And yet at the end of a quarter of an hour of such meditation he
found that he was constructing an interview which was anything but
dull, at least in his own anticipatory opinion.
Meanwhile the first ten days of October passed in comparative
quiet. The news of Garibaldi's arrest produced temporary lull in
the excitement felt in Rome, although the real struggle was yet to
come. People observed to each other that strange faces were to be
seen in the streets, but as no one could enter without a proper
passport, very little anxiety gained the public mind.
Gouache saw Faustina very often during the month that followed his
accident. Such good fortune would have been impossible under any
other circumstances, but, as has been explained, there were
numerous little social confabulations on foot, for people were
drawn together by a vague sense of common danger, and the frequent
meetings of the handsome Zouave with the youngest of the
Montevarchi passed unnoticed in the general stir. The old princess
indeed often saw the two together, but partly owing to her English
breeding, and partly because Gouache was not in the least eligible
or possible as a husband for her daughter, she attached no
importance to the acquaintance. The news that Garibaldi was again
at large caused great excitement, and every day brought fresh news
of small engagements along the frontier.
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