It was the day after this that Katy, coming in from a round of errands, found Mrs Ashe standing erect and pale, with a frightened look in her eyes, and her back against Amy's door, as if defending it from somebody. Confronting her was Madame Frulini, the padrona of the hotel. Madame's cheeks were red, and her eyes bright and fierce; she was evidently in a rage about something, and was pouring out a torrent of excited Italian, with now and then a French or English word slipped in by way of punctuation, and all so rapidly that only a trained ear could have followed or grasped her meaning.

`What is the matter?' asked Katy, in amazement.

`Oh, Katy, I am so glad you have come!' cried poor Mrs Ashe. `I can hardly understand a word that this horrible woman says, but I think she wants to turn us out of the hotel, and take Amy to some other place. It would be the death of her - I know it would. I never, never will go, unless the doctor says it is safe. I oughtn't to - I couldn't. She can't make me, can she, Katy?'

`Madame,' said Katy - and there was a flash in her eyes before which the landlady rather shrank - `what is all this? Why do you come to trouble madame while her child is so ill?'

Then came another torrent of explanation which didn't explain, but Katy gathered enough of the meaning to make out that Mrs Ashe was quite correct in her guess, and that Madame Frulini was requesting, nay, insisting that they should remove Amy from the hotel at once There were plenty of apartments to be had now that the carnival was over, she said - her own cousin had room close by - it could easily be arranged, and people were going away from the Del Mondo every day because there was fever in the house. Such a thing could not be, should not be; the landlady's voice rose to a shriek, The child must go!'

`You are a cruel woman,' said Katy indignantly, when she had grasped the meaning of the outburst. `It wicked, it is cowardly, to come thus and attack a poor lady under your roof who has so much already to bear. It is her only child who is lying in there - her only one, do you understand, madame? - and she is a widow. What you ask might kill the child. I shall not permit you or any of your people to enter that door till the doctor comes, and then I shall tell him how you have behaved, and we shall see what he will say.' As she spoke she turned the key of Amy's door, took it out and put it in her pocket, then faced the padrona steadily, looking her straight in the eyes.

`Mademoiselle,' stormed the landlady, `I give you my word, four people have left this house already because of the noises made by little miss. More will go. I shall lose my winter's profit - all of it - all; it will be said there is fever at the Del Mondo - no one will hereafter come to me. There are lodgings plenty, comfortable - oh, so comfortable! I will not have my season ruined by a sickness.

Madame Frulini's voice was again rising to a scream.

`Be silent!' said Katy sternly. `You will frighten the child. I am sorry that you should lose any customers, madame, but the fever is here and we are here, and here we must stay till it is safe to go. The child shall not be moved till the doctor gives permission. Money is not the only thing in the world! Mrs Ashe will pay anything that is fair to make up your losses to you, but you must leave this room now, and not return till Dr Hilary is here.'

Where Katy found French for all these long coherent speeches, she could never afterward imagine. She tried to explain it by saying that excitement inspired her for the moment, but that as soon as the moment was over the inspiration died away and left her as speechless and confused as ever. Clover said it made her think of the miracle of Balaam, and Katy merrily rejoined that it might be so, and that no donkey in any age of the world could possibly have been more grateful than was she for the sudden gift of speech.

`But it is not the money - it is my prestige,' declared the landlady.