Taquisara

everywhere, and the absence of which makes new cities dull, be they as well built, as well situated, as civ

essly vital life of one of the worst populaces in the world. Fifty paces away, again, is a wide thoroughfare, perhaps, raging and roaring with traffic from the port. A hundred yards in another direction, and there is

t into the draught with sticks, to the rotting garbage in the gutters below. The low-arched doors open directly upon the slimy, black pavement; and in the deep shadows within sit strange figures with doughy faces and glassy eyes, breathing in the stench of the nauseous, steamy ai

eople cling to one another on the steps; and the small boys dodge in and out between the cars and the carriages and the horses and the foot-passengers, some screaming out papers for sale, some looking for pockets to pick, some hunting for stumps of cigars in the dust,-dirty, ragged, joyous, foul-mouthed, God-forsaken little boys; and then through the midst of all, as a black swan swimming stately through muddy wat

the flashing sun, and the dust and the dirt, and multiply beyond measure and mysteriously fast. Only here and there in the swarm something permanent and fossilized stands solid and unchanging, and divides the flight of the myriad ephemeral lives-a monument,

he strolled up as usual, by short cuts and narrow streets, to see his friend Gianluca in the Spina palace, in the upper part of the city. Many people looked at him, as he went by, and some knew him for a Sicilian, by his face, while some took him for a foreig

g that weariness can ever come upon him; erect, proud, without self-consciousness, elastic; collected and ever ready, in his easy and effortless movement, for sudden and violent action. He was not pale, as dark Italians are, but his skin had the colour and look of fresh light bronze, just chiselled, and able to reflect the sun, while having a light of its own from the stron

unlike him as one man could be unlike another-white, fair-haired, delicate, with soft blue eyes and silken lashes, and a pass

l languor about him, and an evident reluctance to move again when he had resumed his seat in the sun. He was muffled in a thickly wadded silk coat of a dark colour. His fair, straight

ed a black cigar and looked again, got up,

looking out. "What has happened?"

"My father was there last night.

that his chin rested upon his folded hands. Taquisara utter

o Macomer? No-no-I

aising his eyes. "Bosio was there, in the

. "No doubt," he repeated. "But-" He lit his cigar instea

dly. "If it had not been true, they w

bt that. Nothing is ov

married yet

f cour

y may nev

There is no hope. I will see her once more, and then I shall d

st by folding one's hands and looking at the stars and repeating her name. Then, you do nothing. You do not say, 'She shall not marry Macomer, because I, I who speak, will prevent it, and get her for myself.' No. Because some one has said that she will ma

luca, with a wearily sad intonation. "I

written on my tombstone that I have died for her. It is better that some one else should die and that I should have what I want. How does that

ty. I cannot even see her except at a distance, unless they choose to permit it. I cannot write love

you will not get the woman you love. It is not love that consumes you. It is imagination. You imagine that you are going to die, and unless you recover from this, you probably will. With your temperament, the best thing you can do is to come with me to Sicily and forget all about Donna Veronica Serra.

hurt by his f

were in love," he said; "h

take matters into my own hands. I will wager anything you please that

course!" interrupted Gianl

are several millions on the one side, which Macomer wishes to possess, and there can be nothing on the other but th

er five times," said

ying 'yes' to everything. And you love her. Well, no doubt. I could love a woman with whom I might never have spoken at all-surely-and why not? But you take it for granted that she knows you love her and expects you to ask for her, and has been told that you have done so and has herse

you that I ca

w that there is no

here, for

r and stand there day and night until she sees you and notices you." Taquisara laughed. "Do anything-bu

rd!" answered Gia

l begin by doing it for y

nger man turne

as I have nothing to

er and talk

, anxiously. "There will be a quarre

t, and in the course of conversation something may appear which we do not know. Besides, if I go to the house, I ma

ot a Neapolitan," said G

secretly envied. "It is true," he added, "that things look easy to me here, which would be utterly impossible in Pa

lit his cigar, w

"You have never bee

earily against the chair, and his

s seat. "I suppose it is because we are so different that we have always been such

year, and their rank, together with the fact that they were both from the south, had in the first place drawn them together. Before long they had become firm friends. In his normal condition Gianluca, though never strong, was brave, frank, and cheerful. Taquisara thought him at times poetic and visionary, but liked the impossible loftiness of his young ideals, because Taquisara himself was naturally attracted by all that looked impossible. Amongst a number of rather gay and thoughtless young men, who jested at everything, Gianluca adhered to his faith openly, and no one thought of laughing at him. He must have possessed something of that wonderful simplicity, together with much of the extraordinary tact, which helped some of the early

