They and their cage had appeared since Minna had come in last night, and from this and other circumstances she concluded that this must be the Signorina Fulvia, the daughter of Signora Dietrich, who had returned with her. The girl raised her eyes as she met Minna, and looked at her attentively, gravely, but not at all rudely. Each inclined her head, said _buon giorno_, and passed on her way. ‘What a beautiful girl!’ said Minna to herself, ‘and what a strange expression she has! Is it sulky or sad? What is it? It does not look ill-tempered to me; in fact, I should say she had a soul.... But she is very beautiful!’ She walked on to her studio, thinking of her work; but every now and then, in the midst of her new-born ardour and eagerness, the face and figure of the girl swam before her mind’s eye, and disappeared again in a way that caused her to pause once or twice and wonder what it meant. She passed a busy, eager, happy day. No one called; no one disturbed her. She lunched at her studio, snatching the minutes from her now absorbing work in which to take the meal. By-and-bye it grew too dark for her to work any more. She covered up the figure with tender care, and, after taking off her blouse and apron and cleansing her hands, returned to her little sitting-room, and, throwing herself down on the couch, clasped her hands behind her head, and was lost in a happy, glowing dream of present and future works of art. Then it was time, if she meant to return to Casa Dietrich for dinner, that she should do so. Still in a dream, she put on her things and walked back to the house. As she mounted the stairs, once again the beautiful face of the girl, with its inexplicable trouble or anger or rebellion, and the sombreness of its eyes, presented itself before her mind’s eye. Once again she felt that she was in the real, practical, everyday world, and that in the world there was trouble. Ettore came round rather more punctually than usual with his thump on the door and his ‘_Pronto!_’ and Minna took her way to the dining-room. Some people were already seated at the table, but there was a group near the door, standing round a rather small slight woman who was talking with animation and in an accent that was Roman of the Romans--in the accent that Minna loved to hear. And yet she did not altogether like this voice.