Miss Nevil took a liking to her at once, and, as there was no room disengaged in the hotel, the whole of which was occupied by the colonel and his attendants, she offered, either out of condescension or curiosity, to have a bed prepared in her own room for Mademoiselle della Rebbia.
Colomba stammered a few words of thanks, and hastened after Miss Nevil's maid, to make such changes in her toilet as were rendered necessary by a journey on horseback in the dust and heat.
When she re-entered the sitting-room, she paused in front of the colonel's guns, which the hunters had left in a corner.
"What fine weapons," said she.

"Are they yours, brother ?" "No, they are the colonel's English guns--and they are as good as they are handsome." "How much I wish you had one like them!" said Colomba.
"One of those three certainly does belong to della Rebbia," exclaimed the colonel.

"He really shoots almost too well! To-day he fired fourteen shots, and brought down fourteen head of game." A friendly dispute at once ensued, in which Orso was vanquished, to his sister's great satisfaction, as it was easy to perceive from the childish expression of delight which illumined her face, so serious a moment before.
"Choose, my dear fellow," said the colonel; but Orso refused.
"Very well, then.

Your sister shall choose for you." Colomba did not wait for a second invitation.

She took up the plainest of the guns, but it was a first-rate Manton of large calibre.
"This one," she said, "must carry a ball a long distance." Her brother was growing quite confused in his expressions of gratitude, when dinner appeared, very opportunely, to help him out of his embarrassment.
Miss Lydia was delighted to notice that Colomba, who had shown considerable reluctance to sit down with them, and had yielded only at a glance from her brother, crossed herself, like a good Catholic, before she began to eat.
"Good!" said she to herself, "that is primitive!" and she anticipated acquiring many interesting facts by observing this youthful representative of ancient Corsican manners.