"Do you mean--is Ruffo dead?" she whispered.
A voice rose up from the sea singing a sad little song. Vere turned
towards the sea. All her body relaxed. The voice passed on. The sad
little song passed under the cliff, to the Saint's Pool and the lee of
the island.
"Ah, Monsieur Emile," she said, "why don't you tell me?"
She swayed. He put his arm quickly behind her.
"No, no! It's all right. That was Ruffo!"
And she smiled.
At that moment Artois longed to tell her the truth. To do so would
surely be to do something that was beautiful. But he dared not--he had
no right.
A bell rang in the house, loudly, persistently, tearing its silence.
Gaspare turned angrily from the rail, with an expression of
apprehension on his face.
Giulia was summoning the household to dinner.
"Perhaps--perhaps Madre will come down," Vere whispered.
Gaspare passed them and went into the house quickly. They knew he had
gone to see if his Padrona was coming. Moved by a mutual instinct,
they stayed where they were till he should come to them again.
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