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

1 82 MILITARY LIFE.
The door opened and the syndic, judge, and all the others
who had met at the cafe", entered smiling and bowing. While
the officer was welcoming them, and thanking now one, now
the other, the doctor whispered a word in the ear of the orderly,
who stood motionless in a corner, and he disappeared. A
moment later, without any one's noticing it,
he returned with
Carmela, and both of them passing close to the wall on tip-toe,
entered the other room.
" Let us be seated," said the officer.
All took their places. The noise of the moving
chairs and
that " Oh !
"
long and blissful, uttered by the gourmets
when sitting
down at table, did not allow them to hear a slight noise
made by the orderly in holding back Carmela, who, exclaiming :
" I have not seen him
" for a whole day had opened the door
!
and attempted to dash toward the officer. The orderly held
her back, placed a chair near the door, made her sit down ;
then opened the shutters enough to leave a space as wide as your
hand, and she placed her face to the aperture
and stood looking
on. None of the guests turned in that direction, no one
looked then or later, and Carmela made no other movement.
Little by little the confused clatter of forks, knives, glasses,
and plates, and laughter and discordant voices that tried to overpower
their neighbors', began to increase. All save the doctor
and officer were eating with the best appetite in the world,
and tippling gayly. They began by giving the loudest praises
to the discipline, virtue, valor, and courtesy of the soldiers,
corporals, and sergeants of the detachment then
; they enlarged
upon the choice quality of the wines and viands ;
then talked
of the weather, which was very fine, an enchanting night,
and of the voyage, which ought to be delightful ;
then discussed