She was unconscious of the quality, for she had not hitherto been aware of ever being in any real danger.
As for Don Teodoro's warning, she put it down as the result of some mental shock which had weakened his intelligence.

Possibly Bosio's sudden and terrible death had affected him in that way.

At all events, she was enough of an Italian to know how often in Italy such extraordinary ideas of fictitious treachery find their way into the brains of timid people.

On the face of it, the whole story seemed to her utterly absurd and foolish, from the tale of Macomer's ingenious frauds upon her property, to the supposition that she was in danger of being murdered for her fortune.

Murder was always found out in the end, she thought, and of course such people as her aunt and uncle, even if they had any real reason for wishing their niece out of the way, would never really think of doing anything at once so wicked and so unwise.