"
"A thin faced man, with black eyes. We met him on the steamer coming
from America."
The portiere dropped his eyes and turned toward his desk.
"Luncheon is served, signore," he remarked. "Also, here is a letter for
you, which arrived this morning."
Uncle John took the letter and walked on to rejoin the girls.
"It seems hard work to find out anything about this Valdi," he said.
"Either the folks here do not know him, or they won't acknowledge his
acquaintance. We may as well follow suit, and avoid him."
"I don't like his looks a bit," observed Beth. "He seems afraid and
defiant at the same time, and his temper is dreadful. It was only with
great difficulty he could bring himself to be polite to us."
"Oh, I always got along with him all right," said Patsy. "I'm sure
Signor Valdi isn't as bad as he appears. And he's a duke, too, girls--a
real duke!"
"So it seems," Uncle John rejoined; "yet there is something queer about
the fellow, I agree with Beth; I don't like him."
"Did Mr. Watson say when he would join us here?" enquired Louise, when
they were seated at the little round table.
"No; but here's a letter from him. I'd quite forgotten it."
He tore open the envelope and carefully read the enclosure.
"Too bad," said he. "We might have stayed a few days in Messina. Watson
says he and Kenneth have stopped at Girgenti--wherever that is--to study
the temples.
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