"Poor boy!" she said, "it seems as if Providence had made me select thee
yesterday from the crowd, and thus conducted thee to thy proper refuge.
For to whom should come the friendless and the orphans of Rome, but to
the palace of Rome's first Magistrate?" Turning then to her attendants,
she gave them instructions as to the personal comforts of her new
charge, which evinced that if power had ministered to her vanity, it had
not steeled her heart. Angelo Villani lived to repay her well!

She retained the boy in her presence, and conversing with him
familiarly, she was more and more pleased with his bold spirit and frank
manner. Their conversation was however interrupted, as the day advanced,
by the arrival of several ladies of the Roman nobility. And then it was
that Nina's virtues receded into shade, and her faults appeared. She
could not resist the woman's triumph over those arrogant signoras who
now cringed in homage where they had once slighted with disdain. She
affected the manner of, she demanded the respect due to, a queen. And by
many of those dexterous arts which the sex know so well, she contrived
to render her very courtesy a humiliation to her haughty guests. Her
commanding beauty and her graceful intellect saved her, indeed, from the
vulgar insolence of the upstart; but yet more keenly stung the pride, by
forbidding to those she mortified the retaliation of contempt. Hers
were the covert taunt--the smiling affront--the sarcasm in the mask of
compliment--the careless exaction of respect in trifles, which could not
outwardly be resented, but which could not inly be forgiven.

"Fair day to the Signora Colonna," said she to the proud wife of the
proud Stephen; "we passed your palace yesterday. How fair it now seems,
relieved from those gloomy battlements which it must often have saddened
you to gaze upon. Signora, (turning to one of the Orsini), your lord
has high favour with the Tribune, who destines him to great command.