Here she turned to Lineta. "What fine thread is that head spinning now? What dost thou say of such Roman evenings?" Lineta smiled dreamily; and the widow of "Rurik's last descendant" began to speak, with an expression of indescribable sweetness, to Pan Stanislav,-- "You do not know that Victor Hugo blessed her when she was yet a little girl." "Then did you ladies know Victor Hugo?" asked Marynia. "We? no! I would not know him for anything in the world; but once, when we were going through Passy, he stood on a balcony, and I know not whether through something prophetic, or through inspiration, the moment he set eyes on Lineta, he raised his hand and blessed her." "Aunt!" said Panna Castelli. "When it is true, my child; and what is true, is true! I called at once to her, 'See, see! he is raising his hand!' and Pan Tsardyn, the consul, who was sitting on the front seat, saw also that he raised his hand, and gave a blessing. I tell this freely, for perhaps the Lord God forgave him his sins, of which he had many, because of this blessing. He was of such perverse mind; and still, when he saw Lineta, he blessed her." There was in the tale this much truth,--those ladies, while going through Passy, really saw Victor Hugo on a balcony. As to the blessing which they said he gave Lineta, malicious tongues in Warsaw declared that he raised his hand because he was yawning at the moment. Meanwhile Pani Aneta continued,-- "We'll make for ourselves here a little Italy; and should the attempt fail, next winter we'll escape to the great one. It has entered my head already to open a house in Rome. Meantime Yozio has bought a number of nice copies of statues and paintings. That was so worthy on his part, for he doesn't care much about them; he did this only for me. There are very good things among them; for Yozio had the wit not to trust himself, and begged the aid of Pan Svirski. It is a pity that they are not here; it is a pity, too, that Pan Bukatski died, as it were, through perversity, for he would have been useful. At times he was very nice; he had a certain subtlety, snake-like, and that in conversation, gives life. But" (here she turned to Marynia) "do you know that you have conquered Pan Svirski utterly? After you had left Rome, he talked of no one else, and he has begun a Madonna with your features. You'll become a Fornarina! Evidently you have luck with artists; and when my Florentine evenings begin, Lineta and I must be careful,--if not, we shall go to the corner." But Pani Bronich, casting hostile glances at Marynia, said,-- "If it is a question of faces which make an impression on artists, I'll tell the company what happened once in Nice." "Aunt!" interrupted Panna Castelli. "But if it is true, my child; and what's true, is true! A year ago--no! two years ago--Oh, how time flies!--" But Pani Aneta, who had heard more than once, surely, what had happened at Nice, began to inquire of Marynia,--