II + 

Two days later Teresa sent for her grandson, and he went the same afternoon, but he would not allow Maddalena to go with him, suspecting why he had been sent for. + 

Even Teresa must exclaim when she saw him standing in his shabby old clothes. “You are not yet a pauper,” she began sharply, then she shrugged her shoulders. “But why do I talk? You will do as you please, Gian-Luca.” + 

He drew up a chair, then he noticed her stick: “What is that?” he inquired, surprised. + 

“It is nothing,” lied Teresa. “I have sprained my left knee.” And she threw the stick on to the sofa. Then she said: “I have sent for you to come here, Gian-Luca, because Millo asked me to do so; as for me, I do not want to see you at all, you are idle and I have no patience with the idle. But that is beside the point, I suppose, since Millo wishes to know of your plans for the future.” + 

Gian-Luca said calmly: “I have not got any plans, so far I have not made any.” And his mouth looked willful, as when long ago a small boy had confronted Teresa. + 

“Then do you propose to let Maddalena starve?” inquired old Teresa, quite as calmly. + 

He smiled: “She will never do that, I think, Nonna⁠—she has Aunt Ottavia’s money to fall back on, and besides, there are all my savings.” + 

“I see,” said Teresa, “and what of yourself? You propose to live on your wife?” + 

He shook his head: “No, I am spending very little, as little as I can of my savings.” + 

“So I observe from your clothes,” she said dryly; “you are obviously spending nothing.” + 

Then he suddenly wanted to stop this useless fencing, and he tried to explain his situation; but try as he would he explained it very badly, because put into words it sounded foolish. + 

As Teresa listened she tightened her lips, and her black brows met in a line: “It is not I who will tell all this nonsense to Millo, you had better write yourself, and not later than tonight.” + 

He nodded: “Va bene, I will write to him, Nonna⁠—” he told her, “and now you would like me to go⁠—” + 

“It is true that I have nothing more to say,” she answered grimly, “and all that I have said has been wasted.” + 

She tried to get up but her weak knee gave way because of that discarded stick; and going to Teresa Gian-Luca raised her gently, but as soon as she could stand she leant on the table, unwilling to let him support her. + 

Yet he thought: “She is gallant indeed this old woman, see how she tries to stand alone!” For nothing she did could make him resent her, and this had been so all his life. + 

But before he went he must pause in the doorway, and take a last look at Teresa, and she looked back at him with deep scorn in her eyes, and Gian-Luca saw that scorn. Then all of a sudden the light of her scorn had kindled a lamp in his mind; and his mind grew clear and calm and illumined, for his vision stretched far beyond old Teresa, and he knew the thing that he must do. + 

“Remember, you have always got Maddalena, that is if you need her,” he said gravely. + 

After he had gone she stared at the wall as she had done many years ago, and now as then, she was thinking of his hair, and his curious, alien eyes. + 

Gian-Luca walked down the street to Nerone’s, and there he saw Mario and Rosa. Nerone he saw, and Berta’s twin daughters who were paying a visit to their Nonna. Albert had gone to Paris, it seemed, and Berta had wanted to go with him: “Look after the kids, there’s a dear!” she had said⁠—so Rosa looked after the kids. + 

The twins were as alike as twins ought to be, it amused Gian-Luca to see them, for not contented with looking like each other, they were also the dead spit of Albert. They had greasy, blond hair, which however was bobbed, and they spoke with a strong Cockney accent. Of Italian they knew nothing, for Albert despised it, and Berta had not bothered to teach them. They most unexpectedly hated each other, and this always shocked the poor Rosa, for as Rosa would say: “What can God do more? He makes them as one, yet they wish to be as two⁠—they hit and they kick, and if one of them says ‘yes,’ then the other will say ‘no.’ It cannot be right, I am sure our dear Lord is offended.” + 

But on this particular afternoon the twins were comparatively peaceful. They eyed Gian-Luca with china-blue eyes, then one of them said: “Please give me sixpence,” but the other said: “Give me a shilling.” + 

“Now, now,” protested Rosa, “you run up di sopra⁠—up the stairs you go quickly!” she translated. + 

“I will give you some sweeties if you do,” bribed Nerone, an inveterate old spoiler of children. + 

The twins disappeared, and presently Mario must hobble away to the Capo; then Rosa unburdened her heart to Gian-Luca, while Nerone listened and grunted. + 

It was terrible now at the Capo, it seemed, for the new headwaiter was a devil. He was infinitely worse than the Padrone, said Rosa, and his oaths and his tantrums all fell on poor Mario, because he was lame and ageing. He yelled names at Mario in front of other waiters, and hissed them in front of the clients, until Mario had threatened to stick a knife in him, so unspeakable were those names. Rosa was sure that the low-minded porco meant to get her husband dismissed. + 

“He is only waiting his chance,” sniveled Rosa, wiping her eyes with her finger. + 

So full was Rosa of Mario’s troubles that she forgot to cross-question Gian-Luca, and for this her foster-son felt very thankful⁠—he did not want any discussion. As for Nerone, he only grunted, thinking of all his own grievances, and when he suddenly remembered Gian-Luca, and began to look stern and rather aggressive, Gian-Luca saw what was coming in his eye, and hastily got up to go. + 

He said to Rosa: “I will not forget Mario, I am going to see what I can do.” And he called her “Mother” for the first time in his life, and at that she burst out crying on his shoulder. + 

“Mio bimbo!” she murmured into his coat, as though he were her little baby. + 

And now he kissed her fondly on both cheeks, and told her to cheer up and stop crying; then he went to Nerone and kissed him on both cheeks, according to the custom of their country. + 

When he had left them, Nerone said to Rosa: “Why did he kiss me as he did?” + 

“It was strange,” said Rosa, “it was certainly strange⁠—just as if he were going on a journey.” + 