The House by the Medlar-Tree

write, certainly the stamps cost twenty centimes each nor had he sent his portrait, because from his boy-hood he had been teased about h

rawer, he considered that the anchovies would cover the debt to Goosefoot, and the house remain free for the dowry of the girl. Wherefore he was seen some

s she sat at the loom, for girls have quick senses. And now that her grandfather was always with Padron Fortunato, and she so often heard the name Cipolla mentioned in the house, it seemed as if she had the same sight forever before her, as if that blessed Christian Cousin Alfio were nailed to the beams of the l

ca at the first of the mont

dred loads of wine for Santuzza

in the little court, unharnessing the donkey and hanging t

ot see each other any more,” said

re you goin

t all at first, though it was da

losed doors, or children crying, or the noise of the platters in som

old Goosefoot, and at the salting of t

court and came out into the street. “ T

id not

lfio. “ I saw Padron ‘Ntoni

Mena. “ I don’t care to be marri

“ to be rich enough to marry whenever he pleases, an

antern hanging on the wicket, and the donkey cropping the nettles on the wall.

at those fellows were only loafing around to no purpose a lot of spies all foreigners were only fit to be flogged she slammed the window in his face mustache, gold-bordered cap and all; and Don Michele was furious, and for spite took to walking up and down the street, twisting his mustache, with his cap over his ear. On Sunday, however, he put on his plumed hat, and went into Vanni Pizzuti’s shop to make eyes at her as sh

e day, Don

er, I’d make that ugly scamp ‘Ntoni Malav

and how Don Michele, the brigadier, who was not the man to

uffled himself up like a turkey-cock because he was so much thought of in the place. Vanni Pizzuti went on, saying: “Don Michele

n warming his hands over the brazier. Don Si

ow already that Gossip Venera will have nothing to say to foreigners or to gold-bordered ca

It wouldn’t be such a bad thing,” he thought to himself; “every-thing depends

, with a pale face and starting eyes, too; and the customs guard had been seen rushing here and there, full of business, smelling abou

of his way,” said Vanni to Papa Tino, as he stood in the darkest corner of the shop

ot. He had no breath that ev

Quail, indeed!” murmured the fisher-folk as they started up in bed to listen. “ Two-legged quail, those are; quail that bring sugar

at one why there had been such a devil of a row in the night, and what had become of Roc-co Spatu and Cinghialenta, and doffed his cap to Don Michele, and insisted on paying for his morning draught. Goosefoot said to him: “ Take a glass of spirits, D

’t have passed it over, I assure yo

approved w

s if he were in a fearful rage, while all the time he was saying to himself, “ One must keep friends with all these spies,” and rumi-nating on how he was to make a friend of Santuz-za as well, going to the inn, where he heard from Uncle Santoro that neithe

oni was always preaching that the Malavoglia were honest people, and that he would pay him, but he (Dumb-bell) would like to know where the money was to come from. In the place, everybody knew to a centime what everybody owned, and those hone

on Cipolla, and Uncle Santoro had seen him, and Goosefoot had seen him too; and he, too, went on d

nd ears in love with him, and is always at his heels. I can’t shut the door in her face, out ‘oi respect

ect! “You’ll chouse me out of

girl marries Brasi Cipolla, Mosca will be left out in the

what becomes of her, a godless cat that she is. I want my property. I made it of my blood; and one would think I ha

er. You can go to

bull has his horns;’ but I mean to be paid up to the last c

ad sowed basil outside the windows, and the white butterflies came to flutter about it; even the pale plants on the sea-shore were starred w

cabbages and lettuce, and the rooms were open and full of sunshine, that looked as if it too were content. All things proclaimed that Easter was at hand. The elders sat on the steps in the eve

ried,” they said; “her mother i

busy cutting and sewing all sorts of household furnishing, and Mena never asked for whom they were intended; an

into the house, as if no one knew anything about it beforehand, while all the time wine and roa

that Brasi never took his eyes off her, but sat staring at her all the evening like a basilisk, sitting on t

i, who is quite a big fellow

shoulder us into the ground,

ied pease which my daughter has toasted. If we had only known you were

dron Cipolla, “ and we said, ‘ Let’ s g

hem, talking all the while among themselves softly as if they had been in church. The elders by this time were in conversation together under the medlar, all the gossips clus-teri

own up,” said Pa-dron Fortunat

od husband I ask nothing be

shop are chosen by Heaven

eyes from her apron, and Brasi complained to his father, when they c

body could hear anything for your munching like a mule at a sack of barley. Look if yo

everything is so happily settled. Mena will want for nothing, and now we can put in order all our other litt

a handful of beans for the children, and said: “Cousin A

hite, and sto

ew minutes after, knocking at the door, also with a very white face, and ty

u too. Cousin Mena. The wine from Aci Catena is fin-ished. Now Santuzza will get it fr

eply to him: “ Won’t you wait for Padron ‘Nto

r, whip in hand, and looked about the room, in

you coming back

y carries me. As long as there is work I shall stay; but I s

’ve been told that people die like flies o

. “ I would much rather not have gone away from here.” He went on

hree times as if to speak, but no

inn, with people coming and going. By-and-by everybody will have changed places, and nothing will b

go. When they are young they are gay and have no care; wh

-old, with his whip under his arm, shaking hands now with one, now with another with Cousin Maruzza as well as the rest and went on repeating, as peo-

stayed in the dark corner by the loom. But, of course, th

it-ting before the doors and the girls walking up and down singing, with their arms around each o

p any more in the evenings,” said Nunz

h him, and now he was tying up the straw which remained in the manger into

, Cousin Al-fio?” asked Nunziata

s poor . beast has a heavy load. I mus

at the loaded cart, the empty house, the bed half taken

ried Alfio as soon as he saw her, a

like a good housekeeper as she was, to

ere; now I can say g

id, with tears in her voice. “ Why do you

ips outward, as he did when he

rasi Cipolla? One does what one can, Cousin Mena. If I could

at him, with eyes

e dark; and I should have married you, Cousin Mena I have held you in my heart this long while and I shall carry you with me to the B

now when I see this window always shut, it will seem as if my heart were shut too, as if it were sh

ith her hand, and went away with Nunziata to si