Marie Belloc Lowndes

“ CHAPTER VII LILY got up the next morning feeling very happy and cheerful. Not only were kindly M. Popeau and her new friend Captain Stuart now back in Monte Carlo, but Beppo Polda's arrival was definitely fixed for the following Tuesday. His mother talked of him incessantly, and was evidently exceedingly anxious to make his visit a success.
Lily could not help feeling touched by Aunt Cosy's wonderful love of, and pride in, her son, and, as she got ready to start for church, the girl told herself that it would be amusing to see Beppo after having heard so much about him. ”

“ Again she forced herself to stoop down and look, and then tears welled up slowly into her eyes; it seemed so piteous that what was huddled up there should have once been a man—a man, too, who had seemed so full of life, even of a kind of bubbling vitality, only a few days ago. ”

“ Lily could not help smiling at the funny way he said this, but, “What makes it so much worse,” she said in a low voice, “is having actually known the poor man.”
“What d'you say?” said M. Popeau in a startled voice. “Known the poor man? I didn't know that!”
“I forgot to tell you,” interposed Captain Stuart, “that as a matter of fact. Miss Fairfield is convinced that the body she saw is that of an Englishman called Ponting who had dinner at La Solitude the evening of the day she arrived there, a week ago yesterday.”
Lily turned her head away ”

“ We had a talk when he first arrived, for the Count and Countess left me alone with him for about ten minutes. Though he said he had lost a good bit of money, he didn't seem to mind. I remember his saying: “I've done with Monte Carlo, and I've got off cheap, considering!”
She felt it was too bad that she should spoil this pleasant lunch for her two kind friends. They all made a determined effort to talk of other things, and as the time went on, Lily unconsciously began to feel better.
“And how is my friend the Countess?” asked M. Popeau suddenly. ”That woman interests me ”