The House by the Medlar-Tree

io Mosca, who, a few days later, came to the garden gate, on his way back from Aci Castello, with his donkey-cart. Mena replied, “ It isn’t true, it isn’t true!” but

lara, you remem-ber. Now, Uncle Crucifix gets me to do chores for him, because he won’t hear of La Locca’s son ever since his brother played him that trick with the cargo of lupins.” Mena had the string of the gate in her hand, but couldn’t make up her mind to open it. “And then if it isn’t true, why do you blush?” She didn’t know, that was the truth, and she turned the latch-string r

spa for telling him such a lot of stupid lie

me,” replied La Vespa

lot! I heard it with these ears. I heard also that the Provvidenza is in Ma

k against the bu-reau, with her hands on her hips, and looking at him all the ti

alking about the Mala-voglia, who were talking of marriages in the fam

ience, “if one listened to you n

or who doesn’t, I want my own;

should? I say everybody isrj’t li

ou in a hu

wait, you’re so young; but everybody can’t w

umb-bell. “ No one has time to

s, and went off like a railway-whistle, as if

nd nonsense, I might have had half a thou-sand husbands Vanni Pizzuti, and Alfio Mos-ca, and my Cousin Cola, that was always hanging on to my skirts before he went for a soldier, and wouldn’t even let

n with good words: “ Yes, I know you are a sensible girl; for that I am fond of you, and am not like

u wouldn’t act this way; you would see what I am

poking at him, as if unconsciously, with her e

been his if his brother hadn’t taken it into his head to marry, and bring the Wasp into the world; and for that he had always kept her as the apple of his eye, and thought only of her good. “ Listen!” he said. “ I thought of making over to you t

a rage, and said that she meant to let it be gobbled up by that beggar Alfio Mosca, who made fish’s-eyes at her for love of the vineyard, and that he wou

fool, where one may buy a rope to hang one’s self; the proof of it was that one might pass and repass the house of the Malavoglia till all was blue, until people had begun to make fun of him, and to say that he made pilgrimages to the house by the medlar, as they did who made vows to the Madonna at Ognin

who was always wandering about there, because she had been told that her son had gone away in the Malavoglia’s boat, and she thought he would come back that way, and she should find him

little patience! Do you want to suck Padron ‘Ntoni’s blood? You know very well tha

k off his cap, with his sunburnt face, he felt his blood boiling with jeal-ousy about the vineyard. “ He wants to entrap my niece for the sake of the vineyard,” he grumbled to Goosefoot. “A lazy hound, who does nothing b

in the court-yard, he felt something stir inside of him, and felt as if he himself were there in the court of the house by the medlar; and if he had been something better than a poor carter he would have asked for Sant’Agata’s hand in marriage, and carried her off in the donkey-cart. When he thought

e had caressed. “Ah, if my donkey were yours, Cous-in Mena!” And Mena shook her head sadly, a

e said, “ and the sai

ut the fine thing it was to keep tavern, and how that trade never fell off, and if the wine was dear one had only

carrying the wine, d

y well. This poor beast earns his living. When I shall have saved a little money I’l

ing, and meanwhile the gray olive shook, with a sound lik

Mena followed with her eyes the shadows of the clouds that floated over the fields, as if th

that story about Padron Fortunato Cipolla, bec

sca; “so you won’t go awa

her and all of us will help each other to pay the debt

a good trade, too

ith her distaff in her hand. “ O Heaven! somebody’

nkey, and wanted to

La Zuppidda, “ I wanted to ask you if the wine you’

hey give me the

r, she wears the big medal of the Daughters of Mary on the front of her dress. Nowadays whoever wants to get on must take t

but Cousin Mena k

ed in; he went as if he had got a new pair of legs, the old fellow. Now, with the Provvidenza

t him fixedly, with her little yellow eyes, and he s

up-pidda, “as if I hadn’t seen them with my

re, men and women together, and Padron ‘Ntoni, mixed up with the crowd, looked on like the rest. Some gave kicks to the poor Provvidenza to hear how she was cracked, as if she no longer belonged to anybody, and t

rs, said that the boat must have gone down all of a sudden, without leaving time for those on board to cry “ Lord Je

row-lock,” said Luca, who had climbed over the

ything clean away. For this rea-son Maruzza would not leave the

feet; “with three or four patches she can go to sea again; never be fit for bad weather a big wave would send her all to pieces but for ‘long-s

to, at last. “It’s better

his back. “We are Christians, and should rejoice in each other’s good — fortune. What

selves no end of trouble pushing and hauling at her, to get her down to the beach, before the door of Master Zuppiddu, the calker, where there were the big stones to keep the boats in place, and the great kettles for the tar, and heaps of beams, and

brother ‘Nto

oldier he would liberate his brother Luca from the conscription. But ‘Ntoni wouldn’t stay even six days longer, now that his father was dead; Luca would have done just

dier, instead of ‘Ntoni. Now, when he comes back, the Provvid

“ is just like his father Bastianazzo, who had a hea

exclaiming, “ Here’s the letter; Goodman Cirino, the sacrista

r joy; and they all ran into

ugh of him, as the whole family and all his friends followed him home from the station; in a moment the ho

ing before the Malavoglia house, against the wall, waiting for her Menico, and turnin