"She goes out for a minute nearly every evening, Gaspare. She likes
the air and to look at the sea."

"Si, Signora; in a minute I shall go to bed. Buon riposo."

And he went out.

When he had gone Hermione remained at first where she was. But Gaspare
had effectually changed her mood, had driven away what she chose to
call her egoism, had concentrated all her thoughts on Vere. He had
never before spoken like this about the child. It was a sudden waking
up on his part to the fact that Vere was growing up to womanhood.

When he chose, Gaspare could always, or nearly always, make his
Padrona catch his mood, there was something so definite about him that
he made an impression. And, though he was easily inclined to be
suspicious of those whom he did not know well, Hermione knew him to be
both intelligent and shrewd, especially about those for whom he had
affection. She wondered now whether it were possible that Gaspare saw,
understood, or even divined intuitively, more clearly than she did--
she, a mother!

It was surely very unlikely.

She remembered that Gaspare had a jealous nature, like most of his
countrymen.

Nevertheless he had suddenly made the islet seem different to her. She
had thought of it as remote, as pleasantly far away from Naples,
isolated in the quiet sea. But it was very easy to reach from Naples,