The old man looks at her, astonished, and says to the herder: "Benedetto is not here." Her gladness had already vanished; she felt icy cold; the two men looked at her curiously, in silence.
"Is this the lady who is looking for Benedetto ?" said the old man.
Jeanne did not reply; the herder answered for her, and then he told how Benedetto had spent the night out of doors; that he had found him at daybreak, in the grove of the Sacro Speco, wet to the skin.

He had offered him some milk and Benedetto had drunk like a dying man to whom life is returning.
"Listen, Giovacchino," the herder added, growing suddenly grave.

"When he had drunk he embraced me like this.

I was feeling ill; I had not slept, my head ached, all my bones ached.

Well, as he held me in his arms slight shivers seemed to come from them and creep over me, and then I felt a sort of comforting heat; and I was content, and as comfortable all over as if I had had two mouthfuls of the very best spirits in my stomach! The headache was gone, the pains in the bones were gone, everything was gone.