WEBVTT

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Part one, Chapter one of our
own set. This is a libovox according

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all libervoxycordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,

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please visit librevox dot org. Recording
by Caroline, our own set by Ossib

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Shubin, translated by Clara Belle.
Part one the Carnival Chapter one. At

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Rome in eighteen seventy, Roman society
was already divided into Lemonte Noir and Le

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mont Blanc, which as yet gave
no sign of amalgation into a Mont Greece.

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His Holiness the Pope had entrenched himself
in the Vatican behind his prestige of

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martyrdom, and the King already held
his court at the Quirinal. Among the

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distinguished Austrians who were spending the winter
in Rome were the otso Ilsenbergsto Wilsenberg,

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one of the leading members of the
Austrian feudal aristocracy, was in Rome,

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professedly for his health, but in
reality solely in order to avail himself of

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the resources of the Vatican Library in
compiling that work of the history of miracle,

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which she has lately given to the
world under a quaint pseudonym. He

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and his wife with a troop of
red haired Elsenberg's big and little inhabited a

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straggling historical palazzo on the corso,
with a glassial stone staircase and vast drawing

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rooms which looked more fit for the
meeting of conspirators than for innocent tea drinkings

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and dances. The contest was at
home every evening, when there was no

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better amusement to be had. She
was by birth a Princess Auerstein of the

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Auerstein Soling branch, in which,
as we all know, the women are

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remarkable for their white eyebrows and their
strict morality. The Ilsenberg salon was much

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frequented. The prevailing tone was by
no means formal smoking was allowed in the

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drawing room. Nay, the Countess
herself smoked. To be precise, she

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smoked regalias. It was in the
beginning of December, a wet evening,

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and the heavy drops splashed against the
window panes. Count Ilsenberg was sitting in

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an immense reception room decorated with frescoes, at a bull table, evidently constructed

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for no more arduous duties than the
evolution of love letters. He was absorbed

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in the concoction of an article of
our times, a paper of strictly aristocratic

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conservative tendencies, patronized by himself,
taken in by his fellow aristocrats, read

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by absolutely no one except the liberal
newspaper writers. When in search of reactionary

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perversities. Count Elsenbag was in great
trouble. The Austrian ministry had crowned their

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distinguished achievements by one even more distinguished. For the fourth time within three years,

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a new era was announced, and
in defiance of prejudice, is big

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and span liberal ministry was being composed, destined, no doubt to establish the

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prosperity of the Austrian people on a
permanent basis, and beyond a doubt,

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to cause a fresh importation of excellencies
into the fashionable salons of the Ringstrasse.

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At Vienna, Count Elsenberg was prophesizing
the end of all things. The contest

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was sitting at her ease on a
sofa close to the fireplace with its Renaissance

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chimeras of White Mars. The handsomest
editions of the works of Ampere and Mumsen

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lay on the tables. But she
held on her lap a ragged volume of

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a novel from a circulating library She
was a tall, fair woman with a

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high color and apricot colored hair,
a languid figure, slender extremities, and

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significant features. She spoke French and
German alike with a strong Viennese accent,

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dressed fashionably and moved awkwardly. Still. No one who knew what was what

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could fail to see that she was
a lady and an aristocrat. At all

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court functions, she was an imposing
figure. She never stumbled over her train

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and wore the family diamonds with stately
indifference. The portierre was lifted and General

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von Klinger was announced. General von
Klinger was an old Austrian soldier whose good

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fortune had been to he have an
opportunity of distinguishing himself with his cavalry at

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Sadoa, after which, righteously wroth
at the national disaster, he had laid

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down his sword and retired with his
general's rank, to devote himself wholly to

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painting. Even as a soldier,
he had enjoyed a reputation as a genius

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and had covered himself with glory by
the way in which he would sketch with

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his gold cased pencil on the back
of an old letter or a visiting card

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a galloping horse and jockey bending over
its mane, a work of art,

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especially admired for the rapidity with which
it was executed. Since then he had

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studied out in Paris, had three
times had his pictures refused at the Salon,

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and had succeeded in persuading himself that
this was a distinction in which he

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found a parallel in Rousseau de Lacroix
and fifty fellow victims who had been obliged

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to submit to a similar abouf.
Then he had come to Rome an unappreciated

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genius, and had established himself in
a magnificent studio in the Piazza Navona,

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which he threw open to the public
every day from three till five, and

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which became a popular rendezvous for the
fashionable world. They laughed at the old

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soldier's artistic pretensions, but they could
not laugh at him. He was,

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in every sense of the word,
a gentleman, like many an old bachelor

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who cherishes the memory of an unsuccessful
love affair in early life. He covered

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a sentimental vein by abiding tongue.
A pessimist idealist perhaps describes him. He

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was handsome and upright, with a
stiffly starched shirt color and romantic dark eyes,

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a thorough old soldier and a favorite
with all the fine ladies of Roman

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society. It is very nice of
you to have thought of us, said

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the Countess, greeting him heartily.
It is dreadful weather too, Come and

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warm yourself. The count looked up
from his writing. How are you,

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General, he said, and then
went on with his article, adding,

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such an old friend as you are, will allow me to go on with

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my work only a few lines,
half a dozen words. These are grave

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times when every man must hold his
own in the ranks, and the forlorn

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hope of the feudal course dipped his
pen and the ink with a sigh.

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The General begged him not to disturb
himself. The Countess said a few words

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about some musical soiree, and presently
her husband ended his page with an emphatic

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flourish, exclaiming that will give them
something to think about, and came to

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join them by the fire. A
carriage was heard to draw up in the

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street. That may be Tryne.
He arrived yesterday, observed the Countess,

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and Count Trine was in fact announced. Erich Trene was at that time a

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man of rather more than thirty,
with her prematurely gray and a glance of

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frosty and deference. People said he
had been niced, for he always looked

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as though he had been frozen to
the marrow in sublime superiority. His frigid

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exterior had won him a reputation for
excessive pride and totally belight the man.

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He was an uncommonly kind and noble
hearted soul, and what passed for pride

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was merely the shrinking of a sensitive
nature which had now and again exposed itself

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to ridicule, perhaps by some outburst
of high flown idealism, and which now

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sought only to hide its sanctuary from
the desecration of the multitude. Ah troyne

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at last, and how are you, cried the count as, with sincere

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pleasure, much as ever, replied
train. And where is your wife,

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asked Elzenburg. I do not know. Is she still at Nice? I

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do not know. And as he
spoke, his expression was colder and more

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set than before. Are you to
be longing in rome? Said the Countess,

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anxious to divert the conversation into a
more pleasing channel. As long as

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my little companion likes and it suits
her, answered Tryne. His little companion

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always meant his only child, a
girl of about twelve. You must bring

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Gabrielle to see me very soon,
said the lady. My Mimi and Linchey

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are of the same age. I
will bring her as soon as possible.

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Unluckily, she is so very shy
she cannot bear strange as. But she

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has quite lost her heart to the
General and to our cousins. Sampali,

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what's nikki? Exclaimed the Countess.
Do you mean that he has the patience

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to devote himself to children. He
has a peculiar talent for it. He

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dined with us to day. He
is an unaccountable creature, sighed the Countess.

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He hardly ever comes near us at
this moment. A quick step was

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heard outside, and count Simpali was
announced. Loupo Sinfabula remarked. Elzenberg.

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The newcomer was a young man of
eight or nine and twenty, not tall,

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but powerfully though slightly built. His
remarkably handsome, well cut features and

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clear brown complexion were beautified by a
most engaging smile and by fine blue eyes

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with dark lashes and shaded lids.
Under cover of that smile, he could

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say the most audacious things, and
whether the glance of those eyes were a

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lightning flash or his sunbeam, no
one had ever been quite certain. He

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gallantly kissed the tips of the Countess's
fingers, nodded to them in with a

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sort of brusque heartiness, and then
seated himself on a cushion at the lady's

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feet. Well, it is a
mercy to be allowed to see you at

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last. You really do not come
often enough, Nicki, and in society

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I hardly ever meet you, complained
the Countess, in a tone of kindly

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reproof. Why do you so seldom
appear in the respectable world? Because he

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is better amused in the other world, said Elzenbeck, with a giggle in

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an undertone, But a reproachful glance
from his wife warned him to be sober.

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I simply have not the time for
it, said simply, half laughing.

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I have too much to do.
Too much to do, said Struyne,

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with his quiet irony in diplomacy,
what is the latest news? A

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remarkable article in the tons on the
great washing basin question, replied simply,

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with mock gravity. The washing basin
question, replied, the others, puzzled

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yes, continued simply, the state
of affairs is this when not long since

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the young Duke of b was required
to serve under the conscription. His feelings

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were deeply hurt by the fact that
he had not only to live in barracks,

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but to wash at the pomp like
a common soldier. This so outraged

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his mamma that she went to the
Minister of War to petition that her son

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might have a separate washing basin.
But after serious discussion, her application was

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refused. It was decided that this
separate washing basin would be a brain.

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Which of the immortal principles of eighty
nine it is hardly credible, observed troyne

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Ilsenberg. Shrugged his shoulders, and
the contest innocently asked, what are the

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immortal principles of eighty nine? A
sort of ideal convention between the aristocracy and

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the Canalier said simply, coolly,
or, if you prefer it, the

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first steps towards the amplication of privilege
at the feet of the higher humanity,

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he added with a smile. The
Countess was no wiser than before, simply

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laughed maliciously as he fanned himself with
a Japanese screen and Ilsenberg said, then

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you are a democrat, simply from
a bird's eide point of view, added

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Treyne dryly. He had not much
faith in his cousin's liberalism. I am

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always a democrat when I have just
been reading The Dark Ages, said simply.

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The Dark Ages was the name he
chose to give to Uzenbeg's newspaper.

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Besides joking apart, I am really
illiberal, though I own I am uneasy

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at the growing power of the radicals. By the bye, I had nearly

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forgotten to give you two items of
news that will delight you, Fritzi,

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addressing the Countess, the Rats have
won all the Paris elections, and at

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Madrid they have been shooting at the
king. Horrible, exclaimed the Countess,

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and she shuddered. We shall see
the Commune again before long ninety three,

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said Tryne, with his tone of
dry irony. We really ought to draw

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a cordon around the Austrian throne to
protect it against the pestilential flot of democracy,

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said simply, very gravely, E
Sinberg, you must petition the Upper

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House. Your jokes are very much
out of place, said the Countess.

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The matter is serious. Oh no, not for us, said Troyne.

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Our people are too long suffering.
They are sound at the corps, interrupted

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Elsinbeg with a dramatic emphasis. They
do not yet know the meaning of liberty,

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said simply laughing. And to them
equality is a mere abstraction, a

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metaphysical delicacy. They are thoroughly good
and loyal, exclaimed Elsenburg. And they

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know, oh, cried simply,
they know very little. And that is

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your safeguard. When once their eyes
are opened, your life will cease to

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be secure. If I had been
a bricklayer, I should certainly have been

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a socialist. And he crossed his
arms and looked defiantly at his audience.

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A socialist, cried, ilsenbech indignantly. You no, you could not have

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been a socialist. Your religious feelings
would have preserved you from such wickedness.

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Huh, replied simply suspiciously, And
Tryne said, with a twist off his

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lips, as a bricklayer simply might
not have been so religious. He might

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have found some difficulty in worshiping a
good who had treated him so scurvily.

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Hush, Trayne exclaimed, simply,
somewhat anxiously to his cousin. You know

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I dislike all such discussions. True, I remember you were Catholic blinkers and

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are always nervous about your beliefs,
and you would not like to feel any

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doubt as to the unlimited prolongation of
your comfortable little existence, said Trayne,

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in a tone of grave and languid
banter, for simply was not burthened with

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religion, though like many folks to
whom life is easy, he clung desperately

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to a hope of a future life, for which reason he affected Catholic blinkers,

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and would not have opened a page
of Strauss for the world. The

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sword is at our breast, sighed
the Countess, still sunk in dark forebodings,

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this new ministry, and she shook
her head. It will do no

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harm beyond producing a few dreary articles
in the papers and in undating us with

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new acts, which the Crown will
not trouble itself about for a moment.

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Observed simply the Austrian mobile gnashing their
teeth already, said the lady. Nonsense.

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The Austrian mob is a very good
dog at bottom. It will not

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bite you till you forbid it to
lick your hands, said her cousin.

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Calmly, I should dislike one as
much as the other, said the Countess,

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looking complacently at her slender white fingers. But tell Usniki, asked Elsenberg,

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has not the change of ministry put
a stop to your chances of promotion?

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Simply? Was in fact an apprentice
in the Roman branch of the Great

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Austrian political incubator, of course,
replied simply. I had hoped to be

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sent to London as secretary, But
to one of our secretaries here is to

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go to England, and the Democrats
are sending us one of their own proteges

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in his place. My chief told
me so this morning. Oh who is

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your new secretary, asked the Countess, much interested. If he is a

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protege of those creatures, you must
be a terrible specimen. Here is one

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Schtetzel, and highly recommended. He
comes from Teheran, where he has distinguished

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himself greatly, said simply Stetzel,
replied Elsenberg scornfully. Stetzel cried the lady

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in disgust. It is to be
hoped he has no wife that would crown

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all. On that point, I
can reassure you, said the general Schdatzel

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is unmarried. You know him,
murmured the Countess, slightly abashed. He

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is the son of one of my
dearest friends, a fellow officer replied the

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General. And if he has grown
up as he promised, he must be

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a man of talent and character.
His abilities were brilliant. That is something

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at any rate isnbeg condescended to say. Yes, so it strikes me,

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added simply, we require one man
who knows what work means. It was

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promised that my nephew should have the
appointment, muttered the Countess. It is

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disgusting, utterly said simply, with
a whimsical intonation. A foreign element is

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always intrusive. We we are much
more comfortable among ourselves. Tea was now

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brought in on a Japanese table,
and the Secretary and his inferior birth were

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for the time forgotten. And of
chapter one, Part one, Chapter two

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of Our Own set by Subshubin,
translated by Clara Belle. This Liberox recording

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is in the public domain recording by
Carolyn Part one Chapter two simply was not

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merely affecting the Democrat to annoy his
cousin the Countess. He firmly believed himself

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to be a liberal because he laughed
at conservatism and regarded the nobility as a

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time on its structure, a relic
of the past, like the Pyramids,

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only not quite so perdurable. But
in spite of his theoretical respect for the

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rights of man and his satirical contempt
for the claims of privilege, simply was

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really less tolerant than his cousin of
the dark ages. Ilsenberg, with all

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his feudal crotchets, was an aristocrat
only from a sense of fitness, while

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Sempaly was an aristocrat by instinct.
Ilsenberg's pride of rank was an affair of

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party and dignity. Sampalice was a
matter of superfine nerves. A few days

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after this conversation, Sempaly met the
General and told him that the new secretary

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had arrived, adding with a smile, I do not think he will do

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Why not, asked the General.
He speaks very bad French and he knows

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nothing about bric a brac, replied
simply, with perfect gravity. I introduced

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him yesterday to Madame de Gondries,
and he had hardly turned his back when

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she asked me she is the daughter
of a leather cella at lil you know,

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is he a man of family?
And would you believe it? I

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could not tell her. That is
the sort of thing I never know.

