"Nay," said Valentine; "if Mrs. Thorne has any secrets, I shall
not reveal them. I must tell mamma they are in Florence. We
must call and see them."

"I was fond of Mrs. Thorne once," said the countess, plaintively,
"but really there is nothing in her."

"There must be something both estimable and lovable," replied
Valentine quickly, "or Mr. Thorne would never have married her."

Prince di Borgesi smiled approval of the young lady's reply.

"You admire my picture, Miss Charteris?" he asked.

"The more so because it is the work of an old friend," said
Valentine; and again the prince admired the grace of her words.

"Any other woman in her place," he thought, "would have blushed
and coquetted. How charming she is!"

From that moment Prince di Borgezi resolved to win Valentine if
he could.

Lady Charteris was half pleased, half sorry, to hear that Ronald
was in Florence. No one deplored his rash, foolish marriage more
than she did. She thought Lord Earle stern and cruel; she pitied
the young man she had once liked so well, yet for all that she
did not feel inclined to renew the acquaintance. When Valentine
asked her to drive next morning to the little villa on the banks
of the Arno, she at first half declined.