I drew a chair to Judith's side.
"You are giving me a captivating evening," she said, with a smile.
"Whom are you captivating ?" I asked, idly jesting.

"Pasquale ?" "You are cruel," whispered Judith, with a flicker of her eyelids.
I flushed, ashamed, not having weighed the significance of my words.
All I could say was: "I beg your pardon," whereat Judith laughed mirthlessly.

I relapsed into silence.

Turn followed turn on the stage.
While the curtain was lowered Carlotta sank back with a little sigh of enjoyment, and nodded brightly at me.
"Do you remember," she said, turning to me, at a fresh fall of the curtain, "when you brought me first?
I said I should like to live here.
Wasn't I silly ?" She turned again, then suddenly rose to her feet and staggered back to the back of the box, pointing outward, with an expression of wild terror on her face.
"Hamdi--he's down there--he saw me." I sprang to her assistance and put my arm around her.
"Nonsense, dear," said I.
But Pasquale, looking around the house, cried: "By Jove! she's right.

I would recognise the old villain a thousand years hence in Tartarus.