gossiped as only friends of their age can gossip, had relived their
adventures of the past three years, and still were loath to part, even
for sleep.

"How so?" queried Savigno. "You speak of marriage as if it were
dissolution."

"It might as well be, so far as the other fellow is concerned."

"Nonsense! I shall not change."

"Oh, yes, you will! Besides, I am returning to America."

"Even so, we are rich; we shall travel; we shall meet frequently. You
will come to Sicily. Perhaps the Contessa and I may even go to
America. Friendship such as ours laughs at the leagues."

But Blake was pessimistic. "Perhaps she won't like me."

Martel laughed at this.

"Impossible! She is a woman, she has eyes, she will see you as I see
you. More than that, I have told her that she must love you."

"Then that does settle it! You have hung the crepe on our future
intimacy, for good and all. She will instruct your cook to put a
spider in my dumpling or to do away with me by some characteristic
Sicilian method."

Martel seemed puzzled by the Americanism of this speech, but Norvin