His eyes could not take themselves from the beautiful white
fingers, so delicately curved as they hung down, so softly shaded to
pale rose colour at their tapering tips. She stood quite still, looking
down at his bent head.
"You would not refuse my friendship, now," she said, in a low voice, so
low that when she had spoken she doubted whether he could have
understood.
He took her hand then, for he had no resistance left, and she let him
take it, and did not blush. He held it in both his own and silently drew
it to him, till he was pressing it to his heart as he had never hoped to
do.
"You are too good to me," he said, scarcely knowing that he pronounced
the words.
Nella passed the window, coming back from her errand. Instantly Marietta
drew her hand away, and when the serving-woman entered she was speaking
to Zorzi in the most natural tone in the world.
"Is the testing plate quite clean?" she asked, and she was already
beside it.
Zorzi looked at her with amazement. She had almost been seen with her
hand in his, a catastrophe which he supposed would have entailed the
most serious consequences; yet there she was, perfectly unconcerned and
not even faintly blushing, and she had at once pretended that they had
been talking about the glass.
Pages:
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229