That
evening, just as he was sitting down to dinner, his
servant came in to announce:
"His Eminence would like to speak to you."
The Governor, with a hasty glance into the
looking glass, to make sure that his uniform was
in order, put on his most dignified air, and
went into the reception room, where Montanelli
was sitting, beating his hand gently on the arm
of the chair and looking out of the window with
an anxious line between his brows.
"I heard that you called to-day," he said, cutting
short the Governor's polite speeches with
a slightly imperious manner which he never
adopted in speaking to the country folk. "It was
probably on the business about which I have been
wishing to speak to you."
"It was about Rivarez, Your Eminence."
"So I supposed. I have been thinking the matter
over these last few days. But before we go
into that, I should like to hear whether you have
anything new to tell me."
The Governor pulled his moustaches with an
embarrassed air.
"The fact is, I came to know whether Your
Eminence had anything to tell me.
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