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Then he added, with a singular
smile. His name is cecil cecil Maria,

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cecil Maria Schtetzel. It sounds well, do you not think, cecil

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Maria. It was a ridiculous name, and ill suited the man. His

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father had been an officer of dragoons
who had retired early to become a country

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gentleman, the dearest dream of the
retired officer. His mother was a faded

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freuleinfon who had all her linen,
not merely for her trousseau, but all

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she ever purchased, marked with her
coronet, who stuck up a flag on

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the turret of their little country house
with her arms, and insisted on being

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a dress as barness, which she
never had been by all her acquaintance.

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When within a year of her marriage
she became the mother of a fine boy,

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it was a burning question what his
name should be. Cecil Maria lisped

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the lady. Nonsense. The boy
shall be called Anthony, after his grandfather,

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said his father, and the mother
burst into tears. What man can

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resist the tears of the mother of
his first born. The child was christened

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Cecil. His father died at the
early age of forty. His youngest child,

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a girl whom he worshiped, was
dangerously ill of scarlet fever, and

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he fell a victim to his devotion
to her. Cecil was at that time

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a pretty but rather delicate boy,
with an intense contempt for the French language

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which his cister, this governess,
tried to instill into him, and a

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pronounced preference for the society of the
stable lads and peasant boys. The baroness

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was always complaining that he was dirty
and did not care to keep his hands

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white. The guardianship of the orphans
devolved on General Stetze, their father's elder

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brother, who honestly did his best
for them, managing their little fortune with

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care and conscientiously directing their education.
After a brief but keen inspection of the

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clever, spoilt boy, of his
silly mother and of his cringing tutor,

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he shrugged his shoulders over this country
gentleman's life and placed the lad in the

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Teresianum, a college which, in
the estimation of every Austrian officer, is

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the first educational establishment in the world, provided that is to say that he

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himself was not brought up there.
During the first last six months, Cecil

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was boundlessly miserable. All his life
long till now he had been accustomed to

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be the first, and it was
hard suddenly to find himself last. Although

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his abilities were superior, his neglected
education placed him far below most of his

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companions. And besides this, he
was, as it happened, the only

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boy not of noble birth in this
fashionable college, with the exception of a

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young terre Leese whose descent was illegitimate. Though he nevertheless was always boasting of

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his family. Then his companions laughed
at his provincial accent, at his want

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of strength, and at his queer
name. We all have an our turn

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hat to submit to this rough jesting. He could not, for a long

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time get accustomed to it, and
during the first half year he incessantly plagued

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his mother and guardian to release him
from what he called a prison, but

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there remained deaf to his entreatees.
The visible outcome when Cecil went home for

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the summer holidays was a very subdued
frame of mind and nicely kept long white

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nails. The next term began with
his giving a sound thrashing to the odious

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Tyrrelles, who board the whole school. With his endless bragging and ass this

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made him immensely popular. Then he
began to work in earnest. His masters

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praised his industry, and his complaints
ceased. Had the subtle poison of pretentious

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vanity which infected the whole college crept
into his veins, had he begun to

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find a charm in hearing mass read
on Sundays and high days by a bishop,

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to be waited on by servants and
livery, to learn to dance from

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the same teacher who gave lessons at
court, and to call the titled youth

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of the Empire do it is difficult
to say. He seemed perfectly indifferent to

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all these privileges, and assumed no
airs or affectations. His pride was of

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a fierce at temper. He finished
his education by learning Eastern languages, passed

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brilliantly, and still aided by his
uncle, went in for diplomacy. He

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was sent to an Asiatic capital,
which was just then undergoing a visitation of

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cholera and revolution. There again he
distinguished himself and was decorated with the Order

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of the Iron Crown. One thing
was soon evident to everyone in Rome.

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The new Secretary was not a man
whose character could be summed up in an

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epigram. There was nothing commonplace so
pretty in the man externally, who was

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tall and broad shoulders, with a
well set carriage that gave him the air

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of a soldier in mufty. His
hair was brown and close cropped, and

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his features sharply cut in manner,
he was awkward, but perfectly well bred,

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unpretentious and simple. The Ambassador's verdict
on the new Secretary was very different

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from Saintpalice. He is my best
worker, said his excellency. A wonderful

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00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:26.240
worker and a long head, extraordinarily
capable, but not pliant enough. Not

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pliant enough. Nor was it only
with his superiors that he found favor.

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The younger officials with whom he came
in contact were soon on the best terms

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with him. He had one peculiarity, very rare in men who take life

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so seriously as he did. He
never quibbled. The embassy at Rome at

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that time swarmed to such an extent
with hintsome fashionable idlers that the Palazzo di

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Vinizia was like a superior school for
fine ladies with mus starshis as sempalyiaptly said

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00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:10.200
Stiezze looked on at their feeble doings
with indulgent good humor. It was impossible

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to hope for any definite views or
action from these young gentlemen. It would

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00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:18.599
have been as wise to try to
make butterflies do the work of ants.

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He himself was always ready to make
good their neglect, and gave them every

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liberty for their amusements. He wished
to work to make his mark. That

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was his business. To frett away
life and enjoy themselves was theirs. Thus

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00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:42.359
they agreed to admiration. But though
his subultants were soon his devoted allies,

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society at large was still disposed to
offer him a cold shoulder. His predecessor

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in office had never pretended to do
anything noteworthy as a diplomatist, but he

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had been an admirable Waltzer, and
which was even more important, he had

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not disdained that social diversion. Consequently, he had been a favorite with the

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ladies of Rome, who loudly bewailed
his departure and were not cordial to his

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successor. Stetzel took no pains to
fill his place. He had no trace

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of that obsequious politeness and superficial amiability
which make a man popular in general society.

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His blunt conscientiousness and quite pedantic frankness
of speech were displeasing on first acquaintance.

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In a drawing room, he commonly
stood silently observant, or if he

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spoke, he said exactly what he
thought, and expected the same sincerity from

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00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:48.519
others. He could never be brought
to understand that the flattery and subterfuge usual

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in company were merely a degenerate form
of love for your neighbor. That the

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uncompromising truthfulness that he required must result
in universal warfare, That the limit line

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between sincerity and rudeness, between deference
and hypocrisy, have never been rigidly defined.

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That the naked truth is as much
out of place in a drawing room

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as a man in his shirt slaves. And that, considering the defects and

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deformities of our souls, we cannot
be too thankful that custom prohibits their being

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displayed without a decent amount of clothing. Merciful heaven, What should we see

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00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:36.920
if they were laid bare? No
we cannot live without lying. A man

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who is used to society demands that
it should tell lies. It is his

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00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:45.319
right and a courtesy to which he
has every claim. When a man finds

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00:31:45.400 --> 00:31:51.440
that society no longer thinks him worth
lying to his part is played out,

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00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:56.400
and he had better vanish from the
scene in short sheets, let no sort

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of success with women. They dubbed
him by the nickname of Le Paison du

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00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:07.599
Danube. Men respected him, They
only regretted that he had so many extravagant

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00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:15.079
notions, particularly a morbid touchiness as
to matters of honor. However, that

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00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:20.319
tis a fault which men do not
seriously disapprove of. To shettle himself,

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00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:23.200
it was a matter of entire indifference
what was said of him by people who

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00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:28.759
were not his personal friends. For
a friend, he would go through fire

335
00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:32.000
and water. But he would often
neglect even to bow to an acquaintance in

336
00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:37.000
the street as he walked on straight
to his destination. His hit full of

337
00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:43.720
grand schemes. He was fully determined
to make his mark, to do,

338
00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:57.279
perhaps to become something great. But
end of chapter two, Part one,

339
00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:01.079
Chapter three of Our Own set by
Ossip Sue been translated by Clara Belle.

340
00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:07.480
This Liberox according is in the public
domain recording by Carolyn, Part one,

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Chapter three. Princess Vulpini, who
had not escaped the fashionable complaint the Morbus

342
00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:22.079
Schlimannianzes, had found a treasure no
further off than in an old clothes shop

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in the Via Aracoeli, where she
had bought two wonderful shields from designs.

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She was assured of Benvenuto Cellini's and
a fragment of tapestry said to have been

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designed by Rafael, and she had
invited a few intimate friends tren Sempali,

346
00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:50.480
Vanklinger and Count Zigburg in Austria Natache
to give their opinion as to the genuineness

347
00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:54.920
of her find. She was Trene's
sister and a few years younger than he.

348
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She had met Prince Volpini at Vshi
when spent a season there with her

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invalid father, and soon afterwards had
married him. And now for twelve years

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she had lived in Rome, loving
it well, though she never ceased a

351
00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:16.239
railing at it for sundry and conveniences, was always singing the praises of Vienna,

352
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and would have all her shopping done
for her at home. Because she

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was convinced that nothing was to be
had in Rome but photographs, antiques,

354
00:34:25.639 --> 00:34:32.679
and wax matches. The company had
just finished a lively dinner, throughout which

355
00:34:32.760 --> 00:34:38.440
they had unanimously abused the new Italian
Ministry. But with the arrival of the

356
00:34:38.519 --> 00:34:45.280
coffee and cigarettes, they turned to
the consideration of the Princess's antiques, which

357
00:34:45.400 --> 00:34:50.800
she had spread out on the floor
for inspection. The gentlemen threw themselves on

358
00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:55.039
all fours to examine the arras and
the shields, and pronounced their verdict with

359
00:34:55.239 --> 00:35:01.920
conscientious frankness. No one, it
seemed to was thoroughly convinced of the authenticity

360
00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:07.119
of the treasures, but the contesse
Marie Charlingen, a lady who had been

361
00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:13.880
for some few weeks in romas the
Princess's guest. All the others had doubts.

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The most vigorous skeptic of them all
was Count Zikburg, who, to

363
00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:23.440
be sure, was the one who
knew least of such matters, but who

364
00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:35.320
nevertheless spoke of electrotype casts and modern
imitations with supreme decisiveness. Whips or more

365
00:35:35.400 --> 00:35:43.079
correctly wiprecht. Zikburg was the spoiled
child of the Austrian circle. I doubt

366
00:35:43.159 --> 00:35:47.679
whether he could have invented gunpowder,
have discovered America, or have proved that

367
00:35:47.760 --> 00:35:52.760
the earth goes round. But for
a worky day company, he was certainly

368
00:35:52.880 --> 00:36:00.639
pleasanter than Schwartz, Columbus or Galileo. He had been attached to the embassy

369
00:36:00.719 --> 00:36:04.960
with no hopes of his finding a
career, but simply to get him away

370
00:36:04.960 --> 00:36:10.079
from Vienna, where his debts had
at last become inconveniently heavy. His widowed

371
00:36:10.199 --> 00:36:16.119
mother, after much meditation, had
hit upon this admirable plan for checking her

372
00:36:16.159 --> 00:36:22.199
son in his extravagance. You make
me quite nervous, Zigburg, said the

373
00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:27.840
princess at length. Though I know
that you have not the faintest glimmering of

374
00:36:27.960 --> 00:36:32.559
knowledge on the point. Perhaps you
are right, he answered coolly. At

375
00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:37.400
any rate, I have lost confidence
lately in my critical instincts. I always

376
00:36:37.519 --> 00:36:43.559
used to think that the genuineness of
antiquities was in proportion to their dirt.

377
00:36:44.039 --> 00:36:47.519
But now that I have learned that
even the dirtiest counterfeit, I have lost

378
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all basis of judgment. They all
laughed at this confession, not so much

379
00:36:54.000 --> 00:37:00.480
Fret's wit, as because everyone laughed
at Zigborg's little Sally's. They were in

380
00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:06.920
the smoking room, a snock apartment, picturesquely and comfortably furnished with carved wood

381
00:37:06.960 --> 00:37:12.599
and oriental cushions. All the party
were on the intimate terms of just ourselves,

382
00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:19.760
a mixture of courteous deference and hearty
friendliness. The conversation was not precisely

383
00:37:19.840 --> 00:37:23.000
learned. On the contrary, there
was a certain frivolity in its tone.

384
00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:30.519
Very bad jokes were perpetrated, and
some anecdotes related savoring of Saint Simon in

385
00:37:30.599 --> 00:37:35.280
raciness, without anyone being scandalized,
for they were not in the mood to

386
00:37:35.360 --> 00:37:39.840
run every jest on earth, to
treat every point by chemical analysis, or

387
00:37:39.960 --> 00:37:46.280
take every word literally. Superficiality is
sometimes a gracious and a blessed thing.

388
00:37:49.239 --> 00:37:54.239
I feel so thoroughly at home today
in such an Austrian atmosphere, exclaimed the

389
00:37:54.280 --> 00:37:59.760
hostess. But I have a presentiment
that it will not be of long duration.

390
00:38:00.480 --> 00:38:05.679
Madame de Gondri and Ferguson are dining
in this neighborhood. As she spoke,

391
00:38:05.960 --> 00:38:13.880
the servant announced Prince Norina coming events
cast their shadows before, quoted Simpally.

