The Emancipated

o Cecily herself, yet made no haste to depart. It drew on to evening, and he sat idly in his room in Casa Rolandi, looking at his t

eck speed to the Toledo; across the Piazza del Municipio; a good-bye to the public scriveners sitting at their little tables by the San Carlo; sharp round the corner, and

oglio be

n pienz

hand, broke with small ceremony through porters and hotel-touts, came forth upon the high-road, and stepped forward like one to whom the locality i

lard's reply, as he handed

city; far beyond rose the dark shape of Vesuvius, crested with beacon-glow, a small red fire, now angry, now murky, now for a time extinguished. The long rumble of the train died away, and there followed silence absolute, scarcely broken for a few minutes by a peasant sin

lodging, saw his room, and went to the quarter of the inn where dinner was already in progress. This was a building to itself, at one side of the garden. Through the doorway he stepped immediately into a low-roofed hall, where a number of pers

are of Mallard's arrival, he stood up with a cr

many bottles of wine I drank between starting and returning I cannot compute; I never knew before what it was to be athirst. Why, their vino di Vesuvio is for all the world

nce, loud in vivacious talk. The exception was a young Englishman, somewhat oddly dressed, and with a great quantity of auburn hair that rolled forwar

lid meal, and now amused himself with grapes (in two forms), spared him the necessity of anything but an occasional monosyllable. The

to force a way through linguistic obstacles, he talked with a haphazard fluency which was amusing enough. No false modesty imposed a check upon his e

t is my opinion that democracy is the fatal enemy of art. How can you speak of ancient and medi

veral other voices strove to make themselves heard; bu

collectivism, parliamentarism,-all these have one and the same end: to put men on an equality; and in proportion as that end is approached, so will art in every shape languish. Art, gentlemen, is nourished upon inequalities and injustices!" ("Ach!"-"Wie kann man so etwas sagen!"-"Hoch! verissime!") "I am

n a hearing; a fine fellow, with S

in its present state? Before it comes about, the multit

possible within a few hundred years. The multitude will never be human

hat is a lie! I use the

Who ever doubted it but a Dummkopf? I use th

Elgar knew no German, so could derive neith

r eye, and in your hand a mantling goblet! Drink, man, drink! you need a stimulant, an exhilarant, an anti-phlegmatic, a counter-irritant against English spleen. You are still on the other side of the Alps,

e over the fifth tumbler

this wine is! A gallon of it would give one no more than a pleasant glow, the fac

," growled Mallard, with a loo

ntains; by Juno! a glorious creature! I dare say you have seen her portrait in his studio; he likes to show it. But it does her nothing like justice; she might have sat for the genius of the Republic. Utterly untaught, and intensely stupid; but there were marvellous things to be read in her face. Ah, but give me the girls of Venice! You know them, h

ompatriots, obviously wishing that he might join them. Mallard, upon whom Elgar's excited talk

n a minority among

er. "Yes, I have never met more than one

r friends there.-I think you know

he sense of inferiority one has in beginning to smatter with foreig

taken part. The subject was resumed. At Elgar's bidding the waiter had brought ciga

in England," said Reuben, forcibly, "

tgrown," cried Marsh. "Look a

o say I have a large experience in this question. The mass of the English people have no genuine religious belief, but none

sy," remarked the younger man, with an air of

s life. Puritanism has aided the material progress of England; but its effect on art! But for it, we should have a school of painters corresponding in greatness to the Elizabethan dramatists. Depend upon it, the democracy will continu

conscious of but weakly representing the tendencies which were a passionate force in this man with the singularly

ndscape. Let those who will, paint Miss Wilhelmina in the nursery, with an interesting doll of her own size; or a member of Parliament rising to

iosity the gentleman who ha

m at?" he inquired, with

for Messalina's face. But my hand was paralyzed when I thought of the idiotic comments such a picture would occasion in England. One fellow would say

thusiasm, which restored Marsh to his own good opinion. "Go on

ly not. They

ed himself of a

a picture. Use it for

the English painters who were wont to call themselves "historical," Where is the line between subjects for

it a set Kneipe; the Englishmen, unable to drink quite so heroically, were scarce behind in vehemence of debate. Mallard, grimly accepting the help of wine against his inner foes, at length earned Elga

beneath an arch, and stood looking down into the dark hollow so often thronged with citizens of Latin speech. Small wonder that Benvenuto's necromancer could evoke his myriads of flitting ghosts in the midnight Colosseum; here too it needed bu

one of a row which opened immediately upon the garden. He locked himself in, went to bed, but did not sleep for a long time. A wind was rising, and a branch

lly urging him to dare all in the cause of "art." He consumed his coffee and roll in the manner of ordinary mortals, not once flourishing his dainty hand or shaking his ambrosial hair. Elgar was very stiff f

r afterwards in the garden. "To-morrow I shall cross over

her he

ou are goin

tion. We should have a carriage to Sorrent

down its long slope, a dense white cloud, or a vast turbid torrent, breaking at the foot into foam and spray. The clearness of the a

said Elgar, who seemed to have a difficulty in s

uld you d

only had a few hours among the ruins,

ere?" asked Ma

to the museum, and see

h me. I shall be gl

t scarcely with heartiness. E

e said at last, "I don't c

f what I propos

ave kept the room there. No, I d

rig

t was altered? Even if Elgar accompanied him to Amalfi, it would only be for a few days; there was no preventing the fello

letter to Mrs. Baske.-A pretty complication, tha

rry a point with such a weakling, was he going to let himself be thwarted?

