Corleone: A Tale of Sicily

a's good taste and womanly influence, festivities at the Palazzo Saracinesca always had an impressive and almost solemn character. Perhaps there were too many men in the family, and they

in the evening. The Prince himself sat at the head of the table, and rarely spoke. Corona could see that he was not pleased with

he generally was thoroughly bored on such occasions. It was either intentional or accidental on the part of his hosts, whoever they might be. If it was intentional, he had been made to sit next to some particularly desirable damsel of great birth and fortune in the hope that he might fall in love with her and make her the future Princess Saracinesca. A

m she had ever exchanged a dozen words. It was scarcely two months since she had left the convent, and during that time her mind had been constantly crowded with new impressions, and as constantly irritated by her mother's manner and conversation. Her education was undoubtedly very

e her some day, which was quite impossible. And she glanced at Orsino from time to time, and answered his remarks briefly and simply. She could not help seeing that he was watching her, and now and then the blood rose softly in

uld he have been placed in the position of the particular person whom he is analysing. It is extremely doubtful whether any male writer can, by the greatest effort of imagination, clothe himself in the ingen

he snow on a boundless plain, without so much as a fence or a tree to relieve the utter monotony. There is no beauty in such whiteness in nature, except when i

tach no narrow meaning; it extends to every question that touches humanity, to every motive in all dealings, and to every purpose which, in that blank state, a girl attributes to all human beings, living and dead. It is a magic window through which all good things ap

great, uncertain element of heredity, monstrous or god-like, which animates and moves all three in the gest

hat. Catherine of Russia was once an innocent and quiet little German girl, with empty, wondering eyes, and school-girl sentimentalities. Goethe might ha

most young men of his age, and he was aware of the fact, as he looked at her and talked with her, and carried on one of those apparently empty conversation

ds how he smiled as he asked her the first familiar question, as though she

you li

t city,' answ

e it? You do not th

e young girl, quite naturally. 'It has

Orsino smiling. 'But there a

ttoria, soberly. 'And then it

e. 'Not even fine streets! Have you

and I have seen the Tiber, and t

inquired Orsino,

es full upon him, and paused

seem foolish to you, though they see

ity, but we Romans forget it. And if you have never seen another river, the Tibe

ad said what she thought, naturally and simply. She was not sure whether the great dark young man, who had eyes exac

alermo amusing?' he

shamed of being so very young. 'I left the convent on the day we star

d forgot

aking it interesting. But he liked the sound of Vittoria's voice, and he wished she would speak again. On his right hand was Tebaldo, who

eautiful woman in Italy, Prin

ok. Her brows were a little contracted, which was unusual, but she was just turning away to speak t

before I was born,' he said, addressing Tebaldo rather pointe

showed them when he smiled. The smile did not extend upwards above the nostrils, and there was something almost sinister in the still black eyes. In the front view the lower part of the face was triangular, and the low forehead made the upper portion seem square. He was a man of bilious constit

k, not at all acknowledging that

r mother,' he said quietly, and with such

isliked the man, and believed him to be false and double. Corona either had not heard, or pretended not to hear, and talked indifferently with San Giacinto,

ld you that you were the most beauti

oked at him

t would not be true. H

ent, that it were true. I am imagin

think-' She hes

hat you think,' said Orsino,

I liked the person who told me so.' Ag

nk,' answered Orsino gravely. 'Wer

t was my home for so many yea

Guendalina Pietrasanta. She was evidently lost in her recollections o

tay and be a nun yourself?'

ast-when I came awa

ou find the world pleasanter than you ex

hey must know, but I do not quite understand what they mean. Can you tell

oment, realising very clearly the wh

can find them if one chooses. No doubt, we are all miserable sinners in a theological sense, but I am not a theologian. I have a brother who is a priest, and you will see him af

extraordinarily grave and a shade paler. She looke

' he asked quickly.

