Chapter XVII
Jack in the Crimson Salon
It was just while Gino and Anne were planning for an early autumn marriage and drawing together in a community of domestic detail which was very dear to both of them, that Jack Swift returned. It was snowing when he arrived, and he found the city almost paralyzed by the occurrence, though it was not cold, and the woolly flakes fell quietly, finishing a brief and sloppy existence upon the pavement.
The American, seeking various modes of transport, and failing to find either tram-car or carriage that could face the storm, made his way eventually on his feet through the labyrinthine streets that led to Anne. It was early in the afternoon, and he found her alone in the large and beautiful rooms which had so unexpectedly become to her the one place in the world which meant home.
She was unfeignedly surprised and pleased to see him.
“But what brings you to Rome?” she asked.
“You,” answered Jack bluntly, “though not in177
