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

56 MILITARY LIFE.
juvenated,
around him.
and was almost seized with the desire to dance
She approached him, then moved off, returned to
his side, and devoured him with her eyes. She placed her
hands on his shoulders, and let them fall down the arm until
they reached his hands ; put her face close to his breast in order
to see the buttons ;
then noticing that she had dulled the
cross on his belt with her breath, she rubbed it with the hem of
her apron ;
finally, after having looked and looked again at him
for some time, she threw her arms around him once more, calling
him lovingly by name as she did so. Then she suddenly let go
of him, and asked " "
anxiously
: And the war ? The son
smiled. She repeated
:
" And the war ? Tell me, my son,
when are you going to war ? " " Oh, heavens ! who has been
talking to you about the war, good woman that you are ? "
" Oh, there is n't any war, then ?
" she asked, quite content.
" You will never go to war, will you ? Never again ? "
can't say never again, my dear." " Oh, then, you are going !
tell me the truth, my son." " My good mother, what do you
suppose we soldiers know about it ? " " But if
you who go
don't know," the mother replied in that tone of profound persuasion,
" who can, then "
?
Having said which, she stood still
awaiting his reply
with such a curious expression of face and form, with
such a charmingly pleasing smile on her lips, and a certain
ineffable light
in her eyes, that her son, smiling too, was
almost entranced in looking at her ;
and she pleased him
so much at that moment, he felt such a new and strong impulse
drawing him to her in his heart, that he sprang toward
her with one bound, pressed her head between his hands, kissed
her, shook her playfully as they do children, and placing
his
"I