And--thank you both again!"
The marchese and Derby hurried out, Derby carrying the picture. Nina
followed them out of the door and stood looking after them until they
had disappeared down the vista of rooms. Then she exclaimed: "Really,
John is wonderful, isn't he? Wasn't it just like him not to say a word
all the time! So many people talk, and do nothing!" Then Nina noticed
that the princess was holding her hands over her face. She hurried to
her anxiously. "Aunt Eleanor, what is it?"
The princess put her hands down. "I am just thankful--that is all. It
threatened to be so dreadful, I can scarcely realize the relief yet.
What a chain of circumstances! It is almost impossible to believe that
even Scorpa would plan them! But it is true I never trusted him. When
there is a race feud over here it seems never to die out." She paused a
few moments, and then continued as though half to herself, "Although, in
this case, I think it was chiefly on account of Giovanni. If you had
married him, and the duke had lived, I believe he would have spent the
rest of his life in scheming to injure you and everybody connected with
us."
At the suggestion of the marriage which might have taken place, all the
experiences of that varied day came rushing back to Nina--Giovanni's
proposal, the revelation of his falseness, and the conversation with
Zoya which had given her the true key to him who had until then been
something of a mystery.
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