At his elbow, in friendly proximity, was placed the lady of the
house. Her attitude, as I entered, was not that of an enchantress. With
one hand she held in her lap a plate of smoking maccaroni; with the other
she had lifted high in air one of the pendulous filaments of this
succulent compound, and was in the act of slipping it gently down her
throat. On the uncovered end of the table, facing her companion, were
ranged half a dozen small statuettes, of some snuff-coloured substance
resembling terra-cotta. He, brandishing his knife with ardour, was
apparently descanting on their merits.
Evidently I darkened the door. My hostess dropped liner maccaroni--into
her mouth, and rose hastily with a harsh exclamation and a flushed face.
I immediately perceived that the Signora Serafina's secret was even
better worth knowing than I had supposed, and that the way to learn it
was to take it for granted. I summoned my best Italian, I smiled and
bowed and apologised for my intrusion; and in a moment, whether or no I
had dispelled the lady's irritation, I had at least stimulated her
prudence.
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