"Tell me about him," said Corona softly. "He is a friend of mine--"
"Indeed he is! You do not know how he worships you. I think that
next to me in the world--but then, of course, he could not love
you--besides, you are married."
Corona could not help smiling, and yet there was a sting in the
words, of which Faustina could not dream. Why could not Giovanni
have taken this child's straight-forward, simple view, which
declared such a thing impossible--because Corona was married. What
a wealth of innocent belief in goodness was contained in that
idea! The princess began to discover a strange fascination in
finding out what Faustina felt for this man, whom she, Corona, had
been suspected of loving. What could it be like to love such a
man? He was good-looking, clever, brave, even interesting,
perhaps; but to love him--Corona suddenly felt that interest in
the analysis of his character which is roused in us when we are
all at once brought into the confidence of some one who can tell
by experience what we should have felt with regard to a third
person, who has come very near to our lives, if he or she had
really become a part of our existence. Faustina's present pain and
sense of danger momentarily disappeared as she was drawn into
talking of what absorbed her whole nature, and Corona saw that by
leading the conversation in that direction she might hope to
occupy the girl's thoughts.
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