She was strangely inclined to laugh at the whole situation, which seemed to her absurd in the extreme--for it never crossed her mind to believe that there was a word of truth in the accusation against Giovanni.

Nevertheless she was puzzled to account for Donna Tullia's assurance, and especially for her readiness to face the man she so calumniated.

A quarter of an hour elapsed in this armed silence--the two women glancing at each other from time to time, until the distant sound of wheels rolling under the great gate announced that the messenger had returned from the Palazzo Saracinesca, probably conveying Don Giovanni and his father.
"Then you have made up your mind to the humiliation of the man you love ?" asked Donna Tullia, looking up from her book with a sneer on her face.
Corona vouchsafed no answer, but her eyes turned towards the door in expectation.

Presently there were steps heard without.

The servant entered, and announced Prince Saracinesca and Don Giovanni.