ed of the young soldier, and turned him from his door; but
Santa opened her window to him until the village gossips got busy with
her name and his. Lola listened to the talk of the lovers from behind a
vase of flowers. One day she called after Turiddu: "Ah, Turiddu! Old
friends are no longer noticed, eh?"

"He is a happy man who has the chance of seeing you, Lola."

"You know where I live," answered Lola. And now Turiddu visited Lola so
often that Santa shut her window in his face and the villagers began to
smile knowingly when he passed by. Alfio was making a round of the
fairs with his mules. "Next Sunday I must go to confession," said Lola
one day, "for last night I dreamt that I saw black grapes."

"Never mind the dream," pleaded Turiddu.

"But Easter is coming, and my husband will want to know why I have not
confessed."

Santa was before the confessional waiting her turn when Lola was
receiving absolution. "I wouldn't send you to Rome for absolution," she
said. Alfio came home with his mules, and money and a rich holiday
dress for his wife.

"You do well to bring presents to her," said Santa to him, "for when
you are away your wife adorns your head for you."

"Holy Devil!" screamed Alfio. "Be sure of what you are saying, or I'll
not leave you an eye to cry with!"

"I am not in the habit of crying. I haven't wept even when I have seen
Turiddu going into your wife's house at night."

"Enough!" said Alfio. "I thank you very much."

The cat having come back home, Turiddu kept off the streets by day, but
in the evenings consoled himself with his friends at the tavern. They
were enjoying a dish of sausages there on Easter eve. When Alfio came
in Turiddu understood what he wanted by the way he fixed his eyes on
him. "You know what I want to speak to you about," said Alfio when
Turiddu asked him if he had any commands to give him. He offered Alfio
a glass of wine, but it was refused with a wave of the hand.

"Here I am," said Turiddu. Alfio put his arms around his neck. "We'll
talk this thing over if you will meet me to-morrow morning."

"You may look for me on the highway at sunrise, and we will go on
together."

They exchanged the kiss of challenge, and Turiddu, as an earnest that
he would be on hand, bit Alfio's ear. His companions left their
sausages uneaten and went home with Turiddu. There his mother was
sitting up for him.

"Mamma," Turiddu said to her, "do you remember that when I went away to
be