And after a while she became aware that other
people's eyes were upon her with a new expression, that was not idle
conjecture nor unmeaning curiosity. The old ladies against the wall
whispered together and glanced openly in her direction, as their gray
heads bobbed above their fans.
At the end of the evening, as she was descending the staircase with her
aunt and uncle, she was joined by Zoya Olisco, who whispered excitedly,
"Tell me, _cara mia_--what happened this afternoon?"
Nina started. "What have you heard?" She tried to look unconcerned, but
her face was troubled, and she drew Zoya out of her aunt's hearing.
"It is rumored that you lost your temper--oh, but entirely! and walked
yourself out of the Palazzo Scorpa without so much as saying good-by or
waiting for your chaperon."
Nina hesitated, then said in an undertone, "Yes, I am afraid it is true.
Was it a dreadful thing to do?"
The contessa laughed softly. "I told you that you were a girl after my
own heart. In your place I should have walked myself out of that house
as quickly as I had entered, but all the same--that would not be my
advice. However, this is not the serious part of the story." Even Zoya's
buoyancy became restrained as she concluded: "All Rome is asking what
you have done with the duke. He followed you out of the room and has not
been seen since.
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