oming
against the rocks he would not have been hurt. Per Dio, he can swim like
a fish, the povero signorino. I have seen him swim. Why, even Peppino--"

"The signora wants us all to go away, Signor Dottore. She begs us to go
and leave her alone with the povero signore!"

"Gaspare is in such a state! You would not know him. And the povera
signora, she is all dripping wet. She has been into the sea, and now she
has carried the head of the povero signore all the way up the mountain.
She would not let any one--"

A succession of cries came out of the darkness, hysterical cries that
ended in prolonged sobbing.

"That is Lucrezia!" cried one of the fishermen. "Madonna! That is
Lucrezia!"

"Mamma mia! Mamma mia!"

Their voices were loud in the night. The doctor pushed his way between
the men and came onto the terrace in front of the steps that led into the
sitting-room.

Gaspare was standing there alone. His face was almost unrecognizable. It
looked battered, puffy, and inflamed, as if he had been drinking and
fighting. There were no tears in his eyes now, but long, violent sobs
shook his body from time to time, and his blistered lips opened and shut
mechanically with each sob. He stared dully at the doctor, but did not
say a word, or move to get out of the way.

"Gaspare!" said the doctor. "Where is the padrona?"

The boy sobbed and sobbed, always in the same dry and terribly mechanical
way.

"Gaspare!" repeated the doctor, touching him. "Gaspare!"

"E' morto!" the boy suddenly cried out, in a loud voice.

And he flung himself down on the ground.

The doctor felt a thrill of cold in his veins. He went up the steps into
the little sitting-room. As he did so Hermione came to the door of the
bedroom. Her dripping skirts clung about her. She looked quite calm.
Without greeting the doctor she said, quietly:

"You heard what Gaspare said?"

"Si, signora, ma--"

The doctor stopped, staring at her. He began to feel almost dazed. The
fishermen had followed him and stood crowding together on the steps and
staring into the room.

"He is dead. I am sorry you came all this way."

They stood there facing one another. From the kitchen came the sound of
Lucrezia's cries. Hermione put her hands up to her ears.

"Please--please--oh, there should be a little silence here now!" she
said.

For the first time there was a sound of something like despair in her
voice.

"Let me come in, signora!" stammered the doctor. "Le