If any one had paid much attention to Del Fence's doings, it would have been said that he was paying court to the rich young widow.

But he was never looked upon by society from the point of view of matrimonial possibility, and no one thought of attaching any importance to his doings.

Nevertheless Ugo, who had been gradually rising in the social scale for many years, saw no reason why he should not win the hand of Donna Tullia as well as any one else, if only Giovanni Saracinesca could be kept out of the way; and he devoted himself with becoming assiduity to the service of the widow, while doing his utmost to promote Giovanni's attachment for the Astrardente, which he had been the first to discover.

Donna Tullia would probably have laughed to scorn the idea that Del Ferice could think of himself seriously as a suitor, but of all her admirers she found him the most constant and the most convenient.
"What are the news this morning ?" she asked, as he opened her carriage-door for her before the studio.
"None, save that I am your faithful slave as ever," he answered.
"I have just seen the Astrardente," said Donna Tullia, still sitting in her seat.

"I will let you guess where it was that we met." "You met in the church of the Capuchins," replied Del Ferice promptly, with a smile of satisfaction.
"You are a sorcerer: how did you know?
Did you guess it ?" "If you will look down this street from where I stand, you will perceive that I could distinctly see any carriage which turned out of the Piazza Barberini towards the Capuchins," replied Ugo.