It might be as the porter said; and if she could have been sure that it was so the old lady would have been perfectly easy.

But it was not at all like Paolina to have planned such an escapade without telling her old friend anything about it.

She felt sure that when Paolina said she was going to St.Apollinare to look after the preparations for her copying there, she had no other or further intention in her thoughts.

To be sure there was the possibility that Ludovico might have known her purpose of going thither, and might have planned to accompany her on her expedition, without having apprized her of any such scheme.

And it might not be unlikely that in such a case they had been tempted to spend a few hours in the Pineta.