392
00:38:14.360 --> 00:38:19.239
It was well known that when Prince
Nourina made his appearance. The Comtesse

393
00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:24.000
de Gondrie would soon follow. Norina
was fat and fair, handsome on the

394
00:38:24.039 --> 00:38:29.920
Barbou's block pattern, and for the
last four or five years had been dancing

395
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:35.559
attendance on the French countess. He
bowed to the princess, shook hands with

396
00:38:35.679 --> 00:38:38.880
the men, and was instantly seized
upon by the Master of the house to

397
00:38:38.960 --> 00:38:45.960
listen to a tirard on the latest
misdemeanors of the government. Volpini was the

398
00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:51.480
blackest of the black, a strong
adherent of the pope, though from political

399
00:38:51.639 --> 00:38:58.159
rather than religious bias, chiefly indeed, as a fanatically exclusive Roman who scorned

400
00:38:58.199 --> 00:39:04.239
to make common cause with Italy at
large, and regarded Italia Anita as a

401
00:39:04.320 --> 00:39:09.760
wild Chimera. Prince Norina, who
had no political convictions, listened to him

402
00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:15.960
and not a dissent to anything and
everything. The company now adjourned to the

403
00:39:16.039 --> 00:39:22.800
drawing Room, a large, uncomfortable
room furnished in a motly style, partly

404
00:39:22.880 --> 00:39:28.559
Louis the Fifteenth and partly Empire,
and which opened out of the more splendid

405
00:39:28.599 --> 00:39:32.360
salon, in which the princess received
formally, and to the boudoir, to

406
00:39:32.400 --> 00:39:38.760
which none but her most intimate friends
were admitted the conversation had lost much of

407
00:39:38.840 --> 00:39:44.480
its liveliness and had flattened to a
level at which some of the company had

408
00:39:44.559 --> 00:39:50.679
taken refuge in photographs when Madame de
Gondri and Missus Ferguson were announced and rustled

409
00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:55.440
in. Madame de Gondri, a
pale brunette, interesting rather than pretty,

410
00:39:55.840 --> 00:40:01.559
with a turned up nose and hard
bright eyes, noisy and coquettish, inconsiderate

411
00:40:01.639 --> 00:40:07.559
and saucy because she fancied it gave
her his style, had for the last

412
00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:13.599
five years ruled the destinies of Prince
Norina. Society had, however, agreed,

413
00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:19.440
perhaps for its own convenience, to
regard their intimacy as mere good fellowship.

414
00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:23.079
The lady was looked upon as one
of those giddy creatures who loved to

415
00:40:23.199 --> 00:40:29.039
sport on the edge of an abyss. Missus Ferguson, the daughter of a

416
00:40:29.079 --> 00:40:34.639
hotel keeper at San Francisco and wife
of a man whose wealth increased daily,

417
00:40:35.280 --> 00:40:39.920
was the exact opposite of Madame de
gondriy white and pink, with large eyes

418
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:45.320
and sharp little teeth, very slender
and flat figured. Like many Americans,

419
00:40:46.079 --> 00:40:53.239
she dyed her hair rouged dressed conspicuously, spoke eccentric English and detestable French,

420
00:40:53.760 --> 00:41:00.599
sang Judith's songs, and had been
introduced to Roman society by the marqueis Bes,

421
00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:05.960
who had met her at Nice.
Her friendship with Madame de Gondrie had

422
00:41:06.079 --> 00:41:09.880
begun on the strength of a lon
d'eau they had hired between them, had

423
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:15.639
culminated in an opera box on the
same terms, and would probably be destroyed

424
00:41:15.719 --> 00:41:22.480
by a lover in common too.
A few gentlemen had also arrived, Count

425
00:41:22.559 --> 00:41:27.239
de Gondrie, who looked like a
hairdresser and was suspected of carrying on a

426
00:41:27.280 --> 00:41:34.880
covid business as Dela in antiquities.
Monsieur Dieu Donat Crispigny de Bellancourt, a

427
00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:38.840
square built French diplomatist, the son
of a butcher and son in law for

428
00:41:39.000 --> 00:41:45.199
Duke, etcetera, etcetera. The
latest bankruptcy, the climate of Rome,

429
00:41:45.519 --> 00:41:52.199
the excavations were all discussed. Madame
de Gondrie and Missus Ferguson submitted at first

430
00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:57.719
to the tedium of a general conversation, but contrived at the same time to

431
00:41:57.760 --> 00:42:01.400
attract as much of the men's attention
as was possible. Under the circumstances.

432
00:42:02.440 --> 00:42:07.039
Soon after eleven, the Contesse Ilsenberg
came in. She had come from a

433
00:42:07.039 --> 00:42:14.039
grand diner and looked bored to death. It really is absurd how one meets

434
00:42:14.119 --> 00:42:17.679
everyone in Rome, she said,
presently, when she had been questioned as

435
00:42:17.719 --> 00:42:22.840
to the how and where of the
party, she had just quitted. Who

436
00:42:22.880 --> 00:42:27.280
do you think I came across today, Marie, that Lensk girl from Vienna.

437
00:42:27.719 --> 00:42:31.039
Now she is a duchess, or
a contesse montidor heaven no switch.

438
00:42:31.599 --> 00:42:36.519
Once years ago I had something to
do with the charity sale she got up.

439
00:42:37.000 --> 00:42:39.440
So now she comes up to me
as if I were an old acquaintance

440
00:42:39.480 --> 00:42:45.119
and pretends to be intimate. Talks
of we Austrians and at home at Vienna

441
00:42:45.719 --> 00:42:52.960
amusing rather poor Fritzie, I feel
for you, exclaimed simply, with a

442
00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:57.639
malicious laugh. But there is a
greater treat in store for you, the

443
00:42:57.719 --> 00:43:04.079
Shtetzel women, mother and sister coming
in a few days. Indeed, that

444
00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:09.559
is pleasant. Certainly, why,
asked Madame de Gondrie, throwing herself into

445
00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:16.199
the conversation. Are they objectionable people? By no means? Said the Countess

446
00:43:16.280 --> 00:43:21.239
quickly. I believe they are the
most respectable people in the world. But

447
00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:27.039
it is a bore to be constantly
meeting people here whom one could not possibly

448
00:43:27.119 --> 00:43:30.639
recognize in Vienna. You should give
him a hint, Nikki, tell him

449
00:43:30.840 --> 00:43:37.159
explain to him to be sure,
said simpally, laughing, I might say,

450
00:43:37.599 --> 00:43:39.519
look here, my good friend,
beware of taking your mother and sister

451
00:43:39.639 --> 00:43:45.880
out anywhere. My cousin, the
contest would rather not meet them. The

452
00:43:45.960 --> 00:43:52.000
contest shrugged her shoulders and turned away
from her flippant Interlucuta, tapping her fan

453
00:43:52.119 --> 00:43:58.679
impatiently. Do you mean to receive
them, Marie? She asked? Whom

454
00:43:58.719 --> 00:44:04.000
do I not receive, said the
princess in an undertone, with a significant

455
00:44:04.039 --> 00:44:10.440
glance. Well I cannot decidedly not, said the Countess excitedly. Though I

456
00:44:10.440 --> 00:44:15.840
shall be grieved to annoy Schiazzel,
it will be his own fault entirely if

457
00:44:15.840 --> 00:44:21.599
he forces me to explain myself.
Do as you think proper, replied her

458
00:44:21.639 --> 00:44:25.400
friend. But you know I am
very fond of Scherzzl. He stands high

459
00:44:25.440 --> 00:44:31.760
in my good graces. What Lepeizon
de Danube, giggled Madame de Gondrey,

460
00:44:32.039 --> 00:44:38.079
who had only partly understood the conversation, Chertel is a man of the highest

461
00:44:38.119 --> 00:44:44.400
respectability, said the Countess Icily.
She did not intend to allow that little

462
00:44:44.440 --> 00:44:47.880
frenchwoman to laugh at her fellow countryman, though he was not a man of

463
00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:54.199
birth. Lepeizon de Danube is my
particular friend, said the princess, with

464
00:44:54.440 --> 00:45:00.079
this simple heartiness that was so peculiarly
her own. I am very fond of

465
00:45:00.159 --> 00:45:06.480
him. He is quite one of
ourselves. He can have no higher reward

466
00:45:06.519 --> 00:45:10.599
on earth, said her brother,
with good humored irony. When my small

467
00:45:10.639 --> 00:45:15.360
boy fell and broke his arm here
in this very room, Schezel picked him

468
00:45:15.440 --> 00:45:20.199
up, and you should have seen
how gently he held my poor darling,

469
00:45:20.840 --> 00:45:25.480
added the princess. That is simple
evidence in favor of the fact that his

470
00:45:25.639 --> 00:45:32.639
womenkind are presentable. Laughed simply.
But allow me to ask, interposed the

471
00:45:32.719 --> 00:45:38.320
Madame de Gondrie, just that I
may understand what I am about these chanzls.

472
00:45:38.440 --> 00:45:45.719
They are not in good society in
Austria. Our Austrian etiquette can afford

473
00:45:45.880 --> 00:45:52.800
no standpoint for foreign society, said
Trayne with unusual sharpness, for he could

474
00:45:52.880 --> 00:45:57.760
not endure Madame de Gondrie. We
receive no one who is not by birth

475
00:45:57.840 --> 00:46:04.440
one of ourselves. Yes, said
simply, with a keen glance. Austrian

476
00:46:04.519 --> 00:46:10.239
society is as exclusive as the House
of Israel and scorns proselytes. And the

477
00:46:10.360 --> 00:46:16.480
leather celler's daughter, who had not
understood or not chosen to understand Trone's speech,

478
00:46:16.960 --> 00:46:22.519
replied with much presence of mind.
Ah, I am glad to know

479
00:46:22.639 --> 00:46:28.039
what I am about. Zigborg,
who was sitting behind her, glanced at

480
00:46:28.079 --> 00:46:35.559
simply and made an expressive grimace.
Princess Vulpini looked almost spiteful. I will

481
00:46:35.599 --> 00:46:39.599
not leave Shadzeln the lurk, she
said. And if his sister is like

482
00:46:39.679 --> 00:46:45.480
his description of her, he has
talked to you about his sister, interrupted

483
00:46:45.480 --> 00:46:51.199
Simply to be sure, said the
princess, with a smile, And to

484
00:46:51.280 --> 00:46:54.159
you too, I should not wonder, Niki. No, indeed, he

485
00:46:54.239 --> 00:46:59.840
does not show me his sacred places. I am not worthy, replied simply.

486
00:47:00.840 --> 00:47:04.360
He only told me that she was
coming, and with a very singular

487
00:47:04.440 --> 00:47:07.679
smile. Ha ha ha. He
seems to set a great store by the

488
00:47:07.719 --> 00:47:12.280
young lady, and will no doubt
look out for a fine match for her.

489
00:47:13.000 --> 00:47:15.559
I should not wonder if he had
got her here for that express purpose.

490
00:47:16.239 --> 00:47:22.079
Noarena, take care of yourself forewarned, You know, Mademoiselle Schietzel will

491
00:47:22.119 --> 00:47:29.119
hardly aspire to a prince's crown,
exclaimed Madame de Gondrie, up in arms

492
00:47:29.159 --> 00:47:34.800
to defend her property. SCHAETTEO will
not let his sister go for less,

493
00:47:35.400 --> 00:47:42.039
asserted, simply, do not talk
such nonsense, said Tryne to check Simply's

494
00:47:42.079 --> 00:47:46.639
audacity. But simply was leaning over
a table and scribbling on the back of

495
00:47:46.679 --> 00:47:52.199
an old letter. Presently he handed
the half sheet to the Comtesse Eltenburg.

496
00:47:52.679 --> 00:47:59.800
Madame de Gondrie peeped over his shoulder, capital she exclaimed, delicious simply has

497
00:48:00.039 --> 00:48:04.960
sketched Stadzel as an auctioneer, the
hammer in one hand and a fashionably dressed

498
00:48:05.079 --> 00:48:09.000
doll in the other, With all
the princes in Rome crowd drowned in one

499
00:48:09.079 --> 00:48:17.440
corner. He had written this lot
Freuleanchdatzel once twice thrice the sketch was handed

500
00:48:17.559 --> 00:48:23.800
round. The likeness of Schtetzel was
unmistakable. Soon after the Contesse Silsenberg went

501
00:48:23.880 --> 00:48:29.000
away, and as the company were
not in the best of humors, the

502
00:48:29.039 --> 00:48:34.840
two friends also withdrew shortly after midnight, followed by those gentlemen who had come

503
00:48:34.880 --> 00:48:39.280
in that train. Fritzi is really
a victim to an idea fix. The

504
00:48:39.320 --> 00:48:45.639
princess began when this indiscreet group had
departed. She wants me to intrench myself

505
00:48:45.679 --> 00:48:51.840
in dignified reserve against this poor little
thing. What harm can the child do

506
00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:55.760
to me? I cannot imagine,
said zig Book. Indeed, if she

507
00:48:55.880 --> 00:49:00.760
is pretty and has some money,
it strikes me I will marry her myself.

508
00:49:00.119 --> 00:49:06.519
That will get matters straight. Zigborg
was fond of talking of the money

509
00:49:06.519 --> 00:49:10.079
that his wife must bring in,
and liked to air the selfishness of which

510
00:49:10.119 --> 00:49:15.280
he was innocent, as very rich
folks sometimes make a proude of poverty.

511
00:49:17.000 --> 00:49:22.360
And it was really very stupid of
Fritzy to ventilate his idiotic nonsense before those

512
00:49:22.440 --> 00:49:28.679
two women. Added the princess,
who was apt to express herself strongly.

513
00:49:29.039 --> 00:49:32.440
But nothing that she said ever sounded
badly. On the contrary, she lent

514
00:49:32.639 --> 00:49:37.039
a grace to whatever she said.
Does she think she can make me turn

515
00:49:37.119 --> 00:49:44.599
exclusive? I hope you observed how
that Pinchbeck comtesse was prepared to tread in

516
00:49:44.639 --> 00:49:51.440
her footsteps, said zigbog. Treyn
meanwhile, was hunting eagerly about the chimney

517
00:49:51.440 --> 00:49:55.840
shelf and the tables assisted by the
master of the house. What are you

518
00:49:55.880 --> 00:50:01.239
looking for, Erech asked his sister, for that sketch of Saint Palice.

519
00:50:01.599 --> 00:50:06.239
I should not like to leave the
thing about. Excuse me, Nikki.

