The Torrents Of Spring
The Torrents Of Spring
The Torrents Of Spring
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
XXI<br />
It was quite morning when he fell asleep. And no wonder! In the blast of<br />
that instantaneous summer hurricane, he had almost as instantaneously<br />
felt, not that Gemma was lovely, not that he liked her – that he had<br />
known before … but that he almost … loved her! As suddenly as that<br />
blast of wind, had love pounced down upon him. And then this senseless<br />
duel! He began to be tormented by mournful forebodings. And even<br />
suppose they didn’t kill him… . What could come of his love for this girl,<br />
another man’s betrothed? Even supposing this ‘other man’ was no<br />
danger, that Gemma herself would care for him, or even cared for him<br />
already … What would come of it? How ask what! Such a lovely<br />
creature! …<br />
He walked about the room, sat down to the table, took a sheet of paper,<br />
traced a few lines on it, and at once blotted them out… . He recalled<br />
Gemma’s wonderful figure in the dark window, in the starlight, set all afluttering<br />
by the warm hurricane; he remembered her marble arms, like<br />
the arms of the Olympian goddesses, felt their living weight on his<br />
shoulders… . <strong>The</strong>n he took the rose she had thrown him, and it seemed<br />
to him that its half-withered petals exhaled a fragrance of her, more delicate<br />
than the ordinary scent of the rose.<br />
‘And would they kill him straight away or maim him?’<br />
He did not go to bed, and fell asleep in his clothes on the sofa.<br />
Some one slapped him on the shoulder… . He opened his eyes, and<br />
saw Pantaleone.<br />
‘He sleeps like Alexander of Macedon on the eve of the battle of<br />
Babylon!’ cried the old man.<br />
‘What o’clock is it?’ inquired Sanin.<br />
‘A quarter to seven; it’s a two hours’ drive to Hanau, and we must be<br />
the first on the field. Russians are always beforehand with their enemies!<br />
I have engaged the best carriage in Frankfort!’<br />
Sanin began washing. ‘And where are the pistols?’<br />
‘That ferroflucto Tedesco will bring the pistols. He’ll bring a doctor too.’<br />
Pantaleone was obviously putting a good face on it as he had done the<br />
day before; but when he was seated in the carriage with Sanin, when the<br />
coachman had cracked his whip and the horses had started off at a gallop,<br />
a sudden change came over the old singer and friend of Paduan dragoons.<br />
He began to be confused and positively faint-hearted. Something<br />
seemed to have given way in him, like a badly built wall.<br />
49