"It will make life so much easier." Again there was a long silence, and Beatrice sat motionless in her chair, debating whether she should wait where she was until San Miniato came, as he was sure to do before long, or whether she should go to her room and write a letter to some intimate friend, which would of course never be sent, or, lastly, whether she should not take Teresina and go down to her bath in the sea before the midday breakfast.

While she was still hesitating, San Miniato arrived.
There was something peculiarly irritating to her in his appearance on that morning.

He was arrayed in perfectly new clothes of light gray, which fitted him admirably.

He wore shoes of untanned leather which seemed to be perfectly new also, and reflected the light as though they were waxed.

His stiff collar was like porcelain, the single pearl he wore in his white scarf was so perfect that it might have been false.
His light hair and moustache were very smoothly brushed and combed and his face was exasperatingly sleek.