t strength rapidly and without the influence of any illness which could be defined, ever since the negotiations for Veronica's hand had shown signs of coming to an unsatisfactory conclusion. And they had lasted long. Many letters had been exchanged. The old Duca had been several times to the Palazzo Macomer, and the count and countess had found many reasons by which to put off their decision. For Gianluc

gerous state before ten days had passed. Then he had sent for Taquisara, who visited him daily for nearly a week, encouraging him in every way, until to-day, when the news of the refusal was no more to be denied. It was characteristic of the Sicilian that he at once attempted to inte

r. He was inclined to say that he could not receive him, offering as an excuse that he was ill, which was almost true. But he reflected that such a man must have a good reason for wishing to see him. He remembered, too, that the Duca had spoken of him as Gian

or twice, towards morning, he had felt sleep creeping upon him through sheer physical exhaustion, but he had fought it off, afraid to lose on

e,-absorbing much of the enormous income, and even, from time to time, obtaining the consent of Cardinal Campodonico for the sale of certain lands, on pretence of making more profitable investments. During fully ten years, Gregorio's management of the estate must have been a systematic fraud upon Veronica Serra, carried on with sufficient skill to evade all inquiry from the cardinal. Gregorio's fictitious reputation as a strictly honourable ma

the event of a suit brought by the ward against the guardians, it would be in Squarci's power to turn evidence in favour of Veronica, and expose the whole

ipated. It was equally certain that if Veronica married any one but Bosio, her husband and his family would demand that the accounts of the estate should be form

oved her faithfully, with the complete devotion of a man who not only loves a woman, but is morally dominate

ad been strong enough to make a slave of him from the first. To the extent of his weak character and considerable physical courage, there was no

ly violate any further,-a remnant of honour, a thread, as it were, by which his soul was still held above the level of total destruction. There was nothing, perhaps, involving himself alone, which he would

solutely refuse to marry him, and thus save his weakness from the n

d in the convent. In society, when she went with them, men were introduced to her very rarely. Bosio had been present once or twice on such occasions, and he remembered having seen her with Gianluca. It had been very much as Taquisara had described it to Gianluca himself-a mere exchange of a few words, while the girl watched her aunt almost all the time with a sort of childish fear of doing something not quite right. Veronica could not be said to know any man to the extent of exchanging ideas with him, except her uncle and Bosio himself. And she liked Bosio very much. It was not at all improbable, consider

icilian came forward, and Bosio rose to meet him, still wondering why he had come, but far too much disturbed by his own troubles to care. Ne

n my condition," said Bosio, politely. "I have a violent headache.

ready to be congratulated by any one who chose to knock at his door. Instead, he found a man app

come," he said, and his square face grew more square as he look

sio, not startled, but considerably disturbed,

t you are to marry Donna Veronica Serra," continued Taquisara,

air, and there was a look of surprise in his

ther and his wife gave to the Duc

That is the reason why I have come to

annot marry Donna Veronica?" asked Bosio, in surprise,

d in no condition for t

th cold civility. "But you come to repr

t is really true that you are betrothed to Donna Veronica, in order that I may take him the truth as I hear it from your lips. I daresay you think me indiscreet, Count Ma

wer your question, Baro

lightest degree indelicate, I shall of course infer that you have

forcing him to make a decision. Of course it was still in his power to answer in one way or the other, though he was yet undecided. But he honestly could not bring himself to say that he would marry Veronica, and yet, if he denied that he was betrothed to her, he must put his brot

g of the marriage contract. Now, the contract has not even been discussed. I think that my brother's announcement was pre

ion of the statement from your own lips, without in the least questioning the right of the Count Macomer to make it last night. Gianluca is honestly and very deeply in love. The happiness of his whole l

will-as soon as-" He checked himsel

e, but for some reason which does not concern me, you yourself are not so certain of the result. To be plain, there is still a possibility that the marriage may not take place. I need

latter rose, too, and looked at him with a dazed, uncertain expression, like a man not quite sure of being in his senses. He

o next, and yet, being eminently a man of action, rather than of reflexion, he knew that he must do more to satisfy himself, for his suspicions were aroused. He had expected to find Bosio jubilant. From what he had seen, he had understood

Sicilian like himself. She was Veronica's only intimate friend. She was the niece of Cardinal Cam

Macomer, glad to be outside and to turn his face to the sunshine, and