His eyes could not take themselves from the beautiful white fingers, so delicately curved as they hung down, so softly shaded to pale rose colour at their tapering tips.

She stood quite still, looking down at his bent head.
"You would not refuse my friendship, now," she said, in a low voice, so low that when she had spoken she doubted whether he could have understood.
He took her hand then, for he had no resistance left, and she let him take it, and did not blush.

He held it in both his own and silently drew it to him, till he was pressing it to his heart as he had never hoped to do.
"You are too good to me," he said, scarcely knowing that he pronounced the words.
Nella passed the window, coming back from her errand.

Instantly Marietta drew her hand away, and when the serving-woman entered she was speaking to Zorzi in the most natural tone in the world.
"Is the testing plate quite clean ?" she asked, and she was already beside it.
Zorzi looked at her with amazement.

She had almost been seen with her hand in his, a catastrophe which he supposed would have entailed the most serious consequences; yet there she was, perfectly unconcerned and not even faintly blushing, and she had at once pretended that they had been talking about the glass.
"Yes--I believe it is clean," he answered, almost hesitating.