. Good; there the fellow loi

th a grim smile. "I want to have some talk with yo

d of talk

r you have to carry;

I go on wit

ndance. A truce to yo

re and the mountains. This exertion of native energy had been beneficial to Mallard's temper; he talked almos

ll!" he exclaimed. "It's cold,

good to be pitched in a gale about the coast of Skye. A fellow of your t

know myself at least a

must be! If a man knows his weakness, h

hat he is, and will be ever the same. Have you no tincture

ike the braying jacka

med his companion with abuse, revelled in insulting comparisons. Elgar laughed, a

th olives and orange-trees, fig-trees and aloes. Beyond Vico comes a jutting headland; the road curves round it, clinging close on the hillside, turns inland, and all at once looks down upon the Piano di Sorrento. Instinctively, the companions rose to their feet, as though any other attitude on the first revelation of such a p

forced me to come!" muttered

looked upon this scene before, b

of a profound gorge, cloven towards the sea-cliffs. Sauntering in the yard

o marmore, priscus Fons nitet

s Italy to the man who cannot share our feelings as we murmur that distich? I marvel that I was allowed to learn t

been rushing his way to ruin in London. His talk abounded in quotation, in literary allusion, in high-spirited jest, in poetical fee

a propos of nothing, as they idled about t

urd que

not suppose you woul

the untruth. I do no

t day I turned up. I behaved

you have oft

it enough if she might use it. Oh, if some generous, large-brained man would drag her out

s led to n

oily beast! I don't know what criterion girls have. Several of my acquaintance have made m

hat they would torture him. There was a long p

the name Miri

e it

arents, Mallard. It doesn't help to make one a well-balanced man. How on earth did I get my individuality? And yo

r own proceedings may have acted a

ver thought of it," sa

at her notion of the li

rd. I see it. What ot

But the surpassing glory was the prospect at the Cape of Sorrento when they reached it on their walk back. Before them the entire sweep of the gulf, from Ischia to Capri; Naples in its utmost extent, an unbroken line of delicate pink, from Posilli

to lead the way over the mountains to the other shore. A long climb, and at the culminating point of the ridg

ing to the dim plain beyond the Gulf of Sa

iaeval glory. When they had put up at an inn less frequented and much cheaper than the "Cappuccini," he would not rest until he had used the last hour of sunlight in clambering about the little maze of streets, or rather of mountain paths and burrows beneath ho

and Elgar continued talking for hours. Even without this, Mallard felt that he would have been unable to sleep. To add to his torments, the clock of the cathedral, which was just on the opposite side of the street, had the terrible southern habit of striking the whole hour after the chime at each quarter; by midnight the clangour was all but incessant. Elgar sank at length in

sly the ragged edges of mist; a thin rain began to fall, and grew heavier as the sky dulled. Having breakfasted, the two friends spent an hour in the cathedral, which wa

b," said Elgar. "If it's to be a Scotc

t of Amalfi on to the mountain slopes. They had scorned to take a guide, but did so at length in self-defence, so pestered were they by all but every person they passed; man, woman, and child beset them for soldi, either f

ht, cared little to converse, and would gladly have been alone. A midday meal, with liberal supply of wine, helped them somewhat, and they sat

a livelier tone, "tell me about those projects o

ctly s

re you goin

ined. I am revolving things.

ce as this for a few weeks, and clear your thoughts. 'Comp

t you ar

wards the window. Mallard, in whose heart a sick weariness co

r sister; get her to send your belongings from Casa Rolandi, together with a ream of scribbling-paper. I shall be out of doors most of the

er I could do

tional. Remember yesterday. Were I a penman, the view fr

ute for a f

dispose me to idle enjoyment. I have thought

a movement

ere at all? You say you

at," replied Elgar, as if he slightly resent

was high time he looked out for an income. Mallard examined him askance. The oth

o-morrow I'll drive to Salerno, take the train to Naples, pack my traps, and relieve Miriam'

to Naples. Write a letter. He

ion, in an access of intolerable

e at the mercy of every childish whim, and ruin yourself for lack of courage to do what you know you ought to do? If instability of n

the other? If you cut your throat, it was your destiny to do so; just as it was to commit the follies that led you there. What is all

instinct; who, anything but profound students or subtle reasoners, catch at the floating phrases of philosophy and recognize them as the index of their being, adopt them thenceforth

cted coldness. "In practice we live as though our

something or other in your life and mine. I shall go to Naples to-morrow; I shall spend one

nd for the moment Mallar

side, high above the beach. They talked about the massive strongholds which stand as monuments of the time when the coast-towns were in f

er was he made by Elgar's singing and whistling. Yet he would not have cared to prevent the journey to Naples, had it been in his pow

soon as I'm gone," cr

es

to avoid co

l not disappoint you this

es

the balcony, and was direly tempted. No fear of his yielding, ho

I heard the bell striking. My mind is always active when I am travelling; ten to one I shall come back ready to begin to wri

ng, th

dling, washing clothes and vegetables and fish, drawing water in vessels of beautiful shape, chattering incessantly-such a group as may have gathered there any morning for hundreds of

ir exquisitely fragrant. On the mountain-tops ever so slight a

r within himself. "December, January, February