By way of answer her cheeks flushed with a bright, charming colour, as, in a manner peculiar to herself, she stole a sidelong glance into Mansana"s face from underneath her lowered lids. Seeing her blushes, and little knowing how easily and quickly a young girl"s colour comes and goes, Mansana"s own cheeks grew pale. This frightened her; and as he saw this, he once again misinterpreted the meaning of her fear.
The girl"s father, who had in the meanwhile been looking on in open-mouthed surprise, broke the silence by exclaiming, "Ah! of course!
now I understand it! It was Luigi, my nephew, Luigi Borghi! He is staying in the town for a couple of days, in order to be present at the city festival. Ha, ha! he"s a gay youth, is Luigi!"
Mansana waited with impatience till he was alone again, then started hurriedly in quest of Major Sardi, the friend for whose companionship he had specially selected this garrison. He would discover from him details of Luigi"s past career. These were not favourable. Mansana thereupon, without hesitation, made straight for the hotel where the young man was lodging.
Luigi had just risen; he greeted Mansana with the deference due to a superior officer, and after both were seated, Mansana began abruptly: "I am leaving this town to-morrow to make ready for my marriage, which is shortly to take place. I mention this that you may not misunderstand my motive in speaking to you as I am about to do. I have, during my short sojourn in this town, conceived a strong friendship for a certain young and guileless girl, by name Amanda Brandini."
"Amanda! Yes!"
"Amanda is your cousin?"
"She is."
"I wish to know, is this the only relationship in which you stand to her? In other words, tell me plainly, is it your intention to marry her?"
"Well, no! but----"
"I ask you this question as one gentleman of another; you are at liberty to withhold your answer at your discretion."
"I perfectly understand; but I have no hesitation in repeating that it is not my intention to make Amanda my wife. She--well--she is not rich enough for me."
"Very good! Why then, may I ask, do you visit so frequently at her house? And why do you deliberately deceive her as to your intentions and fill her mind with ideas and sentiments which are meaningless, to say the least of it, to you?"
"Am I to understand your last remark as a deliberate accusation?"
"Undoubtedly; it is a matter of public knowledge that you are a reckless libertine!"
"Signor!" exclaimed Luigi, as he rose indignantly.
The tall captain also rose to his feet.
"It is I," said the latter calmly, "I, Giuseppe Mansana, who make this a.s.sertion. I am at your service."
But the youthful Luigi Borghi was at an age when the love of life is strong, and he had no fancy for being run through the body by one of the most formidable duellists in the army; so he kept his eyes fixed upon the ground in silence.
"Either you must pledge me your word never to enter her house again, nor make any attempt to see her, or you must take the consequences. I intend that this matter shall be settled before I leave. Why do you hesitate?"
"Because, as an officer, I object to being compelled to----"
"To make a virtuous resolution? You may think yourself fortunate that I make this possible for you." Mansana paused, then added: "But perhaps I have been hasty. I ought first to have given you the chance of complying with my request, and have a.s.sured you that in that case you might henceforth regard me as a true and loyal friend."
"I deem it an honour to count such a distinguished officer among my friends, and shall in future reckon with pride on the comradeship of Captain Mansana."
"Very good! you pledge me your word?"
"Yes, I promise this."
"I am grateful; your hand upon it."
"With all my heart."
"Farewell!"
"Farewell!"
Two hours later Mansana was making his way down to the boulevard of the little town. Standing outside one of the shop windows, engaged in what Mansana judged, from the laughter which he could hear, to be a highly amusing conversation, were Luigi and Amanda. The father was inside the shop, evidently settling the account. Neither of them noticed Mansana till he was close upon them, when the sudden sight of his white, livid face so scared Amanda that she instantly sought refuge with her father.
The lieutenant, however, more horrified than she was at the unexpected apparition, stood, as it were, for an instant paralysed, then, moving involuntarily a step beyond Mansana"s reach, found courage to stammer out: "Signor, I a.s.sure you I spoke to her at her own invitation only, and we--indeed, it was not at you we were laughing!"
The sound of a sharp scream followed at that moment as Amanda, from her position of safety, suddenly saw Mansana, without a sound or even a warning movement, make a sort of spring towards the slight figure of her cousin.
It seemed to her like the leap of a leopard on its prey. Another instant and Luigi might be a dead man.
