With the morning light she saw it was not the
rain that was wetting her, but the blood of her husband and two grown-up
sons who were dead in the room above.

He told me of a law-student in Palermo, twenty-four years old, engaged to
a young lady who lived in Messina; this young man went to pass his
Christmas holidays with his betrothed. He was not in the same house and
the earthquake did him no harm; as soon as it was over his first thought
was for his fidanzata. He got into the street and made for her house,
paying no attention to the cries that issued from the ruins. But, like a
wandering knight on his way to assist his lady and embarrassed by meeting
other adventures, he was stopped and forced to help in searching a
particular house, from which he extricated a beautiful girl, nineteen
years of age, unhurt. She would not let him go till he had saved her
mother. All the others in the house were killed. Still the girl would
not let him go.

"Are you rich?" she asked.

"No."

"Then take this ring and tell me who you are."

He took the ring and after giving her all the information she required
was allowed to proceed. When he came to the house of his betrothed he
found that she and all her family had perished. He returned to Palermo
weeping.

Two months later he received a letter:

I asked if you were rich; you replied "No" and I gave you my ring. You
saved my mother and you saved me. My mother has since died from the
effects of the shock. If you are free I am ready to marry you and I have
money enough for both.

On this they became engaged and after a suitable time intend to marry.
Cece wanted to apologise for the conventionality of this story, but I
begged him not to trouble; if unassisted nature were to be always
original, the occupation of poets and romancers would be gone.

In one house was a servant, a Roman woman; she was devoted to a young
lady of the family and all the family were buried in the ruins, but the
Roman servant was unhurt. She could get no help, the house was on the
outskirts of the city and such passers-by as there were would not stop.
She set to work searching for her young mistress and incidentally saved
the whole family. It took her twenty-four hours; they were all wounded
and her young mistress was the last she found.

A woman kept a small shop opposite another shop kept by a man who sold
coal. The woman had saved money and the carbonajo knew she had her money
in her ho