Giovanni looked at his wife in some
surprise; for he had never heard her make so long a speech before,
and had not suspected her of the ability she displayed. He was
proud of her in that moment and moved nearer to her, as though
ready to support every word she had uttered. The prefect alone
stood unmoved by her eloquence. He was accustomed in his
profession to hear far more passionate appeals to his
sensibilities, and he was moreover a man who, being obliged
generally to act quickly, had acquired the habit of acting upon
the first impulse of his intelligence. For a moment his heavy lids
were raised a little, either in astonishment or in admiration, but
no other feature of his face betrayed that he was touched.
"Signora Principessa," he said in his usual tone, "those are
arguments which may be used with propriety by the persons who will
defend the accused before the tribunals--"
Giovanni laughed in his face.
"Do you suppose, seriously, that Donna Faustina will ever be
brought to trial?" he asked scornfully. The prefect kept his
temper wonderfully well.
"It is my business to suppose so," he answered. "I am not the law,
nor his Eminence either, and it is not for me to weigh the defence
or to listen to appeals for mercy.
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