‘Come in, Hans; there is room for you, of course,’ she said. She could not speak the words, ‘I am glad to see you,’ but she held out her hand, and said, ‘If you can transfer your affections from South to North with such rapidity it is very well. You know Mrs. Marchmont?’ she added coldly, though she was far from feeling so. She was inwardly furious at not being able to pass it all lightly by, as if it had been nothing. Scarcely giving Hans time even to shake hands with Fulvia, she drew her brother forward, and said: ‘Richard, you have often heard me speak of Mrs. Marchmont, whom I am lucky enough to have now as a neighbour, and she has heard of you from me many a time. I want you to know one another.’ Mr. Hamilton’s calm, rather tired-looking eyes rested openly and scrutinizingly upon the young woman. He was older than Minna, and scarcely resembled her at all in appearance. His hair was more than grizzled; it had a distinct powdering of white in it. Yet the face was almost the face of a young man. All its lines, though thin, were not mean. He wore neither beard nor moustache. It was a curious and unusual face, and few there were who at first sight considered it an attractive one. ‘Yes, I have heard of you,’ he said, not smiling at all, as he held out his hand. Fulvia put hers within it, but did not speak. This man’s face and eyes and voice troubled and somewhat repelled her. It was now the turn of Hans, who came forward with his calmly insouciant manner, offered his hand, and bowed low over hers. As he did so, the little gold bangle with its jangling disc, its ‘_Roma_, _Amor_,’ slipped down, almost over her hand. As he lifted his head their eyes met. ‘You are quite established here, then?’ he asked. ‘For the present, yes.’ ‘Ah! I shall hope, then, to see something of you.’ ‘We must see,’ said Fulvia quietly. She then turned towards Minna. ‘Dear Mrs. Hastings, I must wait no longer. I will run to the Hall by a short path. Good-evening. A rivederci.’ Without looking again at the two men, she walked quickly out, through the front-door and away. * * * * * Scarcely had she left the garden of Minna’s house, and got into the grounds which strictly belonged to her own, than she saw Signor Giuseppe coming towards her, apparently returning from his walk or wherever he had gone when he left them so suddenly. ‘You are going home?’ he asked, stopping. ‘Yes; it is late. The brother and the cousin of Mrs. Hastings have arrived,’ said she, and, rapidly though she had been walking, she also paused. It was very rarely that they exchanged words when no one else was present.