520
00:50:06.360 --> 00:50:09.159
The caricature was capital. I have
nothing to say against it if it had

521
00:50:09.159 --> 00:50:14.320
only been among ourselves. But you
really ought not to have shown it to

522
00:50:14.480 --> 00:50:17.199
strange. As you are so heedless, you do not think of what you

523
00:50:17.280 --> 00:50:22.679
are doing. And what have I
done? Now, asked simply, without

524
00:50:22.719 --> 00:50:29.840
any trace of annoyance, you have
simply stamped this young girl as an adventurous

525
00:50:29.840 --> 00:50:34.880
on the lookout for a husband.
Pooh, as if so trifling a jest

526
00:50:34.920 --> 00:50:39.320
could be taken in Earnest said simply, they searched everywhere for the carricature,

527
00:50:39.400 --> 00:50:45.119
but in Vain, I am convinced
that wretched woman put it in her pocket,

528
00:50:45.639 --> 00:50:51.480
cried the princess indignantly. That wretched
woman was, of course, Madame

529
00:50:51.559 --> 00:50:57.719
de Gondri. It was true that
Princess Vulpini was very fond of Stazza,

530
00:50:58.159 --> 00:51:04.440
and he returned her regard with almost
rapturous devotion. In spite of an unpolished

531
00:51:04.480 --> 00:51:09.079
and absent manner, he had a
vein of poetic chivalry and a pure reverence

532
00:51:09.199 --> 00:51:15.000
for true and lofty womanhood. He
could not think it worth his while to

533
00:51:15.079 --> 00:51:21.800
offer to any woman that flattery often
impertinent enough in reality, that gratifies some

534
00:51:21.880 --> 00:51:27.119
of her sex, And he had
never learned the abc of modern gallantry.

535
00:51:27.639 --> 00:51:31.800
But in his intercourse with those whom
he spoke of as true women, there

536
00:51:31.840 --> 00:51:38.519
was a touch of chivalrous protection and
reserved deaference. His behavior to them was

537
00:51:38.719 --> 00:51:45.079
so full of an old fashioned courtesy
that he was certain to win their favor.

538
00:51:45.639 --> 00:51:50.400
He treated them partly like children that
must be cared for, and partly

539
00:51:50.519 --> 00:51:57.039
like sacred beings before whom we must
bow the knee. Immediately on his arrival

540
00:51:57.079 --> 00:52:01.400
in Rome, the Princess found great
pleasure their acquaintance. She confided to him

541
00:52:01.480 --> 00:52:07.519
all her little indignation at this or
that grievance in Rome, and allowed him

542
00:52:07.639 --> 00:52:12.920
to take a variety of small cares
of her shoulders, being as all women

543
00:52:13.000 --> 00:52:20.119
of her soft nature are very fastidious
and utterly underpractical. There had been few

544
00:52:20.199 --> 00:52:24.119
sweeter girls in the Vienna world than
the contesse Marie Trine in her day,

545
00:52:24.639 --> 00:52:30.639
and there was not now in Rome
a more lovable woman than the Princess Wilpini,

546
00:52:30.480 --> 00:52:35.920
when in the afternoons she drove out
in her open carriage with her four

547
00:52:36.039 --> 00:52:39.519
or five children that looked as though
they had been stolen straight out of one

548
00:52:39.519 --> 00:52:45.280
of the Kate Greenaway's picture books along
the corso to the Villa Borghes. Her

549
00:52:45.440 --> 00:52:52.639
fashionable acquaintance, who had brought out
their most recent or most fashionable bosom friend

550
00:52:52.719 --> 00:52:58.599
instead of their children, would exclaim, here comes true happiness, and the

551
00:52:58.639 --> 00:53:04.079
men bowed to her with particular respect, eager to win the friendly and gracious

552
00:53:04.280 --> 00:53:09.679
smile that warmed all hearts like a
ray of spring sunshine. She had never

553
00:53:09.719 --> 00:53:15.880
been a regular beauty, and had
early lost her youthful freshness and the slim

554
00:53:15.960 --> 00:53:22.440
figure that had been almost proverbial.
Nevertheless, her charm was undiminished. Her

555
00:53:22.519 --> 00:53:28.159
chief ornament, a wonderful abundance of
bright brown hair, was as fine as

556
00:53:28.239 --> 00:53:32.039
ever. She wore it still,
and when a girl of sixteen simply combed

557
00:53:32.119 --> 00:53:37.760
back and gathered into a knot down
at the back, in spite of her

558
00:53:37.800 --> 00:53:42.760
faded complexion, there was a childlike
sweetness in her small, round face,

559
00:53:43.280 --> 00:53:47.519
with its kind little eyes, its
delicate turned up nose, and soft lips

560
00:53:47.800 --> 00:53:53.679
that had no beauty till they smiled. All her movements were simple and graceful,

561
00:53:54.000 --> 00:54:00.840
and her whole appearance conveyed the impression
of exquisite refinement and the loftiest womanliness.

562
00:54:01.639 --> 00:54:06.519
Her dress was apt to be a
little out of fashion. The latest

563
00:54:06.599 --> 00:54:10.760
chic never suited her. She was
a great reader, even of very solid

564
00:54:10.840 --> 00:54:17.320
books, especially affecting natural science.
But she retained nevertheless the literal faith of

565
00:54:17.400 --> 00:54:23.840
her infancy, and this innocent orthodoxy
was part and parcel of the simple fervency

566
00:54:23.960 --> 00:54:30.639
of her character. Simply, who
was sincerely attached to her, always spoke

567
00:54:30.679 --> 00:54:37.480
of her devout piety as one of
her most engaging qualities. He declared that

568
00:54:37.559 --> 00:54:42.360
a woman to be truly sympathetic must
be religious. That a man may allow

569
00:54:42.480 --> 00:54:46.960
himself to profess free thought, but
that a skeptical woman was as odious as

570
00:54:47.000 --> 00:54:52.800
a woman with the hump. To
this observation, which Simply once threw out

571
00:54:52.840 --> 00:54:59.480
in the presence of Schiazzl, Cecil
took great exception. Though he himself was

572
00:54:59.519 --> 00:55:06.760
as due void of religious beliefs as
Simply himself. He thought it impertinent men

573
00:55:06.880 --> 00:55:09.800
do not jest about the women whose
names are sacred to them. He said,

574
00:55:09.880 --> 00:55:16.719
with the pedantic chivalry which always provoked
his colleagues's opposition. However, Simply

575
00:55:16.920 --> 00:55:30.239
only retorted with a sneering smile and
a shrug. End of Chapter three,

576
00:55:30.719 --> 00:55:36.199
Part one, Chapter four of Our
Own set by Ossip Shubin, translated by

577
00:55:36.239 --> 00:55:40.719
Clara Belle. This libovox recording is
in the public domain recording by Carolyn.

578
00:55:42.679 --> 00:55:47.599
Chapter four. A few days after
the evening, when Simply had given such

579
00:55:47.760 --> 00:55:54.360
brilliant proof of his talent as caricaturist, General von Klinger was sitting in his

580
00:55:54.639 --> 00:56:01.440
studio on a divan covered with a
picturesque Persian rug, and endeavoring, having

581
00:56:01.519 --> 00:56:07.239
for the moment nothing better to do, to teach his parrot to sing the

582
00:56:07.280 --> 00:56:13.119
Austrian anthem, a loyal task which
the bird, perched on the top of

583
00:56:13.159 --> 00:56:20.760
its cage, persistently refused to learn. It was a gorgeous studio with a

584
00:56:20.800 --> 00:56:25.800
coved ceiling painted in fresco and a
rococo plaster cornice. The walls hung with

585
00:56:25.960 --> 00:56:34.719
old tapestry, Eastern stuffs, and
other properties. It was so large that

586
00:56:34.880 --> 00:56:39.360
minn looked like dwarfs in it,
and the general's works of art like illustrations

587
00:56:39.480 --> 00:56:45.159
cut out from a picture book this
Scirocco brooded in the atmosphere, and the

588
00:56:45.239 --> 00:56:50.519
General was out of swords. He
could not get on with his painting,

589
00:56:50.920 --> 00:56:53.559
and though it was now a quarter
to five, not a visitor had he

590
00:56:53.760 --> 00:57:00.800
seen. Usually by this hour he
had a number, sometimes too many.

591
00:57:01.559 --> 00:57:07.960
The General often grumbled to himself,
of course, at the interruption, but

592
00:57:07.119 --> 00:57:12.920
he always enjoyed the little dissipation.
It made him melancholy to be left to

593
00:57:13.039 --> 00:57:17.360
himself. He was thinking just now
how difficult it was to get on as

594
00:57:17.360 --> 00:57:23.239
a painter. His coloring was capital, so all his artist friends assured him,

595
00:57:23.599 --> 00:57:29.920
but that his drawing left much to
be desired. He himself confessed his

596
00:57:30.239 --> 00:57:37.440
two strong points were a harmonious effect
of gray Towne and horses seen from behind.

597
00:57:37.360 --> 00:57:44.239
All his pictures returned to him from
the exhibitions unsold, excepting one which

598
00:57:44.360 --> 00:57:49.679
was purchased by the Emperor, in
consideration of the general's former merits as a

599
00:57:49.719 --> 00:57:54.519
soldier rather than of his talents as
an artist. The painters who came to

600
00:57:54.599 --> 00:58:00.239
smoke his cigarettes accounted for this by
saying that his art stick aims were too

601
00:58:00.320 --> 00:58:06.719
independent, that he made no concessions
to public taste, and so could not

602
00:58:06.840 --> 00:58:13.000
hope for popularity. He was in
the very act of whistling the national anthem

603
00:58:13.159 --> 00:58:17.719
for the sixteenth time to the reculcitrant
Bird, when he had a knocked at

604
00:58:17.760 --> 00:58:22.360
the door. He rose to open
it and simply came in. He had

605
00:58:22.480 --> 00:58:28.679
called to inform the General that he
had discovered a very fine, though much

606
00:58:28.880 --> 00:58:32.880
damaged piece of tapestry in a convent, and had board it for a mere

607
00:58:34.039 --> 00:58:37.280
song. He had in fact purchased
it for the General because he knew that

608
00:58:37.400 --> 00:58:43.679
it was just such a specimen as
he had long wished for. But if

609
00:58:43.719 --> 00:58:45.920
you do not care to take it, I shall be very glad to keep

610
00:58:45.960 --> 00:58:52.119
it, he added. No one
had the art of doing an obliging thing

611
00:58:52.239 --> 00:58:57.599
with a better grace than he.
It was one of his little accomplishments.

612
00:58:58.440 --> 00:59:02.559
When they had settled their business,
simply broke into loud lamentations that he was

613
00:59:02.639 --> 00:59:07.599
obliged to dine that day at the
British Embassy, and then to dance at

614
00:59:07.639 --> 00:59:13.960
the French ambassadors, and raved about
the ideal life led by his friend.

615
00:59:14.480 --> 00:59:19.119
He only wished he could lead such
a life in which there were no evening

616
00:59:19.239 --> 00:59:24.840
parties, routs, balls or dinners. Next, he wandered round the room

617
00:59:24.920 --> 00:59:31.480
looking at all the studies that hid
their faces against the wall. Charming superb

618
00:59:32.159 --> 00:59:37.519
he kept exclaiming in French with his
Austrian accent. From a sheer impulse to

619
00:59:37.599 --> 00:59:45.159
say something pleasant, he always tried
to make himself pleasant. Why do not

620
00:59:45.320 --> 00:59:49.920
work that thing up? He said
at length, pointing to a sketch on

621
00:59:50.119 --> 00:59:55.480
canvas of a group of bashi bazouks. It might sell, replied the artist,

622
00:59:55.639 --> 01:00:00.840
whose great difficulty always lay in the
working up. But you know I

623
01:00:00.880 --> 01:00:07.239
am independent in my aims. I
set my face against making concessions to the

624
01:00:07.360 --> 01:00:12.519
vulgar. I must work on my
own principles and not ponder to the public.

625
01:00:14.079 --> 01:00:19.960
Simply smiled at this profession of faith. As it is a mere whim

626
01:00:20.039 --> 01:00:23.119
with you to ever sell at all, he answered, My advice is that

627
01:00:23.239 --> 01:00:28.199
you should never attempt it, but
leave all your works to the nation,

628
01:00:28.719 --> 01:00:34.639
so that we may have a musez
Vietz at Vienna. The General assured him

629
01:00:34.679 --> 01:00:37.599
that he was quite in earnest in
his desire to sell his pictures, but

630
01:00:37.679 --> 01:00:45.239
simply smiled knowingly. There was once
upon a time he began a cobbler who

631
01:00:45.360 --> 01:00:50.719
was a man of genius. But
he prided himself on his sense of beauty

632
01:00:51.079 --> 01:00:55.519
and his artistic convictions, and he
heeded not the requirements of his customers.

633
01:00:55.920 --> 01:01:01.400
He would make nothing but Greek sandals. He died a beggar, but happy

634
01:01:01.480 --> 01:01:07.159
in the consciousness of never having made
a concession to the vulgar. The General

635
01:01:07.320 --> 01:01:13.599
was on the point of making an
indignant reply to this malicious anecdote when the

636
01:01:13.679 --> 01:01:17.920
loud rap was again heard, which
seems to be traditional at a studio door.

637
01:01:19.480 --> 01:01:23.480
It is supposed to be necessary to
arouse the artist from his absorption in

638
01:01:23.559 --> 01:01:30.039
his work. The General went to
admit his visitor. There was a small

639
01:01:30.079 --> 01:01:35.480
ante room between the studio and the
stairs. The door was no sooner opened

640
01:01:35.880 --> 01:01:40.519
than in flitted a slender creature,
fair and blooming, tall, slim and

641
01:01:40.719 --> 01:01:47.639
bewitchingly pretty, in a dark dress
and a sealed skin jacket. What you,

642
01:01:47.880 --> 01:01:52.719
zinker, cried the old general,
delightedly. This is a surprise.

643
01:01:53.199 --> 01:01:59.880
How long have you been in room? Only since this morning? Answered again

644
01:02:00.119 --> 01:02:06.079
voice. And are you alone?
Asked the artist in astonishment, as Zinka

645
01:02:06.199 --> 01:02:10.480
shut the door and went forward into
the atelier. Yes, quite alone,

646
01:02:10.519 --> 01:02:15.159
she said, calmly. I left
the maid at home. She and Mamma

647
01:02:15.199 --> 01:02:20.239
are fast asleep resting after their journey. I came alone in a carriage.

648
01:02:20.440 --> 01:02:23.199
It was very nice of me.
Do not think, why what a face

649
01:02:23.280 --> 01:02:27.800
to make? And why have you
not given me a kiss? Uncle Kilinga.

