When it withdrew all was in
darkness. The black mass of boats floated on, soundless again, save for
an occasional plash of water or the hoarse cry of a gondolier--and in
the distance the wail for Eurydice.
Kitty fell back in her seat. An excitement, from which she shrank in a
kind of terror, possessed her. Her thoughts were wholly absorbed by the
gondola and the figure she could no longer distinguish--for which,
whenever a group of lamps threw their reflections on the water, she
searched the canal in vain. If what she madly dreamed were true, had she
herself been seen--and recognized?
The serenata in honor of Italy's beautiful princess duly made its way to
the Grand Canal. The princess came to her balcony, while the "Jewel
Song" in "Faust" was being sung below, and there was a demonstration
which echoed from palace to palace and died away under the arch of the
Rialto. Then the gondolas dispersed. That of Lady Kitty Ashe had some
difficulty in making its way home against a force of wind and tide
coming from the lagoon.
* * * * *
Kitty was apparently asleep when Ashe returned. He had sat late with his
hosts--men prominent in the Risorgimento and in the politics of the new
kingdom--discussing the latest intricacies of the Roman situation and
the prospects of Italian finance.
Pages:
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496