m, treading
delicately among the rocks. As Hermione watched he turned and went away
into the blue, and the tarantella went away into the blue with him.

Her Sicilian and his tarantella, the tarantella of his joy in
Sicily--they had gone away into the blue.

She looked at it, deep, quivering, passionate, intense; thousands and
thousands of miles of blue! And she listened as she looked; listened for
some far-off tarantella, for some echo of a fainting tarantella, that
might be a message to her, a message left on the sweet air of the
enchanted island, telling her where the winged feet of her beloved one
mounted towards the sun.

XXIV

Giuseppe came to fetch Hermione from the mountain. He had a note in his
hand and also a message to give. The authorities were already at the
cottage; the Pretore of Marechiaro with his Cancelliere, Dr. Marini and
the Maresciallo of the Carabinieri.

"They have come already?" Hermione said. "So soon?"

She took the note. It was from Artois.

"There is a boy waiting, signora," said Giuseppe. "Gaspare is with the
Signor Pretore."

She opened Emile's note.

"I cannot write anything except this--do you wish me to come?--E."

"Do I wish him to come?" she thought.

She repeated the words mentally several times, while the fisherman stood
by her, staring at her with sympathy. Then she went down to the cottage.

Dr. Marini met her on the terrace. He looked embarrassed. He was
expecting a terrible scene.

"Signora," he said, "I am very sorry, but--but I am obliged to perform my
duty."

"Yes," she said. "Of course. What is it?"

"As there is a hospital in Marechiaro--"

He stopped.

"Yes?" she said.

"The autopsy of the body must take place there. Otherwise I could have--"

"You have come to take him away," she said. "I understand. Very well."

But they could not take him away, these people. For he was gone; he had
gone away into the blue.

The doctor looked relieved, though surprised, at her apparent
nonchalance.

"I am very sorry, signora," he said--"very sorry."

"Must I see the Pretore?" she said.

"I am afraid so, signora. They will want to ask you a few questions. The
body ought not to have been moved from the place where--"

"We could not leave him in the sea," she said, as she had said in the
night.

"No, no. You will only just have to say--"

"I will tell them what I know. He went down to bathe."

"Yes. But the Pretore will want to know why he went