FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  
ands of Don Camillo played the invisible accordion. "Madame de Trop says his father was Master of the House to Prince Petrolium--vice-prince, you know, and brought up in the little palace," said the Princess. "Don't believe a word of it," said Don Camillo, "and I'll wager he never supped at a decent hotel before." "I'll ask him! Listen now! Some fun," said the Princess. "Honourable Rossi!" "Yes, Princess," said David Rossi. The eyes of the little Princess swept the table with a sparkling light. "Beautiful room, isn't it?" "Beautiful." "Never been here before, I suppose?" David Rossi looked steadfastly into her eyes and answered, "Oh yes, Princess. When I first returned to Italy eight years ago I was a waiter in this house for a month." The sparkling face of the little Princess broke up like a snowball in the sun, and the two other men dropped their heads. Roma hardly knew what her own feelings were. Humiliation, shame, confusion, but above all, pride--pride in David Rossi's courage and strength. The white mist from the Campagna pierced to the bone as they came out by the glass-covered hall, and an old woman with an earthenware scaldino, crouching by the marble pillars in the street, held out a chill, damp hand and cried: "A penny for God's sake! May I die unconfessed if I've eaten anything since yesterday!... God bless you, my daughter! and the Holy Virgin and all the saints!" At the door of her house Roma parted from the Princess, and said to Rossi, as the carriage drove away, "Come early to-morrow. I've not yet been able to work properly somehow." She was restless and feverish, and she would have gone to bed immediately, but crossing the drawing-room she heard the fretful voice of her aunt saying, "Is that you, Roma?" and she had no choice but to go into the Countess's bedroom. A red lamp burned before the shrine, and the old lady was in an embroidered nightdress, but she was wide awake, and her eyes flashed and her lips trembled. "Ah, it's you at last! Sit down! I want to speak to you. Natalina!" cried the Countess. "Oh, dear me, the girl has gone to bed. Give me the cognac. There it is--on the dressing-table." She sipped the brandy, fidgeted with her cambric handkerchief, and said: "Roma, I'm surprised at you! You hadn't used to be so stupid! How? Don't you see what that woman is doing? What woman? The Princess, of course. Inviting you to share her box at the opera so th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Princess
 

Beautiful

 

sparkling

 
Countess
 

Camillo

 

carriage

 

fretful

 

feverish

 

Virgin

 

saints


crossing

 
parted
 

drawing

 
immediately
 
daughter
 

morrow

 

yesterday

 

properly

 

restless

 

cambric


fidgeted

 

handkerchief

 

surprised

 

brandy

 

sipped

 
cognac
 

dressing

 

Inviting

 

stupid

 

burned


shrine

 

embroidered

 
bedroom
 

choice

 

nightdress

 

Natalina

 

flashed

 

trembled

 

Honourable

 

Listen


returned
 
answered
 

suppose

 

looked

 

steadfastly

 
decent
 

supped

 
father
 
Master
 

Madame