But he only glanced at her face, and for a moment he did not move. Then,
with a graceful inclination he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
She noticed even then that his own hand was dry and burning. He did not
trust himself to speak. When he looked up, the room whirled with him,
and he saw strange colours. He thought his teeth were chattering.
"Are you glad?" she asked, wondering a little at his silence now, and
the room seemed strangely still all at once.
"Is it quite of your own free will?" he asked, as though it cost him an
effort to say anything.
"Yes--quite. Of course!" Her face grew bright as though she were happy
in removing the one doubt he had.
"I am very glad of that," he said quietly.
"Do you think that I would marry any one under pressure?" asked
Veronica, with a soft laugh. "I will tell you something that will
convince you. It is a secret. You must not tell my aunt that I know. I
could have married Don Gianluca della Spina. Perhaps you know that. Did
you? I did; but I will not tell you how. Only, you see--I did not care
for him."
Bosio had recovered his self-possession, which had been only momentarily
shaken. For there had been no surprise--he had known what to expect.
"I only knew lately of the Spina's proposal," he said. "But--shall I
thank you, Veronica? Or do you understand without words? We have known
each other so long, that perhaps you may."
"I think I understand," she answered.
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