She had passed the back of a wooden summer-house in a secluded
part of the gardens, when she suddenly missed the dog from her
side; and, looking round after him, saw that he was standing
behind the summer-house with his ears erect and his nose to the
ground, having evidently that instant scented something that
excited his suspicion.
Thinking it possible that he might be meditating an attack on
some unfortunate cat, she turned to see what he was watching. The
carpenters engaged on the firework stage were just then hammering
at it violently. The noise prevented her from hearing that
Scarammuccia was growling, but she could feel that he was the
moment she laid her hand on his back. Her curiosity was excited,
and she stooped down close to him to look through a crack in the
boards before which he stood into the summer-house.
She was startled at seeing a lady and gentleman sitting inside.
The place she was looking through was not high enough up to
enable her to see their faces, but she recognized, or thought she
recognized, the pattern of the lady's dress as one which she had
noticed in former days in the Demoiselle Grifoni's show-room.
Rising quickly, her eye detected a hole in the boards about the
level of her own height, caused by a knot having been forced out
of the wood. She looked through it to ascertain, without being
discovered, if the wearer of the familiar dress was the person
she had taken her to be; and saw, not Brigida only, as she had
expected, but Father Rocco as well.
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