650
01:02:28.760 --> 01:02:31.679
She stood before him, bright and
confident, her head a little thrown

651
01:02:31.760 --> 01:02:37.400
back, her hands in a tiny
muff, gazing at him with surprise in

652
01:02:37.480 --> 01:02:44.840
her frank gray eyes. My dear
Zinka, the general began, for like

653
01:02:44.880 --> 01:02:51.679
all conscientious old gentlemen with romantic memories, he was desperately punctilious as to the

654
01:02:51.719 --> 01:02:57.280
proprieties. When any lady in whom
he took an interest was implicated. I

655
01:02:57.360 --> 01:03:00.719
am charmed, delighted to see you, but in a strange place where you

656
01:03:00.880 --> 01:03:07.360
know no one, and in a
strange housewhere, oh now I understand,

657
01:03:07.880 --> 01:03:10.880
cried the girl. It is not
proper. I shall live to be a

658
01:03:10.960 --> 01:03:15.079
hundred before I know exactly what is
proper. It is very odd. But

659
01:03:15.280 --> 01:03:20.920
Uncle Shtazzel used always to say that
it was of no use to worry about

660
01:03:20.960 --> 01:03:24.280
it, that if people were ladies
and gentlemen, everything was proper, and

661
01:03:24.360 --> 01:03:28.519
if they were not, why it
was all the same. But he did

662
01:03:28.519 --> 01:03:32.039
not know what he was talking about. It would seem and she turned sharply

663
01:03:32.119 --> 01:03:37.920
on her heel and made for the
door. But my dear Zinka, cried

664
01:03:37.960 --> 01:03:42.000
the general, holding her back.
Tell me at least where you are living,

665
01:03:42.039 --> 01:03:45.679
before you whisk off like a whirlwind. Do not be so utterly unreasonable.

666
01:03:47.199 --> 01:03:52.440
I am perfectly reasonable, she retorted. She was both embarrassed and angry.

667
01:03:52.760 --> 01:03:58.480
Her cheeks were scarlet and her eyes
full of tears. It would never

668
01:03:58.559 --> 01:04:01.440
have occurred to me, sir,
that there was anything improper in calling on

669
01:04:01.519 --> 01:04:09.039
an old gentleman, and she emphasized
the words quite viciously in his studio,

670
01:04:09.239 --> 01:04:14.239
Oh the vanity of men who can
foresee its limits. But I am perfectly

671
01:04:14.320 --> 01:04:17.639
reasonable. I acknowledge my mistake,
simpleton, that I am, and I

672
01:04:17.679 --> 01:04:23.000
have been looking forward all day to
taking you by surprise. I meant to

673
01:04:23.079 --> 01:04:26.280
ask you to dine with us at
the Hotel de la Rope, and to

674
01:04:26.400 --> 01:04:30.800
come with me fast to the Pincio
to see the sunset, and these other

675
01:04:30.920 --> 01:04:33.599
things I get. I do not
trouble yourself to get your hated as a

676
01:04:33.639 --> 01:04:39.000
wayst of trouble. I do not
want you now. Goodbye, and she

677
01:04:39.199 --> 01:04:43.480
flew off her head in the air
without looking back once at the General,

678
01:04:43.519 --> 01:04:49.079
who dutifully escorted her to the carriage. The old man came back much crestfallen.

679
01:04:49.679 --> 01:04:57.280
A voice greeted him cheerfully, quite
in disgrace. General, it was

680
01:04:57.480 --> 01:05:01.360
simply who had witnessed the whole scene
from recess, and whom the General had

681
01:05:01.639 --> 01:05:09.719
entirely forgotten, so it seems,
said he shortly beginning to scrape his palette.

682
01:05:10.639 --> 01:05:16.079
But tell me who is this,
this particulartle princess. Who, oh,

683
01:05:16.159 --> 01:05:24.039
my god, daughter Zinka Schtiazzo.
Thunderbolts are out of date, No

684
01:05:24.079 --> 01:05:29.280
one believes in them nowadays. Nevertheless, it is a fact which Sempali himself

685
01:05:29.360 --> 01:05:33.920
never contradicted, that he fell in
love with Zinka at first sight. And

686
01:05:34.039 --> 01:05:40.760
when a few days after Zinca's eruption
into the General's studio, the old gentleman

687
01:05:40.880 --> 01:05:45.400
accepted an invitation to dine with the
Baroness Schierzzo at the Hotel de L'Or rope.

688
01:05:45.760 --> 01:05:50.719
On entering the room, he found
eagerly employed in looking over a quantity

689
01:05:50.760 --> 01:05:59.599
of photographs with the young lady Count
Sempali. The two gentlemen were the only

690
01:05:59.679 --> 01:06:03.159
guests, and yet, or perhaps
in consequence, the little party was as

691
01:06:03.239 --> 01:06:10.519
gay and pleasant as was possible with
so affected and formal a hostess as the

692
01:06:10.599 --> 01:06:16.480
Baroness. This lady, in narrow
and perverse soul as ever lived, was

693
01:06:16.760 --> 01:06:24.519
the very essence of vanity and affectation. She imagined, having alone knows on

694
01:06:24.639 --> 01:06:30.559
what grounds, that the General had
formerly loved her hopelessly, and she always

695
01:06:30.719 --> 01:06:36.559
treated him accordingly, with a consideration
that was intolerably irritating. She had made

696
01:06:36.719 --> 01:06:43.599
great strides in the airs of refinement
since she and the General had last met

697
01:06:44.000 --> 01:06:48.400
at a time before she, or
rather her children, had become rich through

698
01:06:48.440 --> 01:06:54.599
an advantageous sale of part of their
land, and this, of course added

699
01:06:54.639 --> 01:07:00.360
to the charms of her society.
She was perpetually complaining, in a tone

700
01:07:00.400 --> 01:07:06.159
of feeble elegance, the sleeping carriages
were intolerable, These seats were so badly

701
01:07:06.320 --> 01:07:12.920
stuffed. Rome was so dirty,
the hotels were so bad, the conveyances

702
01:07:13.199 --> 01:07:18.039
so miserable. She brought in the
names of all the aristocratic acquaintances they had

703
01:07:18.119 --> 01:07:23.599
made at Nice, at Miran,
and at Biaritz, and asked, the

704
01:07:23.679 --> 01:07:27.760
next day, being a Saint's day, which church was fit to go to.

705
01:07:28.840 --> 01:07:34.840
The vehement old General answered hotly that
God was in them all but simply

706
01:07:34.920 --> 01:07:42.280
informed her with the politest gravity that
Cardinal x Red Marsen the morning at Saint

707
01:07:42.320 --> 01:07:48.920
Peter's and that the music was splendid. I advise you to try Saint Peter's.

708
01:07:49.519 --> 01:07:55.360
Indeed, is Saint Peter's possible on
a Saint's Day? She asked?

709
01:07:56.079 --> 01:08:02.599
The company is usually so mixed in
those large church. The General fairly blushed

710
01:08:02.599 --> 01:08:08.360
for her follies on her children's account. Have you forgiven me, Zinca,

711
01:08:08.800 --> 01:08:13.840
he said, to change the conversation, as if I had time to trouble

712
01:08:13.880 --> 01:08:19.800
myself about your straight laced proprieties,
exclaimed she, coloring slightly. She evidently

713
01:08:19.840 --> 01:08:26.000
did not like this allusion to her
little indiscretion. I have something much worse

714
01:08:26.039 --> 01:08:30.920
to think about. Why what is
the matter, sweetheart, asked her brother,

715
01:08:30.119 --> 01:08:35.159
who took everything seriously. I have
lost something, she said, in

716
01:08:35.199 --> 01:08:42.479
a tone of deep melancholy, which
evidently covered some jest. Not a four

717
01:08:42.560 --> 01:08:47.399
leaved shamrock or a metal blessed by
the Pope, asked the General. Oh

718
01:08:47.439 --> 01:08:55.720
no, something much more important,
y pass exclaimed the baroness hastily, but

719
01:08:55.960 --> 01:09:00.720
Zinca burst out laughing, No,
no, something much great. You will

720
01:09:00.760 --> 01:09:05.279
never guess. Rome On which schd'atzel, who could never make out what his

721
01:09:05.479 --> 01:09:13.159
fascinating little sister would be at only
said that is beyond me, but simply

722
01:09:13.319 --> 01:09:18.319
was sympathetic. I see you are
terribly disappointed, he said, and Zinca

723
01:09:18.359 --> 01:09:25.279
went on like a person accustomed to
be listened to. Yes, Ever since

724
01:09:25.319 --> 01:09:29.039
I could think at all, I
have dreamt of Rome and longed to see

725
01:09:29.079 --> 01:09:32.760
it. My Rome was a suburb
of Heaven, but this Rome is a

726
01:09:32.800 --> 01:09:40.000
suburb of Paris. My room was
glorious, and this Rome is simply hideous.

727
01:09:41.520 --> 01:09:45.479
Do not be flippant, Zinka,
said, the general, who always

728
01:09:45.520 --> 01:09:50.439
upheld traditional worship. Well. As
a city, Rome is really very ugly

729
01:09:50.960 --> 01:09:56.760
interposed, her brother, it is
more interesting as a museum of antiquities,

730
01:09:56.800 --> 01:10:00.560
with life size illustrations. Still you
do not know it yet. You have

731
01:10:00.680 --> 01:10:06.800
seen nothing as yet but lodgings,
you mean, retorted Zinka, casting down

732
01:10:06.840 --> 01:10:15.560
her eyes with sanctimonious sauciness. It
is dreadful, the baroness began. We

733
01:10:15.680 --> 01:10:18.960
have been here five days and cannot
find an apartment fit to live in.

734
01:10:19.479 --> 01:10:25.199
Wherever we go, there's some drawback. The stairs are too dark, or

735
01:10:25.279 --> 01:10:29.840
the entrances bed, or there is
only one door to the salon or the

736
01:10:30.000 --> 01:10:34.840
servants rooms. But my dear Zinca, interrupted the general. If you really

737
01:10:34.840 --> 01:10:40.039
have seen nothing of Rome excepting the
lodgings in the corso, of course,

738
01:10:41.039 --> 01:10:45.760
Oh but I have seen something else, cried Zinca. Indeed, I know

739
01:10:45.880 --> 01:10:51.359
my way around Rome very well in
your dreams. No, I went yesterday.

740
01:10:51.600 --> 01:10:57.640
Mamma had a sick headache. Oh
those headaches, sighed the baroness,

741
01:10:57.680 --> 01:11:01.359
putting her salts to her nose.
I am a perfect martyr to them.

742
01:11:02.600 --> 01:11:08.800
To have sick headaches and to be
a strict Catholic were marks of good style.

743
01:11:08.880 --> 01:11:15.039
In the Baroness's estimation, simply put
on a sympathetic expression, but returned

744
01:11:15.079 --> 01:11:19.760
at once to the subject on hand. Yes, I know Rome very well,

745
01:11:20.159 --> 01:11:25.479
Zinka went on. You have only
to ask the driver of the street

746
01:11:25.560 --> 01:11:30.239
cap number twelve or three, and
he will tell you. I drove about

747
01:11:30.279 --> 01:11:34.119
with him for three hours yesterday.
You see, to have been in Rome

748
01:11:34.159 --> 01:11:39.680
a whole week and to have seen
nothing but furnished lodgings was really too bad.

749
01:11:40.159 --> 01:11:43.479
So I took advantage of the opportunity. When Mamma was in bed,

750
01:11:43.960 --> 01:11:46.479
I slipped out. You need not
make that face, uncle, I took

751
01:11:46.520 --> 01:11:50.560
the maid with me. We went
to walk everywhere with the map. Of

752
01:11:50.640 --> 01:11:57.399
course, we lost our way Sela
va Sondr And as we were standing helpless,

753
01:11:57.720 --> 01:12:01.159
each holding the map by a corner, a driver signed to us.

754
01:12:01.600 --> 01:12:06.399
So with the first finger in we
got and he asked us where we wished

755
01:12:06.520 --> 01:12:10.760
to go. But as I had
no answer ready, he said, with

756
01:12:11.000 --> 01:12:16.119
the most paternal air, Ah,
the Simora wants to see Rome. Good,

757
01:12:16.600 --> 01:12:21.439
I will show her Rome. And
he set off round and round and

758
01:12:21.600 --> 01:12:28.079
in and out all through the city. I was positively giddy with this waltz

759
01:12:28.119 --> 01:12:32.279
around all the sights of Rome.
He showed me a perfect forest of fallen

760
01:12:32.399 --> 01:12:40.960
pillars with images of guards and fragments
of sculpture carefully heaped around them like Christmas

761
01:12:41.000 --> 01:12:45.359
boxes for lovers of antiquities. The
campol Vaccino, he called it. I

762
01:12:45.479 --> 01:12:50.560
believe it was the Forum. Then
he pointed out the Palace of Beatrice Cenci,

763
01:12:51.000 --> 01:12:56.479
the Deuice Quarter, the Theater of
Marcellus, the Temple of Vesta.

764
01:12:56.800 --> 01:13:00.319
And every time he showed me anything, he added, now, am I

765
01:13:00.479 --> 01:13:03.560
not a capital guide? Many a
driver would only take you from place to

766
01:13:03.600 --> 01:13:08.279
place, and what would you say? Nothing? A heap of stones.

