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

25O
MILITARY LIFE.
so, if you were to say no, I should grow ill from sorrow. But,
come now, do not be so despairing. If you had not returned
from the war, if I (here she pressed her lips together)
if God
had sent me the misfortune of losing you, do you think I would
ever have taken any one in your place No ? ! not even if the
king had come. Now,
listen; if before I loved you with all my
soul, now (saying which she covered her face with her apron
and began to weep), now I would fall on my knees before you."
And she slipped down from her chair and fell on her knees
before him, who, quite beside himself with joy,
in broken
groans, inarticulate sounds, and more with the animated expression
of face which bore the divine imprint of the thought,
and with a convulsive movement of the hands, tried to say one
word, only one word ;
but he had not breath enough to do so,
and went on trying, trying, until three times came a sonorous,
" "
deep, vehement : Oh, thanks ! thanks ! thanks !
Then he seized her by the arm and tried to raise her.
"
no ! she replied in a resolute tone, in which one
" No !
could hear all the force of her girlish love ;
" let me remain
like this, I wish to stay so " ; and, drying her eyes, she went on
excitedly :
"
We will always live together. I will not go to work in the
fields any more ;
I will stay all day near you ;
I will never
leave you alone for a moment ;
I will work in the house beside
you, just as we now are. But what is the matter, Carlo, that
you are crying so hard? Tell me I love you so well what
"
is the matter ?
" But," replied the poor fellow, in a timid and trembling
"
voice, " and I . . . ?
" And you ? . . .
Well, what do you mean by that ? Tell
me every thing, Carlo."