"I'll just disturb him for a moment, Mr. Jones. I want him to tear
himself from work for a day, and come for a ride."

She opened my door, and came swiftly in. On seeing the colonel she
took in the position, and said to that gentleman:

"Have you told him?"

"I have just done so, signorina," he replied.

I had not energy enough to greet her; so she also sat down uninvited,
and took off her gloves--not lazily, like the colonel, but with an air
as though she would, if a man, take off her coat, to meet the crisis
more energetically.

At last I said, with conviction:

"He's a wonderful man! How did you find it out, colonel?"

"Had Johnny Carr to dine and made him drunk," said that worthy.

"You don't mean he trusted Johnny?"

"Odd, isn't it?" said the colonel. "With his experience, too. He might
have known Johnny was an ass. I suppose there was no one else."

"He knew," said the signorina, "anyone else in the place would betray
him; he knew Johnny wouldn't if he could help it. He underrated your
powers, colonel."