"
"One of these days! To-day, dear. Why not? He is naturally anxious for
your answer--"
"Is he? It seems so strange! We have seen each other every day, for so
long--and I never supposed--"
She broke off, not, apparently, from any shyness about going into the
subject, but because she was very much interested in the fastening of
the second pin she had tried.
"I suppose it is much better not to wear any jewelry at all," she said,
with exasperating indifference.
"Until you are married!" answered Matilde, who was not to be kept from
the matter in hand. "You see, everything turns upon that," she
continued, with a low laugh. "The sooner it is decided, the sooner you
may wear your jewels. No," she went on rapidly. "Of course you never
suspected that Bosio loved you, and he would have been very wrong to let
you know it, until your uncle and I had given our permission. But he was
diffident even about mentioning the matter to us. You cannot have known
him so long without having discovered that he has great delicacy of
feeling. He did not like to suggest the marriage. You will see when you
talk with him after this. I have very much doubt whether he will have
the boldness to speak very directly--"
"How absurd!" exclaimed Veronica. "As though we did not know each other
intimately!"
"Yes, but that is the man's nature, and I like it in him. You can easily
manage to let him understand at the first word what you have decided.
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