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

DEPARTURE AND RETURN. 321
down the staircase. At that same moment she uttered a long,
heart-breaking cry : " Alberto ! Alberto !
seen me fall over a precipice.
"
as if she had
I heard, while going down, the others, who had run forward,
a confused sound of voices ; my soldier, among others, who
said: "Courage, madame ;
I will always keep near him ;
that
I promise you ! "
a last, faint cry of " Alberto !
. . . the despairing sobs of my mother,
" and then nothing more.
In hurriedly crossing the court, I
met the four grandchildren
of the old man, who were returning from school ; I stopped
them, and covered them with kisses :
" Oh, you are suffocating
" shouted the frightened little girl.
me !
" Mr. Lieutenant, if you had seen " exclaimed my ! soldier,
joining me with his handkerchief at his eyes.
" Be quiet
!
" I shouted.
And we hurried through
the street.
II.
When I reached the barracks it was almost dark. The companies
were already armed and drawn up in line in the court.
Outside, there was an indescribable confusion ;
the street was
crowded with people, and illuminated with torches by a large
number of the students of the University the door of the
;
quarters was filled with officers, around whom were a multitude
of mothers, sisters, and small brothers, who wished to enter,
"
and who were weeping and begging with clasped hands : Let
"
us see him once more, one moment only, only for a word !
And the officer of the guard kept pushing them back, shouting
and begging too :
" Do me the favor to draw back and leave
the space open we cannot
;
allow you to enter it is forbidden
;
;