/0/2227/coverbig.jpg?v=f9aed08abd7fea80b0f9daec85e7ec15)
Countess Lucretia Canossa had just risen, and lay reclining on a faded ottoman, attired in a neglige, which was any thing but elegant, or appropriate to a beauty. She had rung several times for her breakfast, but her waiting-maid had not seemed to hear the summons, for nobody came at the call.
The countess, however, was so absorbed in her day-dr