Clever as she was with her needle, she could not
imagine that any one would employ her without a
character, her very beauty and the fine dresses of
which she had been so proud would be against her.
She thought with longing of the safe, monotonous
days at her aunt's, from which she had been so glad
to escape, and even of her sister's home, which, in the
old times, had excited nothing but horror. It was
hard to be thus cast out from all human fellowship.
She did not blame her relations ; she knew that in
their place she would have felt and acted as they did ;
but still it was hard. Always, when her thoughts
reached this point in their dreary circle, the tears
sprang to her eyes and the memory of the monk's
pale face arose as if to comfort her.
Two days passed thus. The money was quite
spent now, so she sent the servant to pawn her chain.
On her return the girl said she had found a new
place, and wished to go to it on the following morning,
if her mistress would permit Giulia told her she
might leave at once, if she liked, but she felt that the
last tie that bound her to her fellow creatures was
broken, the last drop of human sympathy exhausted.
That night her sleep was feverish and broken, and
she hardly knew whether it was in dream or waking
that she suddenly recollected where it was that she
had seen the monk. She had met him twice, about
sunset, walking in the Villa with an elderly clergyman.
