Part 16 (2/2)

For he, too, was taken off his guard. Marcantonio was delighted. It was such a wonderful piece of luck, he said, that Monsieur Batis...o...b.. should have called at that hour.

”But come with me, if madame permits,” said he, ”and I will show you your room. You can send for your things in the afternoon.”

Leonora was only too glad to be left alone for a moment, and the two men went away, Marcantonio rubbing his hands at the success of his arrangements for a pleasant week. With Batis...o...b.. in the house the time could not fail to pa.s.s pleasantly, he thought.

There are some men who seem to be pursued by an evil destiny that continually forces them to do the wrong thing out of pure goodness of heart. From an innocent desire to make his household pleasant for his sister, and to amuse the wife of his heart, he had asked the man of all others whom the one desired to avoid, and the other ought to have been kept from, simply because he wanted somebody and the man happened to be on the spot. And the whole thing had originated in a laudable desire to see pleasant relations established between his wife and his sister, the two persons in the whole world whom he most loved. Poor Marcantonio! He was under an unlucky star.

Presently Batis...o...b.. returned alone to the drawing-room, his host remaining to give some orders about the luncheon. He looked curiously at Leonora as he sat down opposite to her.

”This is very charming,” he said, smiling. ”It is so kind of you.”

”I had nothing to do with it,” said Leonora, avoiding his glance. ”But of course I am very glad. I was dreadfully afraid of being left alone with my sister-in-law, and of course you will help me to make it pleasant for her. Really, it is just like my husband,--he is so good.”

”It would have been very miserable to have our good time cut short,”

said Julius reflectively, ”and I suppose they would have thought it odd if I went on calling every day at the same hour.” Leonora blushed very slightly.

”Yes,” she said, ”I suppose so. People have such ideas about the appearances. You know I should not mind in the least if it were only my husband; you might stay from morning till night, and we should all enjoy it. But I am so afraid of Madame de Charleroi,--she is so tremendously correct, you know.”

From which piece of conversation it will be seen that Julius and Leonora had grown intimate of late, and regarded things from a practical point of view.

All this time Madame de Charleroi was in ignorance of the amiable arrangement concluded by her brother, and was looking forward with almost as much dislike as he had done to the family trio in which she was to play a part during the week.

She understood Leonora to a certain extent. She had at least a very strong presentiment that there would be trouble between her brother and his wife; not an open disagreement nor anything dramatic, but the sort of small worry and discord that begins slowly and surely, and finally embitters the whole lives of people who are not suited to each other.

She had agreed to come down to Sorrento in order to ”make friends” with Leonora, as her brother had expressed it, and in her wisdom and knowledge of the world she knew very well what a difficult task she had undertaken, and how small was her chance of success. She foresaw that she must be continually left alone with Leonora, for she understood her brother well enough to suppose he would adopt that method of fostering the friends.h.i.+p he desired. Poor dear Marcantonio had so very little tact! Consequently Diana wished very much that some other person had been asked to stay at the same time. Meanwhile she lay down for an hour upon a sofa in her sitting-room, and thought the matter over.

Marcantonio, however, bethought him that in spite of Diana's expressed willingness to meet Batis...o...b.., it might surprise her to find herself suddenly living under the same roof with him. He therefore determined to inform her of the fact before they all met at the midday breakfast. He supposed she was busy with her toilet, and so he would not go himself; he would send his wife. That was a good idea--it would be at once a chance of throwing the two together. To this end he returned to the drawing-room, where Leonora and Batis...o...b.. were still talking, and with an apology to the latter, he drew his wife aside for a moment.

”I think, my angel,” he whispered, ”that it would be better to tell Diana that monsieur is here for a week. She is dressing at this moment.

Would you be so amiable as to go to her and say in the course of the conversation that I have invited Monsieur Batis...o...b..? It would be very good of you, my dear.”

Leonora was not in the humour to refuse her husband anything. Everything was bright and happy to her, now that she saw a means of defence provided for her against the stately Diana, whom she feared. She had recovered from her astonishment at the sudden invitation to Julius, and she saw in it a kind intention on her husband's part, for which she was grateful.

”Of course, mon ami,” she answered, ”I will do everything you like.

Only amuse Monsieur Batis...o...b.. for a moment, and I will run to Diana, and tell her what you wish.”

”A thousand thanks!” exclaimed Marcantonio, and he turned to the task of amusing Mr. Batis...o...b.., more delighted than ever.

Leonora knocked rather timidly at the door of Diana's sitting-room.

”It is I,” she said, through the door; ”may I come in?”

”Oh, I am so glad to see you!” exclaimed Diana, rising swiftly from her couch, with a bright smile. She took Leonora's hand and led her to a chair, and arranged the curtains a little, so as to make more light, and then sat down by her side.

”You must be dreadfully tired,” said Leonora, ”and I ought not to disturb you. I just wanted to see if you had everything you wanted.”

”But everything--everything, I a.s.sure you,” answered Diana. ”I am so very comfortable, and the view over the sea is exquisite, really de toute beaute.”

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