The first guest of the afternoon proved to be Louis Harman, the painter and dilettante, who had been in former days one of the _habitués_ of the house in St. James's Place. This perfectly correct yet tolerant gentleman was wintering in Venice in order to copy the Carpaccios in San Giorgio dei Schiavoni. His copies were not good, but they were all promised to artistic fair ladies, and the days which the painter spent upon them were happy and harmless. He came in gayly, delighted to see Madame d'Estrées in flourishing circumstances again, delivered apparently from the abyss into which he had found her sliding on the occasion of various chance visits of his own to Paris. Warington's doing, apparently--queer fellow! "Well!--I saw Lady Kitty in the Piazza this afternoon," he said, as he sat down beside his hostess. Donna Laura had not yet appeared. "Very thin and fragile! But, by Jove! how these English beauties hold their own." "Irish, if you please," said Madame d'Estrées, smiling. Harman bowed to her correction, admiring at the same time both the toilette and the good looks of his companion. Dropping his voice, he asked, with a gingerly and sympathetic air, whether all was now well with the Ashe ménage. He had been sorry to hear certain gossip of the year before. Madame d'Estrées laughed. Yes, she understood that Kitty had behaved like a little goose with that _poseur_ Cliffe. But that was all over--long ago. "Why, the silly child has everything she wants! William is devoted to her--and it can't be long before he succeeds." "No need to go trifling with poets," said Harman, smiling. "By-the-way, do you know that Geoffrey Cliffe is in Venice?" Madame d'Estrées opened her eyes. "Est-il possible? Oh! but Kitty has forgotten all about him." "Of course," said Harman. "I am told he has been seen with the Ricci." Madame d'Estrées raised her shoulders this time in addition to her eyes. Then her face clouded. "I believe," she said, slowly, "that woman may come here this afternoon." "Is she a friend of yours?" Harman's tone expressed his surprise. "I knew her in Paris," said Madame d'Estrées, with some hesitation, "when she was a student at the Conservatoire. She and I had some common acquaintance. And now--frankly, I daren't offend her. She has the most appalling temper!--and she sticks at nothing." Harman wondered what the exact truth of this might be, but did not inquire. And as guests--including Colonel Warington--began to arrive, and Donna Laura appeared and began to dispense tea, the _tête-à-tête_ was interrupted.