But the attention of the pa.s.sers-by and of those within the shop had been arrested by Amanda"s cry, and was now riveted upon herself, as she stood holding tightly by her father"s arm. They gazed from her to her companions in the vain hope of discovering the cause of her alarm, but beyond the fact that two officers were standing quietly talking together outside, nothing remarkable was to be seen.
What was the excitement about? Curiosity soon collected a little crowd of idlers, who came cl.u.s.tering round Amanda, plying her with questions as to the meaning of it all.
Never in her life before had she been the object of so many inquisitive looks and eager questionings, and she was thoroughly frightened, whilst her father, himself speechless from bewilderment, was powerless to answer for her. At that moment Mansana came up, and making his way through the bystanders, with an air of quiet authority, offered her his arm. Thankfully she allowed him to lead her away from the gaping crowd, and her father gladly followed them. Mansana waited till they were out of earshot, then, turning to his companions, remarked: "I feel it my duty to inform you that your kinsman, Lieutenant Borghi, is a profligate, and I intend to see that he receives the chastis.e.m.e.nt he merits."
It was startling to Amanda to be told not only that Luigi was a profligate--though her notions as to the meaning of the term were somewhat vague--but also that he was to receive castigation for some offence of which she was ignorant.
For once she allowed her eyes to open to their full extent, as, with a vain hope of gathering information, she kept them firmly fixed upon Mansana"s.
Her lips were parted as in surprise; an uncontrollable curiosity had broken through her fears. He saw this clearly, and, angry as he had lately been, he could not resist a smile at her simple innocence and at the curious charm and beauty of her expression. And so, restored suddenly to good humour, Mansana gave way to a feeling of amus.e.m.e.nt at the old man, who stood looking for all the world like a half-frightened schoolboy listening to ghost stories in the dusk.
Anxious to show that he was thoroughly alive to the realities of the situation, he expressed a grat.i.tude which culminated in an invitation to Mansana to accompany them home; and this Mansana accepted.
Amanda--still half afraid lest something dreadful was about to happen--tried to disarm him by the smiling confidence with which she clung to him.
He began to have a suspicion of her motive, and was amused, but this feeling wore away as he listened to the rippling melody of her laughing voice, as he looked at the sweet, rosy, dimpled mouth, and the clear, mystic, playful eyes peeping from their half-closed lids. He gave himself up to the charm of her whole personality, and to the joy of feeling that this innocent, fresh creature was living, breathing close to him, and in that one moment he felt as though she were dedicated to him as his own.
Their last meeting was to take place on the following morning, but as he was not leaving till the evening of that day he suggested that very probably he might contrive to meet her once more in the afternoon. And then he left her as one bewitched. Under the tranquillising influence which her presence brought, he went that very afternoon to seek Luigi, found him in his apartments, and apologised. He acknowledged that it was not Luigi"s fault that he should by chance have met his cousin in the street, nor that she should have spoken to him; and as regarded his having laughed----
"But we were not laughing at you," declared the terrified Amorin.
"And even if you were, you would have been almost justified. I can see now how ludicrous I made myself in my excitement."
He held out his hand to Luigi, who grasped it eagerly, and, after a few incoherent words, Mansana took his leave in the same spirit of confident self-satisfaction in which he had come. The little lieutenant, who throughout this interview had felt as though he were in the presence of his executioner, was now seized with a bewildering sense of joy at his departure. He jumped about the room, and broke into a loud peal of laughter. Mansana, who was still upon the staircase, heard the laughter, and stopped to listen. Luigi shuddered at the thought of his own carelessness, and the next moment heard some one knocking at the door. He was too much alarmed to say "Come in," but Mansana walked in without waiting for this.
"Was it you I heard laughing?" he asked.
"Upon my honour, no," answered Amorin, with a gesture of denial.
Mansana glanced briefly round the room and departed.
But no sooner was he gone than Luigi"s sense of elation and relief once more returned. He could not control it, and as he did not dare to shout or jump, and felt he must share his joy with somebody, he went off to the military _cafe_, where his little story created a welcome diversion amongst his brother officers. To the accompaniment of their wine, they rained their witticisms over the unfortunate captain, who on the eve of his marriage with a princess could create a scandal by falling in love with the daughter of a little pensioner. Of all this Major Sardi, Mansana"s friend, was a witness.
Mansana"s last meeting on the hill took place next morning. It began long before the usual time, and only ended when they reached Amanda"s door. According to his promise, he came again in the afternoon to bid farewell.