noon
This page is to be yourself , my boy ! '' Eugene threw himself into the elector 's arms . He was too happy for speech . At noon , on the same day , the gondola of the Countess Canossa stopped before the Palazzo Strozzi . The countess , dressed in a magnificent costume , went slowly up the marble stairs , her long train of white satin borne by a page in purple velvet . His face , like that of his mistress , was hidden by a mask ; and the broad red scarf which was tied around his slender waist , confined a small dagger whose hilt was set in precious stones . His eyes were so large and bright that the mask could not entirely conceal their beauty ; and it was perhaps because of their splendor that the porter hesitated to admit him within the palace .