of his money. This whispering confidence was very nice in its way,
seeing that Sophonisba was a pretty girl; but the whole matter seemed
to be full of suspicion.

"If they did not want to take you in in one way, they did in another,"
said the present Mrs. Robinson, when I told the story to her at
Innspruck. I beg that it may be understood that at the time of my
meeting the Greenes I was not engaged to the present Mrs. Robinson,
and was open to make any matrimonial engagement that might have been
pleasing to me.

On the next morning, after breakfast, we held a council of war. I had
been informed that Mr. Greene had made a fortune, and was justified in
presuming him to be a rich man. It seemed to me, therefore, that his
course was easy. Let him wait at Bellaggio for more money, and when
he returned home, let him buy Mrs. Greene more jewels. A poor man
always presumes that a rich man is indifferent about his money. But
in truth a rich man never is indifferent about his money, and poor
Greene looked very blank at my proposition.

"Do you mean to say that it's gone for ever?" he asked.

"I'll not leave the country without knowing more about it," said Mrs.
Greene.

"It certainly is very odd," said Sophonisba. Even Sophonisba seemed
to think that I was too off-hand.

"It will be a month before I can get money, and my bill here will be
something tremendous," said Greene.