767
01:13:08.600 --> 01:13:12.640
But I tell you that is the
Colisseum, and this is the portico of

768
01:13:12.680 --> 01:13:16.479
Octavia, and then the stones have
some meaning. And at last he set

769
01:13:16.600 --> 01:13:21.119
me down at the door of the
hotel and said, quite seriously, now

770
01:13:21.239 --> 01:13:28.920
the Seora has seen Rome. They
were now at dessert. The baroness looked

771
01:13:28.960 --> 01:13:35.359
anything rather than pleased, allow me
to request. She said that for the

772
01:13:35.479 --> 01:13:40.039
future, in the first place,
you will not make friends with a common

773
01:13:40.159 --> 01:13:44.520
driver, and in the second that
you will not drive about Rome in a

774
01:13:44.640 --> 01:13:49.479
botta a one horse carriage. It
is not at all the thing. You

775
01:13:49.600 --> 01:13:57.319
have no sense of fitness whatever.
Zinka, who was both sensitive and spoilt

776
01:13:57.560 --> 01:14:01.159
colored, let her be mother.
Why should she not learn a little Italian

777
01:14:01.239 --> 01:14:05.840
and write in a butta, said
she Deatzer, who rubbed his mother the

778
01:14:05.960 --> 01:14:13.119
wrong way from morning till night,
simply took prompt advantage of the situation to

779
01:14:13.199 --> 01:14:17.399
whisper to Zinka, I cannot promise
to be as good company as your butta

780
01:14:17.600 --> 01:14:20.840
driver, but if you will allow
me, I will do my best to

781
01:14:20.880 --> 01:14:26.800
help you find the room you have
lost. Are you sure you know your

782
01:14:26.840 --> 01:14:31.239
way about? Asked the girl with
frank in civility. I am the la

783
01:14:31.279 --> 01:14:36.760
cadeplus of the embassy, I assure
you, replied, simply laughing. My

784
01:14:36.880 --> 01:14:44.560
only serious occupation consists in showing stranger
as the sights of Rome. After this,

785
01:14:44.920 --> 01:14:48.600
the evening passed gaily. The Baroness
made a few idiotic speeches, but

786
01:14:48.800 --> 01:14:55.199
simply forebore to be ironical. He
was on his very best behavior, and

787
01:14:55.279 --> 01:15:00.479
the Baroness was quite taken in by
his elaborate reserve. So Schdazzel, who

788
01:15:00.600 --> 01:15:08.720
was himself too painfully alive to her
aristocratic airs and pretensions. However, the

789
01:15:08.760 --> 01:15:13.359
society of his sister, whom he
adored, had put him into the best

790
01:15:13.399 --> 01:15:18.039
of humors. He lounged forth a
few bitter epigrams against the priesthood, and

791
01:15:18.279 --> 01:15:24.680
was satirical about the society of Rome. But Zinka stopped him every time with

792
01:15:24.960 --> 01:15:30.399
some engaging nonsense, and in listening
to her chatter he forgot his bitterness.

793
01:15:30.880 --> 01:15:35.960
At last, he asked her to
sing a Moravian popular song. She seated

794
01:15:36.000 --> 01:15:42.479
herself at the hotel piano and began. There was something mystical in the low,

795
01:15:42.600 --> 01:15:45.800
veiled tones of her voice, like
an echo of the past, As

796
01:15:45.840 --> 01:15:53.319
she sang the melancholy, dreamy strains
of her native land. Schdatzel, who

797
01:15:53.359 --> 01:15:59.079
always yawned all through an opera,
listened to her singing, his head resting

798
01:15:59.119 --> 01:16:03.560
on his hand in a sort of
ecstasy. In Simply Too, who,

799
01:16:03.600 --> 01:16:10.159
in spite of his Hungarian name,
was by birth a Moravian. Sinkas's simple

800
01:16:10.239 --> 01:16:15.760
melody roused the half choked echoes of
his youth, and when she ceased,

801
01:16:15.079 --> 01:16:23.880
he thanked her with genuine feeling.
Zincas was in april weather nature. After

802
01:16:23.960 --> 01:16:28.159
bringing the tears into the eyes of
her hearers, nay, into her own,

803
01:16:28.479 --> 01:16:31.920
with her song, she suddenly struck
up an air by lecoq that she

804
01:16:31.960 --> 01:16:38.279
had heard Judik sing at niece.
The words, as was perfectly evident to

805
01:16:38.359 --> 01:16:42.880
all of the party, were Hebrew
to the girl, but the bareness was

806
01:16:42.960 --> 01:16:49.279
beside herself. Sinca, she exclaimed, in extreme consternation. You really are

807
01:16:49.359 --> 01:16:56.319
incredible. What must these gentlemen think
of you? Do not be in the

808
01:16:56.399 --> 01:17:01.399
least uneasy, said the general.
But zincast short, her face was pale

809
01:17:01.439 --> 01:17:08.239
and quivering. She eedtcell interposed,
It is often a little difficult to follow

810
01:17:08.279 --> 01:17:13.399
my sister's vagaries, he said,
turning to Simply. Then he tenderly stroked

811
01:17:13.399 --> 01:17:17.119
her golden head with his large,
firm hand, saying, do not be

812
01:17:17.199 --> 01:17:20.800
unhappy, sweetheart, but you are
a little too much of a goose for

813
01:17:20.880 --> 01:17:28.199
your age. When presently simply had
quitted the hotel with the general, his

814
01:17:28.439 --> 01:17:33.239
first words were, tell me,
how is it that with such a fool

815
01:17:33.279 --> 01:17:43.159
of a mother that child has remained
so angelically fresh? So but TICHELLI end

816
01:17:43.239 --> 01:17:53.680
of chapter four, Part one,
Chapter five of Our Own set by Ossip

817
01:17:53.760 --> 01:17:59.239
Shubin, translated by Clara Belle.
This libovox according is in the public domain.

818
01:18:00.000 --> 01:18:05.159
Acording by Carolyn Part one, Chapter
five, A mine somewhere in Poland

819
01:18:05.279 --> 01:18:11.920
or Bohemia came to grief about this
time by some accidental visitation, and five

820
01:18:12.079 --> 01:18:16.800
hundred families were left destitute through the
disaster. Of course, the opportunity was

821
01:18:16.880 --> 01:18:25.119
immediately seized upon for charitable dissipations,
for qualifying for Orders of Merit by liberal

822
01:18:25.159 --> 01:18:30.000
donations, and for attracting the eyes
of Europe by the most extravagant display of

823
01:18:30.199 --> 01:18:38.560
philanthropy. After much deliberation, contess
Ilsenberg had arrived at the conviction that,

824
01:18:39.079 --> 01:18:45.159
as both the ambassador's families were hindered
by mourning from giving any public entertainment,

825
01:18:45.680 --> 01:18:49.720
the duty of taking the lead devolved
upon her. The rooms in her palazza

826
01:18:49.840 --> 01:18:56.079
were made on purpose for grand festivities, and after endless discussion, it was

827
01:18:56.119 --> 01:19:01.640
decided that the entertainment should be dramatic. An operetta, a proverb by mouse

828
01:19:02.159 --> 01:19:08.520
and a series of tableau vivants were
finally put in rehearsal, and a collection

829
01:19:08.800 --> 01:19:14.880
was to be made after the performance. Madame de Gondri threw herself into the

830
01:19:15.000 --> 01:19:19.880
undertaking with the most commendable Ardor.
She was on intimate terms with the leading

831
01:19:20.000 --> 01:19:25.840
spirits at the Villa Medici, the
French Academy of Arts at Rome, and

832
01:19:26.079 --> 01:19:30.239
she interested herself in the painting of
the scenes and in the artistic designing of

833
01:19:30.319 --> 01:19:35.560
the dresses, in which she proved
invaluable. Up to a certain point,

834
01:19:35.640 --> 01:19:42.079
all went smoothly. The operetta,
an unpublished effort, of course by a

835
01:19:42.159 --> 01:19:45.720
Russian amateur of rank who was very
proud of not even knowing his notes,

836
01:19:46.239 --> 01:19:53.000
was soon cast. It needed only
three performers and led up to the introduction

837
01:19:53.159 --> 01:20:00.600
of an elaborate masquerade and of certain
suggestive French songs. Missus Ferguson, who

838
01:20:00.640 --> 01:20:05.119
never let slip an opportunity of powdering
her hair and sticking on patches was to

839
01:20:05.159 --> 01:20:11.680
sing the soprano part. Caspigni took
that of a husband or a guardian in

840
01:20:11.720 --> 01:20:16.840
a nightcap or a flowered dressing gown, and a young French painter Monsieur Barier,

841
01:20:17.199 --> 01:20:21.199
who was at all times equally ready
to sketch or to wear a becoming

842
01:20:21.279 --> 01:20:26.760
costume, was to fill that of
the lover. The cast of the little

843
01:20:26.800 --> 01:20:30.840
French play was equally satisfactory. But
when the arrangement of the tableau came to

844
01:20:30.880 --> 01:20:36.520
be considered, difficulties arose. In
the first place, all the ladies were

845
01:20:36.560 --> 01:20:42.520
eager to display their charms under the
becoming light of a tableau vivant, and

846
01:20:42.800 --> 01:20:47.439
the number of volunteers was quite bewildering
to the committee of management that met every

847
01:20:47.560 --> 01:20:55.439
day at the Elsenberg's house. Then
squabbles and dissatisfaction arose. The ladies did

848
01:20:55.479 --> 01:21:00.680
not approve of the choice of subjects. They thought their dresses on becoming their

849
01:21:00.720 --> 01:21:05.119
position's disadvantageous. Each one to whom
a place at the site was assigned was

850
01:21:05.279 --> 01:21:12.399
deeply aggraved. An unappreciated beauty who
prided herself on her profile from the left

851
01:21:12.720 --> 01:21:17.319
would not for worlds be seen from
the right, etcetera, etcetera, and

852
01:21:17.520 --> 01:21:25.960
above all an insuperable difficulty. Almost
all the available men of the set manifested

853
01:21:26.000 --> 01:21:33.279
the greatest objection to making themselves ridiculous, and positively rejected the most flattering blandishments

854
01:21:33.279 --> 01:21:39.239
of the ladies Committee. Sampali,
who had been asked to appear as a

855
01:21:39.359 --> 01:21:44.840
Roman emperor, would not hear of
putting on flesh colored tights and a wreath

856
01:21:44.960 --> 01:21:48.920
of vine, and train had shrugged
his shoulders at the proposal that he should

857
01:21:49.079 --> 01:21:56.439
done a week with long curls Zikbook
little zik Book, as he was always

858
01:21:56.439 --> 01:22:00.720
called, though he was nearly six
feet high. After defense, funding himself

859
01:22:00.760 --> 01:22:06.600
with considerable humor, good naturedly agreed
to stand as Piero in a watur scene

860
01:22:06.720 --> 01:22:13.479
in which the Volpini children were to
appear, and Schatzer, being personally requested

861
01:22:13.520 --> 01:22:17.039
by his ambassador, submitted, though
with an ill grace, to be the

862
01:22:17.079 --> 01:22:24.039
executioner in de la Roche's picture of
Lady Jane Gray. This tableau was to

863
01:22:24.079 --> 01:22:30.479
be the crowning glory of the performance. Barria had taken infinitely more pains with

864
01:22:30.560 --> 01:22:33.439
it than with any other. The
part of Lady Jane was to be filled

865
01:22:33.439 --> 01:22:39.840
by a fair English girl, Lady
Henrietta's stare, and then within a few

866
01:22:39.920 --> 01:22:45.239
days of the performance, Lady Henrietta
fell ill of the measles. The committee

867
01:22:45.239 --> 01:22:49.439
were in despair when this news reached
them, and all who were concerned in

868
01:22:49.520 --> 01:22:55.319
the performance were summoned to meet at
the Palazzo that evening to talk the matter

869
01:22:55.399 --> 01:23:00.800
over. Hardly anyone was absent,
only Schtatz, who detested the whole charity

870
01:23:01.000 --> 01:23:08.159
scramble, as he called it,
sent his excuses. Every lady present expected

871
01:23:08.199 --> 01:23:13.399
to find herself called upon to stand, or rather to kneel, as Lady

872
01:23:13.479 --> 01:23:17.479
Jane Gray, But Missus Ferguson was
the first to give utterance to the thought

873
01:23:17.920 --> 01:23:25.640
and to offer herself heroically as Lady
Henrietta's substitute, to the astonishment of all

874
01:23:25.720 --> 01:23:30.159
the company. Saintpauli, whose interest
in the work of benevolence had hitherto displayed

875
01:23:30.159 --> 01:23:38.119
itself only in satirical remarks and suggestions
as to the representation of Macau's entrance of

876
01:23:38.359 --> 01:23:44.479
Charles, the fifth or of Simyratsky's
Living Torches, took an eager part in

877
01:23:44.560 --> 01:23:51.720
the discussion your self sacrifice, Missus
Ferguson said, he is more admirable every

878
01:23:51.800 --> 01:23:59.159
day, dear me, replied the
lady innocently, Where is the self sacrifice

879
01:23:59.159 --> 01:24:03.880
in having an old gown cut up
into a historical costume? That, indeed

880
01:24:03.920 --> 01:24:10.600
would be no sacrifice, said simply
coolly. But it must be a sacrifice

881
01:24:10.600 --> 01:24:14.359
for a lady to appear in a
part that suits her so remarkably ill.

882
01:24:15.119 --> 01:24:23.239
Missus Ferguson smiled rather like some pretty
little wild beast showing its teeth. Ah,

883
01:24:23.399 --> 01:24:27.479
she said, I suppose you think
I have none of that pathetic grace

884
01:24:27.640 --> 01:24:32.600
that Monsieur Barrier is so fond of
talking about. No more than of saving

885
01:24:32.760 --> 01:24:39.439
grace, said simply solemnly. Then, while the women were disputing over the

886
01:24:39.520 --> 01:24:44.680
matter, he found an opportunity of
whispering a few words to Barrial. Barrier

887
01:24:44.800 --> 01:24:48.800
looked up delighted. At this moment, they were joined by Comtesse Elzenberg.

888
01:24:50.119 --> 01:24:54.880
I have another suggestion to offer,
Madame la Comtesse. I have thought of

889
01:24:55.039 --> 01:25:00.199
some one, some newly imported American, laughed Madame de Gonde, or a

890
01:25:00.239 --> 01:25:05.960
painter's model with studied grayce and yellow
hair. You may rest assured that I

891
01:25:06.000 --> 01:25:13.239
should not for an instant think of
proposing to employ a model Barria emphatically declared,

892
01:25:13.920 --> 01:25:17.840
No, the lady in question is
a very charming person, Freilanche dazzl

893
01:25:18.439 --> 01:25:23.399
I saw her the day before yesterday
at Lady Julia Ellis's. She is an

894
01:25:23.399 --> 01:25:29.159
Austrian. You must know her.
Surely I have not that pleasure, said

895
01:25:29.159 --> 01:25:33.840
the Countess dryly. You do not
think she will do murmured the artist abashed.

