guessing, half
hearing, Vittoria understood that Pericles was giving an entertainment
here, and had abjured her. She was not insensible to the slight. This
feeling, joined to her long unsatisfied craving to sing, led her to be
intolerant of Irma's style, and visibly vexed her.

Violetta whispered: "He declares that your voice is cracked: show him!
Burst out with the 'Addio' of Hagar. May she not, Carlo? Don't you
permit the poor soul to sing? She cannot contain herself."

Carlo, Adela, Agostino, and Violetta prompted her, and, catching a pause
in the villa, she sang the opening notes of Hagar's 'Addio' with her old
glorious fulness of tone and perfect utterance.

The first who called her name was Rocco Ricci, but Pericles was the
first to rush out and hang over the boat. "Witch! traitress!
infernal ghost! heart of ice!" and in English "humbug!" and in French
"coquin!":--these were a few of the titles he poured on her. Rocco Ricci
and Montini kissed hands to her, begging her to come to them. She was
very willing outwardly, and in her heart most eager; but Carlo bade
the rowers push off. Then it was pitiful to hear the shout of abject
supplication from Pericles. He implored Count Ammiani's pardon,
Vittoria's pardon, for telling her what she was; and as the boat drew
farther away, he offered her sums of money to enter the villa and sing
the score of Hagar. He offered to bear the blame of her bad behaviour to
him, said he would forget it and stamp it out; that he would pay for
the provisioning of a regiment of volunteers for a whole month; that
he would present her marriage trousseau to her--yes, and let her marry.
"Sandra! my dear! my dear!" he cried, and stretched over the parapet
speechless, like a puppet slain.

So strongly did she comprehend the sincerity of his passion for
her voice that she could or would see nothing extravagant in this
demonstration, which excited unrestrained laughter in every key from her
companions in the boat. When the boat was about a hundred yards from the
shore, and in full moonlight, she sang the great "Addio" of Hagar. At
the close of it, she had to feel for her lover's hand blindly. No one
spoke, either at the Villa Ricciardi, or about her. Her voice possessed
the mountain-shadowed lake.

The rowers pulled lustily home through chill air.

Luigi and Beppo were at the villa, both charged with news from Milan.
Beppo claiming the right to speak first, which Luigi granted with a
magnific