She only said in reply: "I am disposed to think, that such is the case in the matter which more nearly concerns us both, Signor Ludovico, than anything else.
But--although we knew just now that we had to dance together, it was you who had to ask me, you know, and not I you.

Very little active power of influencing her own destiny is allowed to a girl; come, we had better attend now to the business in hand!" There was nothing more, except such ordinary words between each other or the others dancing in the same set, as the dance itself led to, spoken by the Contessa and Ludovico.

The former declined all other invitations to dance, and went home at the earliest moment she could induce her aunt to do so.
There was much talk going on in all parts of the room as to the announced coming of the great singer on the morrow.

The young men settled together the last details of their plans for the triumphal entry of the "Diva;" and the ladies were by no means uninterested in hearing all that their cavaliers had to tell them on this subject.

Much was said, too, about the qualities of La Lalli both as a singer and as a woman.