896
01:25:34.319 --> 01:25:40.199
The Comtesse cleared her throat. Bless
me, cried Madame de Gondre,

897
01:25:40.399 --> 01:25:44.960
furious at the pride of her Austrian
friend. You take the matter really too

898
01:25:45.039 --> 01:25:47.720
much, in earnest, Why on
earth should not the girl act with us

899
01:25:48.199 --> 01:25:53.279
on these occasions? In Vienna,
as I have been informed, even actors

900
01:25:53.359 --> 01:26:00.000
are invited to help. That is
quite different, said the Comtesse. Madame,

901
01:26:00.000 --> 01:26:03.279
and the Gondrey shrugged her shoulders and
turned away, and the Comtesse beckoned

902
01:26:03.319 --> 01:26:09.560
to her cousin Sempaly. I am
heartily sick of the whole business, she

903
01:26:09.680 --> 01:26:13.520
exclaimed. At home, I have
got this sort of thing up a score

904
01:26:13.560 --> 01:26:17.600
of times, and everything has gone
well. While here, yes, there

905
01:26:17.680 --> 01:26:25.079
is more method among us, replied
simply sympathetically. The people here are so

906
01:26:25.359 --> 01:26:30.239
unmangible. Everyone wants to play the
best parts, said the comtesse. That

907
01:26:30.399 --> 01:26:36.000
is the result of the republican element, observed simply, And now there is

908
01:26:36.079 --> 01:26:42.640
all this difficulty about the Lady Jane
Gray tableau, sighed the comtesse. Why

909
01:26:42.720 --> 01:26:46.039
need that English girl take the measles
now, just when she is wanted?

910
01:26:47.600 --> 01:26:54.039
The English are always so inconsiderate,
said simply, gravely, do you happen

911
01:26:54.079 --> 01:26:59.800
to have met this little Stetzel girl? Yes? What does she look like?

912
01:27:00.159 --> 01:27:03.600
Oh? Well, she looks like
a very pretty girl. And besides

913
01:27:03.680 --> 01:27:09.520
that, besides that, she looks
very much like our own girls. It

914
01:27:09.600 --> 01:27:14.640
is really a most extraordinary freak of
nature. She seems to be very presentable.

915
01:27:14.680 --> 01:27:19.159
On further acquaintance, Princess Vulpini is
quite in love with her. Indeed,

916
01:27:19.760 --> 01:27:24.239
au Weel Barria is possessed with the
idea of having her to play the

917
01:27:24.279 --> 01:27:27.800
part of Lady Jane Gray. And
in Heaven's name, let him have his

918
01:27:27.880 --> 01:27:31.640
own way, cried the Countess.
If Marie Vulpini will bring her here,

919
01:27:31.760 --> 01:27:36.159
I will make the best of it. What you mean to say that you

920
01:27:36.159 --> 01:27:41.560
will let her figure in your tableau
and not invite her? Mother laughed,

921
01:27:41.560 --> 01:27:46.079
Simply invite her to the performance,
of course, I invite Tom Dick and

922
01:27:46.159 --> 01:27:53.279
Harry and all the English Parsons,
and all the foreign artists and all their

923
01:27:53.319 --> 01:28:00.560
families. Fritzi, you are an
admirable woman, retorted Sempaly ironically. But

924
01:28:00.000 --> 01:28:05.399
the rehearsals are so perfectly intimate,
she murmured. Time pressed, however,

925
01:28:06.319 --> 01:28:11.720
well have it so for all I
care, said the countess resignedly, and

926
01:28:11.920 --> 01:28:16.359
the next morning she paid a polite
call on the Baroness Schiertze to request Zinca's

927
01:28:16.359 --> 01:28:20.760
assistance, and, as she had
as much tact as pride, she had

928
01:28:20.800 --> 01:28:27.479
soon reconciled not only Zinka but her
sensitive, thin skinned brother to the fact

929
01:28:27.600 --> 01:28:30.319
that the young girl had only been
asked at the last moment, and under

930
01:28:30.359 --> 01:28:36.119
the pressure of necessity to take part
in the performance. Cecil did not altogether

931
01:28:36.279 --> 01:28:42.439
like the idea of displaying his pretty
sister in a tableau, and only consented

932
01:28:42.520 --> 01:28:46.479
because he did not like to deprive
Zinka of the pleasure which she looked forward

933
01:28:46.680 --> 01:28:53.079
to with great delight. He adored
the child and could refuse her nothing.

934
01:28:54.680 --> 01:28:59.439
The evening of the festival arrived,
The performances took place in a vast room

935
01:28:59.520 --> 01:29:05.000
almost lined with mirrors and lighted by
wonderful Venetian tandeliers that hung from the decorated

936
01:29:05.039 --> 01:29:12.479
ceiling, where frescoes were framed and
tasteless gilled scroll work. In spite of

937
01:29:12.520 --> 01:29:16.520
its size, the room was crowded. The most illustrious of the company sat

938
01:29:16.560 --> 01:29:21.520
in solitary dignity in the front row, and behind them was packed a fashionable

939
01:29:21.760 --> 01:29:29.720
but somewhat mixed crowd. Manly forms
of consumed elegance were squeezed against the walls,

940
01:29:30.000 --> 01:29:34.000
and the assembly sparkled like a sea
of sheeny silks and glittering jewels.

941
01:29:34.840 --> 01:29:40.640
Princess Vulpini, who was helping the
contest to do the honors, hovered on

942
01:29:40.760 --> 01:29:45.079
the margin, graceful and kindly,
but a little pale and tired. And

943
01:29:45.279 --> 01:29:51.520
the Countess herself reigned supreme in that
regal dignity which she could so becomingly assume

944
01:29:51.600 --> 01:29:59.239
on fitting occasions. There were very
few women who could wear a diamond cornet

945
01:29:59.319 --> 01:30:05.159
with such good grace as Fritzi Ilsenberg. Even her intractable cousin sempleaded her that

946
01:30:05.319 --> 01:30:12.680
much justice. The great success of
the evening was not the little French play

947
01:30:13.000 --> 01:30:17.880
in which Madame de Gondri and the
all accomplished Barria made and perried their hits

948
01:30:17.920 --> 01:30:24.159
after the accepted methods of the Teatre
Fonsea. It was not the operetta,

949
01:30:24.479 --> 01:30:30.479
in which Missus Ferguson looked bewitchingly pretty
and sang lissenti ni convert to admiration.

950
01:30:31.279 --> 01:30:36.359
It was not even the children's tableau, in which the volpinies looked like a

951
01:30:36.399 --> 01:30:43.000
bunch of freshly gathered roses. The
great success of the evening was the tableau

952
01:30:43.119 --> 01:30:48.279
of Lady Jane Gray. Stetzel's face
in this scene was a perfect tragedy.

953
01:30:48.760 --> 01:30:55.479
All the misery of an executioner who
adores his victim was legible there, and

954
01:30:55.720 --> 01:31:01.880
Zinka gazing up to heaven with ecstatic
pathos, her whole attitude expressive of sacred

955
01:31:02.039 --> 01:31:09.479
resignation and childlike awe. She was
the very embodiment of the hapless and innocent

956
01:31:09.640 --> 01:31:15.960
being before whom the executioner lowers his
gaze. His string quartet played the allegretto

957
01:31:16.119 --> 01:31:23.680
from Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, and the
melancholy music heightened the effect of the poetical

958
01:31:23.720 --> 01:31:30.199
tableau, thrilling the audience like a
lullaby sung by angels to soothe the struggling

959
01:31:30.680 --> 01:31:36.199
suffering human soul. The whole artistic
corps, who had been invited from the

960
01:31:36.279 --> 01:31:43.680
Villa Medici, with the director at
their head, unanimously decided that this performance

961
01:31:43.800 --> 01:31:48.760
far excelled all that had gone before, and contesse Eltenberg forgotten its success all

962
01:31:48.840 --> 01:31:55.319
the annoyance that had occasioned her.
After the collection, which produced a magnificent

963
01:31:55.439 --> 01:32:00.520
sum, most of the company dispersed. Eltenberg, with his most feudal smile,

964
01:32:00.960 --> 01:32:06.720
expressed his thanks to all the performance
in turn, and presented elegant bouquets

965
01:32:06.720 --> 01:32:13.880
to the ladies. The entertainment lost
its formal character and became a social gathering.

966
01:32:15.439 --> 01:32:19.119
Zinca was sitting in a side room
surrounded by a host of young Romans

967
01:32:19.159 --> 01:32:25.680
and Frenchmen. As she was one
of those rare natures who derive not the

968
01:32:25.720 --> 01:32:30.079
smallest satisfaction from the homage of min
for whom they have no regard, she

969
01:32:30.199 --> 01:32:39.000
listened to their enthusiastic compliments with absolute
indifference. She had asked for an ice,

970
01:32:39.520 --> 01:32:43.359
and Norina had offered it to her
on his knees, remaining in that

971
01:32:43.479 --> 01:32:49.319
position to pour out his string of
high flown compliments. Zinca, unaccustomed to

972
01:32:49.399 --> 01:32:57.720
this Southern effusiveness was remonstrating with some
annoyance, but without the slightest effect when

973
01:32:57.800 --> 01:33:01.800
simply came in and exclaimed in the
ABRs he commonly used to younger men,

974
01:33:02.560 --> 01:33:06.600
get up, norina, do you
not see that your devotion is not appreciated.

975
01:33:09.119 --> 01:33:13.840
The Prince rose, with a scowl, simply drew a seat to Zinka's

976
01:33:14.079 --> 01:33:20.319
side, and in five minutes hard
as usual, entirely monopolized her. My

977
01:33:20.520 --> 01:33:25.520
cousin, the comtesse owes everything to
you, he said, in his most

978
01:33:25.640 --> 01:33:30.560
musical tones, you saved the whole
thing. I detest all amateur performances,

979
01:33:30.880 --> 01:33:38.159
but that tableau of Lady Jane Gray
was really beautiful. I liked the French

980
01:33:38.199 --> 01:33:43.560
play very much. Madame de Gondre's
acting was full of spirit. Bah,

981
01:33:43.760 --> 01:33:47.680
I have had more than enough of
such spirit. Indeed, laughed she.

982
01:33:48.399 --> 01:33:53.640
It seems to me that you are
suffering from general weariness of life. You

983
01:33:53.680 --> 01:34:00.399
are blasee. What do you understand
by being blaseie? He asked, why

984
01:34:00.560 --> 01:34:03.920
that exhaustion of heart and soul which
comes to the fatigue produced by a life

985
01:34:03.960 --> 01:34:09.359
of perpetual enjoyment. It is,
I believe, an essential element in the

986
01:34:09.439 --> 01:34:15.319
character of a man of fashion,
something between a melody and an affectation,

987
01:34:15.920 --> 01:34:20.199
remarked, simply, just so.
In short, to be bluzzy is the

988
01:34:20.199 --> 01:34:27.920
heart sickness of a fop. Simply
glanced at her keenly. Your definition is

989
01:34:27.960 --> 01:34:30.640
admirable, he said. I will
make a note of it, but the

990
01:34:30.680 --> 01:34:34.760
cap does not fit me. I
am not bluzzy. I am not indifferent

991
01:34:34.840 --> 01:34:41.520
to anything. Sham's hypocrisy and meretriciousness
irritate me. But when I meet with

992
01:34:41.640 --> 01:34:45.840
anything really good or lovely or genuine, I can recognize it and admire it

993
01:34:46.279 --> 01:34:53.680
more perhaps than most men. Meanwhile, the winner of the musical price from

994
01:34:53.720 --> 01:34:59.279
the Villa Medici had set down to
the piano and plunged straight away out of

995
01:34:59.359 --> 01:35:04.920
a maundering improvisation and to a waltz
by Strauss. The Countess had no objection

996
01:35:05.079 --> 01:35:11.520
if they liked to dance, and
several couples were soon spinning under the flaring

997
01:35:11.640 --> 01:35:17.000
candles. Simply rose, May I
have the honor, he said to Zinka,

998
01:35:17.119 --> 01:35:24.079
and they went together into the dancing
room. Zinka had the pretty peculiarity

999
01:35:24.159 --> 01:35:29.399
of turning pale rather than read as
she danced. Her movements were not so

1000
01:35:29.600 --> 01:35:34.960
sprightly, but gliding and dreamy.
In fact, she waltzed with uncommon grace,

1001
01:35:35.920 --> 01:35:42.159
simply had long since lost the subalternse
delight in a dance. He only

1002
01:35:42.239 --> 01:35:46.439
asked ladies who had some special interest
or charm for him, and every one

1003
01:35:46.560 --> 01:35:51.920
knew it. Huh, said Zigburg, shaking his head as he went up

1004
01:35:51.960 --> 01:35:59.239
to Generlfhonklinga, who was watching the
graceful couple from a recess. My little

1005
01:35:59.279 --> 01:36:02.800
game has come to nothing, it
seems to me. Have you retired,

1006
01:36:02.840 --> 01:36:10.079
then asked the General. By no
means quite the contrary, But my chances

1007
01:36:10.119 --> 01:36:14.520
are small enough at present. I
fancy what do you say? He looked

1008
01:36:14.640 --> 01:36:20.800
straight into the old man's eyes.
He understood and said nothing. She dances

1009
01:36:20.840 --> 01:36:26.439
beautifully. I never saw a girl
dance better. How well she holds her

1010
01:36:26.520 --> 01:36:31.159
head, he murmured. Suddenly,
a flash of amusement lighted up his eyes.

