Corleone: A Tale of Sicily

of the age, but she possessed exactly the qualifications necessary to fascinate a Roman audience. She was very young, she was undeniably beautiful, and she had what Romans called a 'sympathet

road from Piedimonte to Bronte and Catania, within two hours' ride of Camaldoli, the Corleone place. It is a solemn old walled town, built of almos

was dead, laboured to accumulate a little dowry for his only child. At fifteen years of age, she had returned to live with him, and he had entertained good hopes of marr

suaded old Basili that his daughter had a fortune in her voice and should be allowed to become a singer. He consented after a long struggle, and sent her to Messina to live with a widowed sister of his, and to be taught by an old master of great reputation who had taken up his abode there. Very possibly Basili agreed to this step with a view to removing the girl to a distance from the two brothers,

a time in the town, but he could find an excuse for being longer than that in Messina, and he trusted to his ingenuity to elude the vigilance of the aunt with whom she w

an artist's nature and instincts, and the two young gentlemen were very romantic characters in her eyes, when they rode down from their dilapidated stronghold, on their compact little horses, their beautiful Winchester rifles slung over their shoulders, their velvet coats catching the sunlight, their spurs gleaming, and their broad hats shading their dark eyes. Had there been but one of them, her mind would soon have been made up to make him mar

essful from the first, and she seemed to be on the high road to fame. The young idlers of rich Palermo intrigued to be introduced to her and threw enormous nosegays to her at the end of every act. She found that there were scores of men far handsomer and richer than the Pagliuca brothers, ready to fall

d of buying back the old Corleone estates and of being some day the Princess of Corleone herself. That meant that she must choose Tebaldo, since he was to get the title. And here she hesitated again. She did not realise that Francesco was actually a physical coward and rather a contemptible character altogether; to her he merely seemed gentle and winning, and she thought him much ill used b

f Ferdinando's complicity with the brigands, unless he at once agreed to the sale. Ferdinando might have laughed at the threat had it come from anyone else, but he knew that Tebaldo's thorough acquaintance with the country and with the outlaws' habits would give him a terrible advantage. Tebaldo, if he gave information, could of course never return to Sicily, for his life would not be safe, even in broad daylight, in the Macqueda of Palermo, and it was quite possible that the mafi

be better than a pair of exceedingly corrupt young adventurers. But they both had in a high degree the power of keeping up appearances and of imposing upon their surroundings. Tebaldo was indeed subject to rare fits of anger in which he completely lost control of himself, and when he was capable of goin

f the reputation of being unapproachable to her many admirers. Only Tebaldo and Francesco, whom she now considered as old friend

the theatre to hear her, instead of spending the evening in the society of those very stiff and mighty Romans, and both made up their minds separately that they would see her

and went out alone from under the great gate. He was not yet very familiar with the streets of Rome, but he believed that he knew

his Sicilian home. Presently he looked at his watch, saw that it was eleven o'clock, and made up his mind to find a cab if he could. But that was not an easy matter either, in that part of the city, and it was twenty minutes past eleven when he at last drew up to the stage entrance at the back of the Argentina. A weary, gray, unshaven, and very dirty old man admitted him, looked at his face, took the

nna who had lately made her appearance in Rome, was seated before a dim mirror which stood on a low table covered with appliances for theatrical dre

t, gazing at the little group, his hand on the door. Then he

the streets and am a little late. I thought

ed Aliandra. 'I said that I was no

low them, and on the lids. The young hand she held out to Tebaldo was whitened with a chalky mixture to the tips of the fingers. She was dressed in the flowing white robe which Lucia wears in the mad scene, and the flaring gaslights on each side of the m

,' he said. 'I daresay my brother

d Francesco, quickly. 'I too

plied Tebaldo, coldly. 'How is it going?' he ask

as heavy as lead to-night. I shall not please anyone-and it is th

rightened? You

ight. I am white under

cesco, softly, and his eyes

his shoulders and smiled

true,' answered Alian

e door interrupted

e you ready?' asked a

e young girl, ris

t folded his arms and stood aside. He saw on his brother's dark mousta

' she said. 'My aunt is in the house

ooking intently into her f

would have betrayed her pain, but the terrib

aid to Tebaldo, in a low voice, wh

but kept his eyes s

miss your cue!' cried the

ant, glancing out and then

ut into the passage. 'To-morrow,' she repe

eared, but there was little light, and

the door. Then his

Francesco, quietly, as though unawar

ng him a little. He turned his head, and his face was suddenly pale. Tebaldo kept his hand on his

coming here?' he aske

htened, for he knew Teba

ed to ask. 'I hav

I am in earnest. Because I will do you some har

u let me go,' answered Francesco, wit

her a final shake and then letting him go. 'And wh

esco, adjusting his coll

have warned you again,' he added. 'This is the second tim

ed the younger man, beginn

o her father about a lease, we both heard her singing,-but what has that t

w?' asked Franc

ast Tebaldo towards the

alone before she went to Messina, and since th

iar. It is impossible to believe a word you say, good or bad. I should not believe you if yo

ly unmoved by the insult. 'But you would

I? She is on

oke, and his eyelids drooped at

'I sometimes forget, but you soon remind me of the fact again. You

Francesco. 'I did not

ot argue

ou are in the wrong. I am goin

ut it was not until he was at the back of the stage, groping his way amidst lumb

er the gaslight for a few seconds, and then opened the door of

her here before I cam

trimmed gown which the singer had worn in the previous sce

nswered, not pausing in her work

was not in the humour to believe anyone just then, and aft