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

CARMELA. 179
And she tried to embrace the officer again, while calling him
by the usual names.
" It produces no effect," thought the latter, shaking his
head.
" You must say
it many times," whispered the doctor.
" Let
us wait until a little later."
And off they went, after speaking severely to Carmela, so
that she would not follow them.
The supper was fixed for the following evening.
That same
evening Carmela went, as was her custom, and seated herself
before the officer's door. The latter, on returning home, took
her up stairs, where the orderly, according to orders, had
turned every thing upside down as if the departure were really
to take place.
The little table, chairs, and sofa were covered
with linen, clothes, books, and papers, flung here and there, and
in the centre of the room were two open trunks, in which the
soldier had begun to place the clothing.
Carmela made a movement of surprise at the first sight of
the disorder, and looked smilingly into the officer's face.
" I am preparing to go away," said the officer.
Carmela looked around the room again, knitting her brows
as she did so ;
a thing she was not in the habit of doing. The
officer watched her closely.
" I am going away, far away from here ;
I am going on the
steamship."
" Are you going on the steamship ? "
" Yes ... I am going to-morrow evening.
" To-morrow evening," repeated Carmela mechanically, and
seeing the guitar on a chair, she touched a string with one finger
and made it sound.