With gentle, paternal care he had deposited his basket on the ground beside him: and, taking off his hat, he drew a long breath.

The evening was really delightful.

A superb sky of a soft golden hue stretched over that endless sea of the Campagna which was soon to fall asleep with sovereign quiescence.

And the light breeze which went by amidst the deep silence brought with it an exquisite odour of wild herbs and flowers.
"How pleasant it is!" muttered Pierre, affected by the surrounding charm.
"And what a desert for eternal rest, forgetfulness of all the world!" Prada, who had emptied the flagon by filling Santobono's glass a second time, made no reply; he was silently amusing himself with an occurrence which at first he was the only one to observe.

However, with a merry expression of complicity, he gave the young priest a wink, and then they both watched the dramatic incidents of the affair.