The girl's face lighted. She understood that.

"Good-night," she answered, in the Roman tongue.

Assunta muttered to herself as she lighted her way with her
candle down the long hall.

"Molto intelligente, la Signorina! Only here three days, and
already understands all."

"You don't need speech here," said Daphne, pulling aside the
curtains of her tapestried bed a little later. "The Italians can
infer all you mean from a single smile."

Down the road a peasant was merrily beating his donkey to the
measure of the tune on his lips. Listening, and turning over
many questions in her mind, Daphne fell asleep. A flood of
sunshine awakened her in the morning, and she realized that
Assunta was drawing the window curtains.

"Assunta," asked the girl, sitting up in bed and rubbing her
eyes, "are there many Americans here?"

"Si," answered Assunta, "very many."

"And many English?"

"Too many," said Assunta.

"Young ones?" asked the girl.