A faint happiness stole over her face, but no recognition was
possible, and she continued to gaze out steadily upon the throng below
the balcony. Involuntarily his glance followed hers, and he saw that she
was herself the centre of the crowd's attention. Her plain, almost
Quakerish habit, and the tranquil dignity of her carriage, made her a
conspicuous figure among the animated groups in the adjoining windows,
and Odo, with the acuteness of perception which a public life develops,
was instantly aware that her name was on every lip. At the same moment
he saw a woman close to his horse's feet snatch up her child and make
the sign against the evil eye. A boy who stood staring open-mouthed at
Fulvia caught the gesture and repeated it; a barefoot friar imitated the
boy, and it seemed to Odo that the familiar sign was spreading with
malignant rapidity to the furthest limits of the crowd. The impression
was only momentary; for the cavalcade was again in motion, and without
raising his eyes he rode on, sick at heart...
***
At nightfall a man opened the gate of the ducal gardens below the
Chinese pavilion and stepped out into the deserted lane. He locked the
gate and slipped the key into his pocket; then he turned and walked
toward the centre of the town. As he reached the more populous quarters
his walk slackened to a stroll; and now and then he paused to observe a
knot of merry-makers or look through the curtains of the tents set up in
the squares.
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