “I am not inquisitive.  I ask no questions.  Giovanni has said very little about it to me.  But I am not blind.  He came to me one evening and said he was going to take you away to the mountains.  He seemed very much disturbed, and I saw that there had been trouble between you, and that he suspected you of something.  He did not say so, but I knew what he meant.  If it had turned out true I think I would have—­well, I would not have answered for my conduct.  Of course I took his part, but you fell ill, and did not know that.  When he came and told me that he had been mistaken I abused him like a thief.  I have abused him ever since whenever I have had a chance.  It was a vile, dastardly, foolish, ridiculous—­”

“For heaven’s sake!” cried Corona, interrupting him.  “Pray, pray leave the question in peace!  I am so unhappy!”

“So am I,” answered Saracinesca bluntly.  “It does not add to my happiness to know that my son has made an ass of himself.  Worse than that.  You do not seem to realise that I am very fond of you.  If I had not been such an old man I should have fallen in love with you as well as Giovanni.  Do you remember when I rode over to Astrardente, and asked you to marry him?  I would have given all I am—­all I was worth, I mean, to be in Giovanni’s shoes when I brought back your answer.  Bah!  I am an old fellow and no Apollo either!  But you have been a good daughter to me, Corona, and I will not let any one behave badly to you.”

“And you have been good to me—­so good!  But you must not be angry with Giovanni.  He was misled.  He loved me even then.”

“I wish I were as charitable as you.”

“Do not call me charitable.  I am anything but that.  If I were I would—­” She stopped short.

“Yes, I know, you would love him as you did before.  Then you would not be Corona, but some one else.  I know that sort of argument.  But you cannot be two persons at one time.  The other woman, whom you have got in your mind, and who would love Giovanni, is a weak-minded kind of creature who bears anything and everything, who will accept any sort of excuse for an insult, and will take credit to herself for being long-suffering because she has not the spirit to be justly angry.  Thank heaven you are not like that.  If you were, Giovanni would not have had you for a wife nor I for a daughter.”

“I think it is my fault.  I would do anything in the world to make it otherwise.”

“You admit the fact then?  Of course.  It is a misfortune, and not your fault.  It is one more misfortune among so many.  You may forgive him, if you please.  I will not.  By the bye, I wonder why he does not come back.  I would like to hear the news.”

“The cardinal may have kept him to breakfast.”