ll looking down. 'That is,' she added with hesit

nd a very religious man, and believes that he has a vocation, and does his best to be a good priest

sts?' asked Vittor

sic. He is a musician first

tly. She had expected something very te

ake him an hour or so to read his breviary conscientiously in

music?' asked Vittoria,

'He composes masses and

hat,' said Vittoria, indiffe

interest in it to do it myself. I believe that t

sins,' observed Vittoria, who

imaginable, especially when one is

t him anxiously, and th

she asked. 'No one i

sino asked in his turn, and with som

? I am sure that there must be p

rself when upon such gro

a man's whole life, b

ttoria, cheerfully, for she was beginning to feel at her

Orsino, as though he we

en them. She was like a sensitive plant, he thought; and yet she had none of the

I have no doubt that to the saints doing good was a career, and that a saint might make a career of it nowadays. But yo

n almost beggars for ten years, it had never struck them that they could possibly have a profess

o lau

d be a doctor, if I could, or a lawyer, or a man of business. I do not think t

ot!' cried Vittor

e I lead. Almost any life would be, for that ma

at she was watching him, and turned towards her. Their eyes met in silence, and he smiled, but her face remained grave. He was thinking that this must cer

aused again. 'I would be a

yes flashed like his mother's, a warmer colour rose for one i

Vittoria, almost under her

that she believes him capable of great deeds; and if there is one thing beyond others which leads a woman to love a man, it is her own certainty that he is really superior to those around him

sion she had received, and which had made her speak, and she was far too young and simple to argue with herself about it. And he, on his part, with a good deal of experience behind him and the memory of one older woman's absolute devotion

though trying to throw something off which annoyed him. It was near the end of dinner before the two spoke to each other again, though Vi

ily?' he asked suddenly, not looking at her, but at the sma

d been in a reverie, and her hand disappeared at the same instant. Orsin

Rome,' she answered. 'My brother

cousin San Giacinto abo

es

dreamily so as before, and she seemed to

ed Orsino, encour

ll you. The Marchese wishe

is Cam

s lived so long, while I was in the convent, after my fathe

d, or sorry?' asked Orsino, tho

o be divided among us, they say. And it is half in ruins, an

o lau

ery glad to get rid of it. There is

is name is Ferdinando. No one knows why he is so fond of the place.

sort of a man is you

years. They are afraid of-I m

ed herself in the middle of the sentence, but he had no idea what she had been about to say. Just

this other brother of yours,' observed Orsino, finishing the

r arm a little to take his, though she was not short. Just before them went San Giacinto, darken

d in a very low voice. 'How ve

o, with a short laugh. 'But he has a

d sat down by Orsino in the remote corner where the latter had established himself, with a

ething to do?' h

es

o live in Sici

Japan, if

means that you are not in lo

in for some time, in silence. Orsino met h

e Countess Del Ferice?' a

then looked away as he answered by a cross-question, knocking the

e that?' he inqui

once, and I wished to know whether you had

ino, meeting his cousin's eyes again. 'I go to see the Coun

f I need you, and stay there, an

leasure

it may be in a month. It will be hot there,

h the b

ds in the neighbo

ery amusing. I

You know that your mother will be anxious about you, and your father is a conservative-and your grandfathe

led, for he loved the old man,

e discreet. Ippolito would let himself be torn in pieces rather

think of all these Pagliuca people, or Corleone, or d'Oriani-or whatever they

an the one who married Norba's da

nts, he must have been a partic

e. Well-these boys are his nephews. I do not see that an

so his niece,' observe

ten years amongst devout old women in a convent?' The big man's s

a difference of education,

ling in love with her,' said San Giacinto. 'That worthy mother of

is communicative. She told me, this evening, that you were trying to buy som

ce I want you to manage.

bserved Orsino. 'If she has told me,

to get the land into my possession, without much talk. Do you understand? This place of the Corleone is directly in my line, and is one of the most important, because it is at a point through which I mus

do? Andrea Contini is his name. The houses we built for Del Ferice

ell him to learn something about building small railway stat

ect that a railway in S

m not an

one, if that is not a

d I buy will make it worth while, sev

rmous capital,' said

long periods, and almost to two-thirds of their selling value. The holders of

ll the land is mortgaged for two-thirds of what it is

acinto did

erest on the mortgages, the taxes to the government, and some income to the owners, they starve outright,

increasing almost all over the country,' o

herever railways a

ays for the

tax

eople pay

directly very much enriched by the result. Sometimes a private individual like myself builds a light road. I think that is a source of wealth, in the end, to everyone. But

ry evils in our country,' said

ls, such as brigandage in Sicily, for instance. You can amuse yourself by fighting that one, if you please; thoug

Orsino to meditate upon the prospect