Part 7 (1/2)

”Luisa!” said she, glancing meaningly at her daughter.

”Yes, Mamma,” the girl replied, and turning to her lover, said in a low tone: ”Franco, Mamma wishes to speak with you.”

Signor Giacomo understood, and went out to the terrace. The engineer did not understand at all, and his niece had to explain to him that her mother was to be left alone with Franco. The simple-minded man could see no reason for this, but she took his arm and, smiling, led him away to the terrace.

Signora Teresa silently held out her beautiful hand, which was still youthful in its curves, and Franco, kneeling, kissed it.

”Poor Franco,” said she gently.

Then she made him rise from his knees and sit close to her. She must speak to him, she said, and her breath was so short. But he would understand much from a few words, would he not?

In speaking these words her voice was infinitely sweet.

”You must know,” she began, ”that I had not intended to say this to you, but I thought of it when you spoke about breaking the plate at the dinner-table. I beg you to be careful on account of Uncle Piero's position. In his heart he feels as you do. If you only could have seen the letters he wrote me in 1848! But he is a servant of the Government.

It is true his conscience is perfectly easy, for he knows that by engineering roads and water-works he is serving his country and not the Germans. But he must and will take certain precautions, and you--for love of him--must be cautious also.”

”The Germans will soon be gone, Mamma!” Franco replied. ”But do not worry; you shall see how prudent I will be.”

”Oh, my dear! I have little more to see, I have only to see you two united and blessed by the Lord. When the Germans go, you will come to Looch to tell me of it.”

Those small fields where the little cemetery of Castello is situated go by the name of Looch.

”But I had intended to speak to you of another matter,” Signora Teresa went on, without giving Franco time to protest. He took her hands and pressed them, with difficulty restraining his tears.

”I must speak to you of Luisa,” she said. ”You must know your wife well.”

”I do know her, Mamma! I know her as well as you do, and perhaps even better.”

As he p.r.o.nounced these words his whole being glowed and quivered in his pa.s.sionate love for her who was the life of his life, the soul of his soul.

”Poor Franco!” said Signora Teresa, smiling tenderly. ”No, listen to me, for there is something you do not know, of which you should be informed.

Wait a moment.”

She needed to rest. Her emotion made her breathing more laboured, and she spoke with greater difficulty than usual. She motioned to Franco not to move, for she saw he was about to rise, that he might do something to relieve her. Only a little repose was necessary, and she took it, resting her head against the chair-back.

Presently she roused herself. ”You have probably heard many evil accounts of my poor husband, at your own home. You will have heard that he was an unprincipled man, and that I did very wrong to marry him. It is true he was not religious, and for that reason I hesitated some time before deciding to accept him. I was advised to do so because it was thought I might have a good influence over this man, who had a most n.o.ble soul. He died a Christian, and I have every hope of meeting him in Heaven, if the Lord, in His mercy, shall see fit to receive me there.

But up to the very last hour it seemed as if I were not to accomplish anything. Now, I fear my Luisa has her father's tendencies in her heart.

She hides them from me, but I feel they are there. I commend her to you; study her, advise her; she is gifted and has a great heart, and if I have not known how to do well by her, you must do better. You are a good Christian: see that, with all her heart, she also becomes one. Promise me this, Franco.”

He promised, smiling, as if he considered her fears groundless, and were making this superfluous promise simply to satisfy her.

The invalid gazed sadly at him. ”Believe me,” she added, ”these are not fancies. I cannot die in peace if you do not take this matter seriously.” And when the young man had repeated his promise, this time without smiling, she said--

”One word more. When you leave here you will go to Professor Gilardoni's, will you not?”

”That was my first plan. I was to have told my grandmother that I was going to sleep at Gilardoni's house, as we were to start on an excursion together in the morning. But now, you know how I left home.”

”Still you had better go there. I had rather you went there, and besides, he expects you, does he not? So you must go. Poor Gilardoni! He has never been here since his fit of madness, two years ago. You know about that, do you not? Luisa has told you?”

”Yes, Mamma.”