Chieco came in, whistling, and beating one hand against the other in his own peculiar fashion, Selva slipped out through the door.

Jeanne ran after him into the dark corridor.

She seized one of his hands and pressed a wild kiss upon it.
* * * * * A few hours later, towards ten o'clock, Jeanne was reading the Figaro to Carlino, who was--buried in an easy-chair, his legs enveloped in a rug, a large cup of milk, which he was holding with both hands, resting upon his knee.

Jeanne read so badly, was so heedless of commas and of full-stops, that her brother was continually interrupting her, and was growing impatient.

She had been reading about five minutes when her maid entered and announced that Signorina Noemi was there.