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

CARMELA. 185
These were the words and music, and every thing round
"
about was exactly the same as on that night. Bravo !
"
Good !
repeated all the guests. The officer fell back, as if
exhausted, upon his chair ;
all
began to shout ;
Carmela was as
immovable as a statue, and kept her eye steadily fastened on
the officer's face. The doctor looked at her out of the corner
of his eye.
" " Silence ! shouted the lieutenant. All stopped, and, the
window being open, they heard the gay music of flutes and
violins down in the square together with the noise of a crowd
of people.
They were the ten or twelve musicians of the place,
surrounded by a great portion of the population, who thought
the detachment was really going.
Carmela stirred, and turned toward the window.
Her face
began to grow gently animated, and her great eyes to move
restlessly from the window to the lieutenant, from the latter
the guests, and back again to the window, as if she wished to
hear the music well and at the same time not to lose the slightest
movement made by
all those people.
When the music ceased, a great part of the crowd began
clapping their hands, as they had done on the same occasion
three years before.
At this point the orderly advanced hurriedly
:
"Lieutenant, the ship is waiting."
The lieutenant rose to his feet, saying aloud :
" I must go."
Carmela rose softly too, keeping her eyes fastened upon him
and slowly moving the chair.
All the guests stood up and pressed around the lieutenant.
At that same instant Carmela's mother appeared, entered the
to