"I," said Mrs. Sedley, "when I reach Milan, shall not trust to Mr. Pericles, but shall write to the Conservatorio; for if she is going to be a great cantatrice, really, it will be agreeable to renew acquaintance with her. Nor will it do any mischief to Wilfrid, now that he is engaged. Are you very deeply attached to straw hats? They are sweet in a landscape." Mrs. Sedley threw him a challenge from her blue eyes; but his reply to it was that of an unskilled youth, who reads a lady by the letters of her speech:--"One minute. I will be with you instantly. I want to have a look down on the lake. I suppose this is one of the most splendid views in Italy. Half a minute!" Captain Gambier smiled brilliantly; and the lady, perceiving that polished shield, checked the shot of indignation on her astonished features, and laid it by. But the astonishment lingered there, like the lines of a slackened bow. She beheld her ideal of an English gentleman place himself before these recumbent foreign people, and turn to talk across them, with a pertinacious pursuit of the face under the bent straw hat. Nor was it singular to her that one of them at last should rise and protest against the continuation of the impertinence. Carlo Ammiani, in fact, had opened matters with a scrupulously-courteous bow. "Monsieur is perhaps unaware that he obscures the outlook?" "Totally, monsieur," said Captain Gambier, and stood fast. "Will monsieur do me the favour to take three steps either to the right or to the left?" "Pardon, monsieur, but the request is put almost in the form of an order." "Simply if it should prove inefficacious in the form of a request." "What, may I ask, monsieur, is your immediate object?" "To entreat you to behave with civility." "I am at a loss, monsieur, to perceive any offence." "Permit me to say, it is lamentable you do not know when you insult a lady." "I have insulted a lady?" Captain Gambier looked profoundly incredulous. "Oh! then you will not take exception to my assuming the privilege to apologize to her in person?" Ammiani arrested him as he was about to pass. "Stay, monsieur; you determine to be impudent, I perceive; you shall not be obtrusive." Vittoria had tremblingly taken old Agostino's hand, and had risen to her feet. Still keeping her face hidden, she walked down the slope, followed at an interval by her servant, and curiously watched by the English officer, who said to himself, "Well, I suppose I was mistaken," and consequently discovered that he was in a hobble. A short duologue in their best stilted French ensued between him and Ammiani. It was pitched too high in a foreign tongue for Captain Gambier to descend from it, as he would fain have done, to ask the lady's name. They exchanged cards and formal salutes, and parted.