The duchess's maid, ivory-faced Aennchen, was flying past him.

She saw a very taking dark countenance making eyes at her, leaned her ear shyly, and pretending to understand all that was said by the rapid foreign tongue, acted from the suggestion of the sole thing which she did understand.

Beppo had mentioned the name of the Signora Piaveni.

'This way,' she indicated with her finger, supposing that of course he wanted to see the signora very urgently.
Beppo tried hard to get her to carry the fan; but she lifted her fingers in a perfect Susannah horror of it, though still bidding him to follow.
Naturally she did not go fast through the dark passages, where the game of the fan was once more played out, and with accompaniments.

The accompaniments she objected to no further than a fish is agitated in escaping from the hook; but 'Nein, nein!' in her own language, and 'No, no!' in his, burst from her lips whenever he attempted to transfer the fan to her keeping.