They passed downstairs before her mother, and at the door Winterbourne
perceived Mrs. Miller's carriage drawn up, with the ornamental
courier whose acquaintance he had made at Vevey seated within.
"Goodbye, Eugenio!" cried Daisy; "I'm going to take a walk."
The distance from the Via Gregoriana to the beautiful
garden at the other end of the Pincian Hill is, in fact,
rapidly traversed. As the day was splendid, however, and the
concourse of vehicles, walkers, and loungers numerous,
the young Americans found their progress much delayed.
This fact was highly agreeable to Winterbourne, in spite of his
consciousness of his singular situation. The slow-moving, idly
gazing Roman crowd bestowed much attention upon the extremely
pretty young foreign lady who was passing through it upon his arm;
and he wondered what on earth had been in Daisy's mind when she
proposed to expose herself, unattended, to its appreciation.
His own mission, to her sense, apparently, was to consign
her to the hands of Mr. Giovanelli; but Winterbourne, at once
annoyed and gratified, resolved that he would do no such thing.
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