Moving the glass an inch or two,
so as to bring Nanina well under his eye, Father Rocco found that
he could trace each repetition of these little acts of
familiarity by the immediate effect which they produced on the
girl's face and manner. Whenever Maddalena so much as touched the
young nobleman--no matter whether she did so by premeditation, or
really by accident--Nanina's features contracted, her pale cheeks
grew paler, she fidgeted on her chair, and her fingers nervously
twisted and untwisted the loose ends of the ribbon fastened round
her waist.
"Jealous," thought Father Rocco; "I suspected it weeks ago."
He turned away, and gave his whole attention for a few minutes to
the mixing of the plaster. When he looked back again at the
glass, he was just in time to witness a little accident which
suddenly changed the relative positions of the three persons in
the inner room.
He saw Maddalena take up a modeling tool which lay on a table
near her, and begin to help Fabio in altering the arrangement of
the hair in his bust. The young man watched what she was doing
earnestly enough for a few moments; then his attention wandered
away to Nanina. She looked at him reproachfully, and he answered
by a sign which brought a smile to her face directly. Maddalena
surprised her at the instant of the change; and, following the
direction of her eyes, easily discovered at whom the smile was
directed.
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