introduced to Miss Nevil, made her a deep courtesy, but she did
not utter a single word. It was easy to see that she was very much
frightened at finding herself, perhaps for the first time in her life,
in the company of strangers belonging to the great world. Yet there was
nothing provincial in her manners. The novelty of her position excused
her awkwardness. Miss Nevil took a liking to her at once, and, as there
was no room disengaged in the hotel, the whole of which was occupied by
the colonel and his attendants, she offered, either out of condescension
or curiosity, to have a bed prepared in her own room for Mademoiselle
della Rebbia.

Colomba stammered a few words of thanks, and hastened after Miss Nevil's
maid, to make such changes in her toilet as were rendered necessary by a
journey on horseback in the dust and heat.

When she re-entered the sitting-room, she paused in front of the
colonel's guns, which the hunters had left in a corner.

"What fine weapons," said she. "Are they yours, brother?"

"No, they are the colonel's English guns--and they are as good as they
are handsome."

"How much I wish you had one like them!" said Colomba.

"One of those three certainly does belong to della Rebbia," exclaimed
the colonel. "He really shoots almost too well! To-day he fired fourteen
shots, and brought down fourteen head of game."

A friendly dispute at once ensued, in which Orso was vanquished, to