“How do you do, Signor Bruno?” said Hilda, speaking rather loudly and very distinctly. “You are back from London sooner than you expected, are you not?”
“Ah! my dear young lady,” he replied, courteously removing his hat and standing bareheaded.
“Ah! now indeed the sun shines upon me. Yes, I am back from London--a most terrible place--terrible--terrible--terrible! As I walked along just now I said to myself: 'The sun is warm, the skies are blue; yonder is the laughing sea, and yet, Bruno, you sigh for Italy.' This is Italy, Miss Hilda--Italy with a northern fairy walking in it!”
Hilda smiled her quick, surprising smile, and hastened to speak before the old gentleman recovered his breath.
“Allow me to introduce to you Sidney's friend, Mr. Vellacott, Signor Bruno!”
Sidney's friend, Mr. Vellacott, was by this time behind her. He had alighted, and was employed in arranging the back seat of the dog-cart. When Signor Bruno looked towards him, he found Christian's eyes fixed upon his face with a quiet persistence which might have been embarrassing to a younger man. He raised his hat and murmured something unintelligible in reply to the Italian's extensive salutation.
“Sidney Carew's friends are, I trust, mine also!” said Signor Bruno, as he replaced his picturesque hat.
Christian smiled spasmodically and continued arranging the seat. He then came round to the front of the cart and made a sign to Hilda that she should move into the right-hand seat and drive. Signor Bruno saw the sign, and said urbanely:
“You will, if you please, resume your seat. I will place myself behind!”
“Oh, no! You must allow me to sit behind!” said Christian.
“But why, my dear sir? That would not be correct. You are Mr. Carew's guest, and I--I am only a poor old Italian runaway, who is accustomed to back seats; all my life I have occupied back seats, I think, Mr. Vell'cott. There is no reason why I should aspire to better things now!”
The old fellow's voice was strangely balanced between pathos and a peculiar self-abnegating humour.
“If we were both to take our hats off again, I think it would be easy to see why you should sit in front!” said Christian with a laugh, which although quite genial, somehow closed the discussion.