FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165  
166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   >>   >|  
pon him. The poor young man, I am sure, is profoundly perplexed. But I whisper to him every day, 'Pazienza, Signor Principe!'" "So you firmly believe," said Rowland, in conclusion, "that Miss Light will accept him just in time not to lose him!" "I count upon it. She would make too perfect a princess to miss her destiny." "And you hold that nevertheless, in the mean while, in listening to, say, my friend Hudson, she will have been acting in good faith?" The Cavaliere lifted his shoulders a trifle, and gave an inscrutable smile. "Eh, dear signore, the Christina is very romantic!" "So much so, you intimate, that she will eventually retract, in consequence not of a change of sentiment, but of a mysterious outward pressure?" "If everything else fails, there is that resource. But it is mysterious, as you say, and you need n't try to guess it. You will never know." "The poor signorina, then, will suffer!" "Not too much, I hope." "And the poor young man! You maintain that there is nothing but disappointment in store for the infatuated youth who loses his heart to her!" The Cavaliere hesitated. "He had better," he said in a moment, "go and pursue his studies in Florence. There are very fine antiques in the Uffizi!" Rowland presently joined Mrs. Light, to whom her restless protege had not yet returned. "That 's right," she said; "sit down here; I have something serious to say to you. I am going to talk to you as a friend. I want your assistance. In fact, I demand it; it 's your duty to render it. Look at that unhappy young man." "Yes," said Rowland, "he seems unhappy." "He is just come of age, he bears one of the greatest names in Italy and owns one of the greatest properties, and he is pining away with love for my daughter." "So the Cavaliere tells me." "The Cavaliere should n't gossip," said Mrs. Light dryly. "Such information should come from me. The prince is pining, as I say; he 's consumed, he 's devoured. It 's a real Italian passion; I know what that means!" And the lady gave a speaking glance, which seemed to coquet for a moment with retrospect. "Meanwhile, if you please, my daughter is hiding in the woods with your dear friend Mr. Hudson. I could cry with rage." "If things are so bad as that," said Rowland, "it seems to me that you ought to find nothing easier than to dispatch the Cavaliere to bring the guilty couple back." "Never in the world! My hands are tied. Do you know what
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165  
166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Cavaliere
 

Rowland

 

friend

 
Hudson
 
pining
 
unhappy
 

greatest

 

moment

 

mysterious

 

daughter


properties
 
render
 

returned

 

assistance

 

demand

 

things

 

easier

 

hiding

 

dispatch

 

guilty


couple
 

prince

 

consumed

 
devoured
 

information

 
gossip
 
Italian
 

coquet

 

retrospect

 

Meanwhile


glance

 

passion

 
speaking
 
maintain
 

listening

 
perfect
 

princess

 

destiny

 

acting

 

inscrutable


signore

 

trifle

 
lifted
 

shoulders

 
Pazienza
 
Signor
 

whisper

 

perplexed

 
profoundly
 

Principe