Her face brightened. "Your being there will make me glad to go back to New York," she said happily. And Hayden had to resist a wild impulse to shout, to catch her in his arms. He went away with hope in his heart.
But Mrs. Vandervelde, watching her closely, thought she was too open in her regret. N-no, Anne wasn't in love with Hayden--yet. She picked up her studies, to which he had given impetus, with too hearty a zest. And when he wrote her amusing, witty, delightful letters, she was too willing to have Marcia read them.
They remained in Italy six months or so more; and then one day Anne returned from a picnic, and said to Marcia abruptly:
"Would you mind if I asked you to leave Florence,--if I should want to go home?"
Marcia said quietly: "No. If you wish to go, we will go. Are you tired of Italy?"
Anne Champneys looked at her with wide eyes. For a moment she hesitated, then ran to Marcia, and clung to her with her head against her friend's shoulder.
"You're so good to me--and I care so much for you,--I'll tell you the truth," she said in a whisper. "I--I heard something to-day, Marcia,--_he's_ coming to Rome--soon. And of course he'll come here, too."
"Peter Champneys," said Peter's wife, and literally shook in her shoes. Her clasp tightened. Marcia put her arms around her, and felt, to her surprise, that Anne was frightened.
"Yes. I heard it accidentally, but I am sure. You know how pretty the Arno is at the spot where we picnicked. We strolled about, and I--didn't want to talk to anybody, so I slipped away by myself. There were a couple of English artists painting near by, and just as I came up I overheard what they were saying. Marcia,--they were talking about--_him_. They said he'd been called to Rome to paint somebody's picture,--the pope's, maybe,--and they'd probably see him here, later. They seemed to be--friends of his, from the way they spoke." She shivered. "Italy isn't big enough to hold us two!" she said, desperately. "Marcia, I can't--run the risk of meeting Peter Champneys. Not until I have to. I--I've got to get away!" Her voice broke.
"All right, dear. We'll go," said Marcia, soothingly. "Jason's about finished his work in Brazil, and he'll be back in New York by this. Do you want to go directly home?"