Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

164 MILITARY LIFE.
while he was brushing his clothes, said to himself : " That fellow
is working by steam this morning." When he was dressed,
he said :
" Look and see if she is still there." The soldier
opened the window, looked down, and replied in the affirmative.
"What is she doing?" Playing with stones." "Is she
"
"
looking up?" "No." Is she directly in front of the door
or at one side ?" "At one side." "I can escape from her,"
and down he went. But the sound of his sword betrayed him.
" "
Good-morning, good-morning
! shouted the girl, running up
the stairs to meet him, and when she was near him, she kneeled
down, drew out a handkerchief, and, seizing him with the other
hand, began dusting his boots in the greatest haste, murmuring
as she did so : "
Wait, wait, one moment more, a little
patience, my dear ;
one moment more, ah ! that 's it,
now you
are all right."
" Carmela !
" exclaimed the officer severely, as he attempted
in vain to free his leg from her little hand ;
" Carmela !
"
When he was at liberty he hurried off on a run.
" But is there really no way of restoring her reason " ? he
asked of the doctor soon afterward.
" Ah !
" the latter replied,
"
perhaps so ;
with time and patience
. . ."
VI.
After a month the doctor and lieutenant were very great
friends. The similarity of their characters and ages, and, more
than all, their constant intercourse from morning until night in
a place where it
might be said there were no other young men
of their position, resulted in the fact that they grew to know
each other intimately and to be as fond of one another as old
friends. But during that month one of them, the officer, had