She had scarcely done this when, as she expected, a door at the end of the room was opened. But it was not a stranger that entered; to her unspeakable amazement, it was Giovanni Severi. In a flash she understood that by some trick she had been brought to his brother's dwelling. She was alone with him and the door was locked on the outside.
She laid one hand on the back of the nearest chair, to steady herself, wondering whether she were not really lying ill in her bed and dreaming in the delirium of a fever. But it was no dream; he was standing before her, looking into her face, and his own was stern and dark as an Arab's. When he spoke at last, his voice was low and determined.
Her tongue was loosed, with a cry of indignation.
His eyes terrified her, and she backed away from him towards the locked door. She almost shrieked for fear.
'If you have a spark of human feeling, let me out!'
'I am human,' he answered grimly, but he did not move to follow her.
'By whatever you hold sacred, let me go!' She was wrenching at the lock in despair with both hands, but sideways, while she kept her eyes on his.
'Sacred!' Her anger began to outbrave her terror now. 'Sacred, and you have trapped me by a vile trick!'
He had not moved again and there was a window near her. She sprang to it and thrust the curtains aside, hoping to open the frame before he could stop her. But though she moved the fastenings easily, she could do no more, with all her strength, and Giovanni still stood motionless, watching her.
'You cannot open that window,' he said quietly. 'If you scream, no one will hear you. Do you think I would have brought you to a place where you could get help merely by crying out for it? The risk was too great. I have made sure of being alone with you as long as I choose.'
The nun drew herself up against the red curtains.
'I did not know that you were a coward,' she said.
'I am what you have made me, brave, cowardly, desperate--anything you choose to call it! But such as I am, you must hear me to the end this time, for you have no choice.'
Sister Giovanna understood that there was no escape and she stood quite still; but he saw that her lips moved a little.
'God is not here,' he said, in a hard voice, for he knew that she was praying.