She crouched upon the floor, because there was no table; she took two fresh eggs out of the folds of the big red and yellow cotton handkerchief that covered her shoulders and was crossed over her bosom, and she broke them into the glass, and hid the empty shells carefully in the folds again, so that they should not be found in the room.

For she had stolen these for Marcello, as usual, as well as the old wine.

She poured a little of the latter into the glass and stirred the eggs quickly and softly, making hardly any noise.

From the recess in the wall she got a little sugar, which was wrapped up in a bit of newspaper brown with age and smoke, and she sweetened the eggs and wine and stirred again; and at last she came and fed Marcello with the battered spoon.

She had put off her coarse slippers and walked about in her thick brown woollen stockings, lest she should be heard below.