Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Part one - VII
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face and neck as he walked behind her between the vegetable
beds. Heggen and Miss Palm had made peace.
“The same old round,” said Helge; “take your partners.”
Jenny nodded, with the shadow of a smile.
The atmosphere at the coffee-table was somewhat strained.
Miss Palm alone was in good spirits. Francesca tried to make
conversation while they were sipping their liqueurs, and, as
soon as she decently could, proposed that they should go for a
walk.
The three couples made for the Campagna, the distance
between them increasing, until they lost sight of one another
altogether among the hills. Jenny walked with Gram.
“Where are we going really?” she said.
“We might go to the Egeria grotto, for instance.”
The grotto lay in quite an opposite direction to the one
chosen by the others. They started to walk across the scorched
slopes to the Bosco Sacro, where the ancient cork trees stretched
their dark foliage to the burning sun.
“I ought to have put on my hat,” said Jenny, passing a hand
over her hair. The ground of the sacred grove was covered
with bits of paper and other litter; on the stump of a tree near
the edge two ladies were seated, doing crochet work, and some
little English boys played hide-and-seek behind the massive
trunks. Jenny and Gram turned out of the grove and walked
down the slope towards the ruin.
“Is it worth while going down?” said Jenny, and without
waiting for an answer, sat down on the slope.
“No; let us stay here,” and Helge lay down at her feet on
the short, dry grass, took off his hat, and, steadying himself on
his elbow, looked up at her in silence.
“How old is she?” he asked suddenly. “I mean Cesca.”
“Twenty-six.” She sat looking at the view in front of her.
“I am not sorry,” he said quietly. “You have noticed it, I
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