"You are like a sister to her!" Maddalena glanced at him through her veil.

She had small and classic features, rather hard and proud, and her eyes were of a dark violet colour, which is very unusual, especially in Italy.

But she came from the north.

Corbario could not see her expression, and she knew it.
"You are good to her, too," she said presently, being anxious to be just.

"You are very thoughtful and kind." Corbario thought it wiser to say nothing, and merely bent his head a little in acknowledgment of what he instinctively felt to be an admission on the part of a secret adversary.