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

DEPARTURE AND RETURN. 327
pening at home, in order not to sadden you ; I pray for you
. . ." The rest is
incomprehensible. There is a postscript
which begins: "O Alberto!" and then there is nothing
more. I see several curves traced by the son, which at first
sight might be taken for islands ;
but I fancy he intended to
draw lines around the tears of his mother, and so these figures
were the result.
Here I find a page entitled :
" That which follows the 28th
of June." It says :
"
My mother was seated at the dining-table ;
in front of her
was a young fellow, the son of our Neapolitan friend, and by
her side my old papa. On the centre of the table was a topographical
map.
" '
Rest assured, dear madam,' said the young man, ' the
Cugia division cannot have taken part in the battle ;
that is
evident.'
" '
Oh,
. . .
yes evident !
'
exclaimed my mother, shaking
her head and passing one hand over her tear-stained eyes.
'
Yes, I believe it; but what is the use of my saying
it ? The
map proves it look at it. Oh the !
; Cugia division passed by,'
etc. (she pressed and shook each finger of the left hand be-
'
tween the thumb and forefinger of the right), and it is impossible
that it should have been there at the moment in which
Oh, it passed by another road, and in this case it is
not admissible that it could have arrived in time. Finally,
this is the last, it
passed behind the division on its left, and if
this is true, it is beyond any doubt, quite clear and indisputable,
that it passed beyond the battle-field. Do you not think
so, Engineer ? '
" The old man, without having understood one word, replied
:
'
Oh, certainly.'