1011
01:36:31.920 --> 01:36:36.760
Look at Fritzy's face, he exclaimed, what a horrified expression, A

1012
01:36:36.920 --> 01:36:49.520
perfect Niobi. End of chapter five, Part one, Chapter six of Our

1013
01:36:49.560 --> 01:36:56.439
Own set by Ossip Schubin, translated
by Clara Belle. This libovox according is

1014
01:36:56.439 --> 01:37:03.920
in the public domain recording by Caroline. Part one, Chapter six Simpally's symptimacy

1015
01:37:04.000 --> 01:37:10.359
with the steadzels grew daily. He
did the honest of Rome to Zinca and

1016
01:37:10.680 --> 01:37:15.680
dined with them as a fourth two
or three times a week. After the

1017
01:37:15.760 --> 01:37:19.760
tableaux at the Elsenberg's, Zinca was
asked everywhere. All the men were at

1018
01:37:19.760 --> 01:37:25.439
her feet, and all the ladies
wanted to learn her songs. The men

1019
01:37:25.600 --> 01:37:30.840
she treated with the utmost indifference,
and to the ladies she was always obliging,

1020
01:37:30.239 --> 01:37:34.560
particularly to those whom no one else
would take the pains to be civil

1021
01:37:34.640 --> 01:37:41.279
to, all of which added greatly
to her popularity. Trains little girl,

1022
01:37:41.640 --> 01:37:46.279
a spoilt, shy thing who quarreled
with her maid three times a week regularly,

1023
01:37:46.720 --> 01:37:51.800
and insisted on learning everything from Latin
to water collar drawing, though she

1024
01:37:51.800 --> 01:37:59.119
would submit to no teacher, but
her father perfectly worshiped Zinca and to her

1025
01:37:59.319 --> 01:38:03.840
was as dose as a lamb.
Princess Vulpini was delighted at her influence on

1026
01:38:03.920 --> 01:38:10.560
her little knees and declared that Zinka
was a real treasure. And Lady Julia

1027
01:38:10.640 --> 01:38:15.479
Ellis, who had met the young
girl's acquaintance two years since, said Miran,

1028
01:38:15.079 --> 01:38:19.560
was proud to take her out whenever
the baroness could not go. The

1029
01:38:19.600 --> 01:38:25.319
English lady was always ready to chap
her and Zinca, and when Lady Julia

1030
01:38:25.439 --> 01:38:29.800
was at home, Zinca had to
help her receive her guests and to make

1031
01:38:29.920 --> 01:38:36.479
tea contesse. Charleingen A Canonis,
devoted to painting, full of sentimentality and

1032
01:38:36.680 --> 01:38:44.399
romance, whose ideas had not yet
got beyond Vintatala called Zinca quite delicious,

1033
01:38:44.880 --> 01:38:49.760
took her on excursions, dragged her
to all the curiosity dealers, and finally

1034
01:38:49.840 --> 01:38:57.079
painted her portrait on handscreen for Princess
Vulpini, her head and shoulders in gauzy

1035
01:38:57.199 --> 01:39:00.840
drapery coming out of a lily.
Before the end of a fortnight, a

1036
01:39:00.960 --> 01:39:08.119
rich American had inquired about her rank
and extraction, and the handsome Crespigny had

1037
01:39:08.199 --> 01:39:13.880
learnt all about her fortune. Norina
paid her escort to her when his tyrant's

1038
01:39:14.000 --> 01:39:19.000
back was turned, and Missus Ferguson
did her the honor of being madly jealous.

1039
01:39:19.680 --> 01:39:24.560
But all this did not turn her
head. It did not seem to

1040
01:39:24.600 --> 01:39:29.640
even astonish her. She had always
been spoilt, and wherever she had gone

1041
01:39:29.680 --> 01:39:33.119
she had found friends and admirers.
When people were kind to her, she

1042
01:39:33.239 --> 01:39:38.159
was delighted, but she would have
been much more astonished if they had not

1043
01:39:38.279 --> 01:39:43.680
been kind. Sempaly had called her
a Botticelli, but the word was only

1044
01:39:43.720 --> 01:39:47.520
applicable to her mind. In appearance, she had none of the ascetic grace

1045
01:39:47.640 --> 01:39:54.399
of the pre rephael lights. She
was more like the crayon figures of Latou,

1046
01:39:55.079 --> 01:40:00.840
or that typical beauty of the eighteenth
century La Lamballe. She had not

1047
01:40:00.960 --> 01:40:04.960
the bloom of pink and white,
but was pale even in her youthful freshness,

1048
01:40:05.079 --> 01:40:10.760
with soft shadows under her eyes.
And her hair, which was thick

1049
01:40:10.840 --> 01:40:15.800
and waved naturally, had reddish lights
in the brown. It tender down,

1050
01:40:15.920 --> 01:40:23.079
softened its outline on her temples without
shading her forehead, and gave her face

1051
01:40:23.119 --> 01:40:28.920
a look of peculiar innocence. She
was slight, but not angular. Her

1052
01:40:29.039 --> 01:40:33.119
arms were long and thin, Her
hands were small and sometimes red. Her

1053
01:40:33.159 --> 01:40:41.119
moods varied between dreamy thoughtfulness and saucy
high spirits. Her gait was usually free

1054
01:40:41.159 --> 01:40:45.479
and light, but occasionally a little
awkward, like an angel with its wings

1055
01:40:45.560 --> 01:40:51.119
clipped. Simply said, she had
a low, veiled voice in speaking that

1056
01:40:51.359 --> 01:40:58.039
reminded one of the vibrating tones of
a Amati violin. She was as wild

1057
01:40:58.079 --> 01:41:01.800
as a boy, as graceful as
water Nixie, and as innocent as a

1058
01:41:01.960 --> 01:41:06.560
child, with the crude innocence of
a girl who has been brought up chiefly

1059
01:41:06.640 --> 01:41:13.880
by men. And all her ideas
had the stamp of dreamy seclusion and fervid

1060
01:41:14.119 --> 01:41:19.680
sentiment. She had had French and
English governesses, and had been to school

1061
01:41:19.720 --> 01:41:25.399
in a convent for a year.
Still, the ruling influence in her life

1062
01:41:25.439 --> 01:41:30.359
had been that of her guardian,
General Schtiezzel, an eccentric being with an

1063
01:41:30.359 --> 01:41:36.880
intense horror of sentimental school friendships and
of the conventional propriety that comes of too

1064
01:41:36.960 --> 01:41:43.840
early familiarity with the world. It
was to him that Zinka owed the one

1065
01:41:43.960 --> 01:41:49.680
good word which Contesse Ilsenberg spoke in
her favor. One thing must be admitted.

1066
01:41:50.119 --> 01:41:55.000
She is not affected. She is
as natural as one of our own

1067
01:41:55.119 --> 01:42:01.760
girls. Poor Kurralis. The Baroness
would frequently exclaim, what a pity that

1068
01:42:01.840 --> 01:42:06.000
she is not here, what a
trait it would be for her. Yes,

1069
01:42:06.319 --> 01:42:11.560
Sheatsil would answer in his dry way, she was in too great a

1070
01:42:11.640 --> 01:42:17.159
hurry, and the Baroness would cast
her eyes up to heaven. Coralie was

1071
01:42:17.239 --> 01:42:24.319
her eldest and favorite daughter. Disappointed
in her love of some hard hearted gentleman,

1072
01:42:24.800 --> 01:42:29.520
she had renounced the vanities of the
world some years since. But like

1073
01:42:29.600 --> 01:42:33.560
her mother's worthy daughter, even in
the depth of her disappointment and despair,

1074
01:42:33.960 --> 01:42:40.319
she had taken care to choose a
convent where the recluses were divided into ladies

1075
01:42:40.359 --> 01:42:45.279
and sisters, where the children who
came to school there played hide and seek

1076
01:42:45.319 --> 01:42:49.479
under a French name, and where
being a border was called being all position.

1077
01:42:51.199 --> 01:42:56.960
Poor Coralie the Baroness would sigh,
and then, seating herself at her

1078
01:42:57.000 --> 01:43:01.640
writing table, she would scribble endlessly
about the delights of a residence at Rome

1079
01:43:01.720 --> 01:43:06.840
to all her friends in Austria,
and especially to her sister, the Baroness

1080
01:43:06.920 --> 01:43:15.039
Volnitzka. Baroness Schietzel, was a
typical specimen of a class of nobility peculiar

1081
01:43:15.159 --> 01:43:23.199
to Austria and called there. Heaven
knows why the onion nobility swiber noblesse.

1082
01:43:24.520 --> 01:43:29.079
It is a circle that may be
described as a branch concern of the best

1083
01:43:29.319 --> 01:43:34.159
society, a half blood relation,
a mixture of the elements that have been

1084
01:43:34.239 --> 01:43:41.000
sifted out of the upper aristocracy and
of the parvenus from below, who find

1085
01:43:41.079 --> 01:43:45.800
that they can be reciprocally useful.
A circle in which almost every man is

1086
01:43:45.840 --> 01:43:50.680
a baron and every woman, without
exception is a baroness. Its members are

1087
01:43:50.680 --> 01:43:58.199
for the most part poor but refined
beyond expression. The mothers scold their children

1088
01:43:58.239 --> 01:44:02.600
in bad French and talked to their
friends in fashionable slang. They give parties

1089
01:44:02.680 --> 01:44:08.000
at which there is nothing to eat, but the family plate is displayed,

1090
01:44:08.399 --> 01:44:14.199
and where the company always consists of
the same old bachelors who dye their hair

1091
01:44:14.279 --> 01:44:18.840
and know the Almanach de Gorta by
heart. Everyone is well informed about the

1092
01:44:18.880 --> 01:44:24.079
doings of the world. How many
shifts Minnie n had in her trousseau,

1093
01:44:24.600 --> 01:44:30.199
why the engagement between Fritz Oh and
Lori Pey was broken off? And much

1094
01:44:30.279 --> 01:44:33.479
more of the same effect. Of
late years, the Onion nobility, with

1095
01:44:33.720 --> 01:44:39.960
various other offshoots of the higher culture, has been swarmped by the advance of

1096
01:44:40.039 --> 01:44:44.920
the liberals, that is to say, by the progress of the financial classes.

1097
01:44:45.239 --> 01:44:49.439
Only a year since the Baroness herself
had stood on the stairs of the

1098
01:44:49.479 --> 01:44:56.880
opera house to watch the occupants of
the grand tier at that time appropriated to

1099
01:44:56.920 --> 01:45:03.560
the cream of the aristocracy to take
note of aristocratic dresses and to hear aristocratic

1100
01:45:03.720 --> 01:45:10.520
nothings from aristocratic lips. Now in
Rome, she was living in the world

1101
01:45:10.560 --> 01:45:15.560
of society. Her satisfaction knew no
bounds, and she made daily progress in

1102
01:45:15.680 --> 01:45:21.239
exclusiveness. The contest Eldenbergs, compared
to her, was a mere bungler,

1103
01:45:23.039 --> 01:45:28.159
But she was never so amusing to
watch as when she met some fellow countrymen

1104
01:45:28.199 --> 01:45:32.399
of untitled rank. It happened that
this winter there was in Rome a certain

1105
01:45:32.640 --> 01:45:39.279
her brauer, an old simpleton with
a very handsome wife, who laid herself

1106
01:45:39.319 --> 01:45:45.439
open for the admiration of all the
young men of any pretensions. Being furnished

1107
01:45:45.439 --> 01:45:50.800
with a few letters of introduction,
he and his fascinating partner disported themselves very

1108
01:45:50.840 --> 01:45:57.039
contentedly in the outer circle, the
suburbs, so to speak, of good

1109
01:45:57.079 --> 01:46:01.279
society, without having a suspicion how
far they were from the center. Baroness

1110
01:46:01.359 --> 01:46:09.399
she dad still could never cease wondering
how those people could be tolerated. She

1111
01:46:09.520 --> 01:46:14.520
was always well dressed, She gave
capital little dinners. She had the neatest

1112
01:46:14.600 --> 01:46:19.720
coopee and the most comfortable landeaux,
and her coachman had the cleanest shaved imperial

1113
01:46:19.800 --> 01:46:27.720
face and the smartest livery in Rome. Her manners were somewhat changeable, since

1114
01:46:27.800 --> 01:46:32.800
she was constantly endeavoring to appropriate the
airs and graces of the most fashionable women

1115
01:46:32.880 --> 01:46:40.000
she met. She was extremely unpopular
and consequently bored to death wherever she went.

1116
01:46:40.600 --> 01:46:44.560
She was never quite easy as to
her footing in society, and lived

1117
01:46:44.600 --> 01:46:49.159
in the discomfort of a person who
was always trying to walk on tiptoe.

1118
01:46:49.800 --> 01:46:56.800
Her sole unqualified pleasure during this period, which however, she always spoke of

1119
01:46:56.960 --> 01:47:01.439
as the happiest of her life,
was the writing of the above mentioned letters

1120
01:47:01.479 --> 01:47:06.399
home, and especially, as had
been said to her sister, the Baroness

1121
01:47:06.479 --> 01:47:14.199
Volnitzka in Bohemia. She craved a
public to witness her success, and like

1122
01:47:14.319 --> 01:47:18.600
all mean natures, she knew no
greater joy than that of exciting envy.

1123
01:47:19.199 --> 01:47:24.840
She would often read these epistles to
Zinka, for she was very proud of

1124
01:47:24.880 --> 01:47:31.199
her wordy style. Zinka was somewhat
disturbed by these flowery compositions, which always

1125
01:47:31.319 --> 01:47:35.680
ended with these words, what a
pity it is that you should not be

1126
01:47:35.840 --> 01:47:41.960
here. It would give us the
greatest pleasure to have you with us.

1127
01:47:42.479 --> 01:47:45.079
Take care, Mamma, said the
girl, They will take you at your

1128
01:47:45.119 --> 01:47:50.239
word and descend upon us. What
are you dreaming of? Said the baroness,

1129
01:47:50.279 --> 01:47:57.840
folding her letter with the utmost philosophy. They have no money and of

1130
01:47:57.920 --> 01:48:09.000
chapter six, Part one, Chapter
seven of Our Own set by Ossip Shubin,

1131
01:48:09.359 --> 01:48:15.039
translated by Clara Belle. This librivoxycoriding
is in the public domain recording by

1132
01:48:15.119 --> 01:48:23.079
Carolyn Part one, Chapter seven hovels
deep sunk in the ground, moss covered,

1133
01:48:23.279 --> 01:48:28.279
thatched roofs. Here and there an
old lime tree or a tall pear

1134
01:48:28.399 --> 01:48:34.920
tree with crebbed branches standing out,
blackened bear against the wintry sky, slimy

1135
01:48:35.039 --> 01:48:42.000
poddles, a pond full to the
brim, in which three forlorn looking geese

1136
01:48:42.039 --> 01:48:47.560
are sadly paddling. A swampy road
along which a procession of plows are splashing

1137
01:48:47.640 --> 01:48:55.279
their way at the heels of the
muddy, unkept teams. Enshored a bohemian

1138
01:48:55.359 --> 01:49:01.399
village with a shabby manor house beyond
over the tumbled down gateway with a pig

1139
01:49:01.439 --> 01:49:05.960
stay on one side and a dog
kennel on the other. Hangs a coat

1140
01:49:06.000 --> 01:49:13.520
of arms. The mansion a square
house with a steep shingle roof, stands

1141
01:49:13.720 --> 01:49:18.319
according to the unromantic custom of the
country, with one side looking onto the

1142
01:49:18.359 --> 01:49:25.319
farmyard, and the drawing room windows
open exactly over an enormous dung heap,

1143
01:49:25.760 --> 01:49:30.119
which a party of women are in
the very act of turning with pitchforks,

1144
01:49:30.520 --> 01:49:35.119
under the superintendence of a short stout
man in a weather beaten hunting hat and

1145
01:49:35.359 --> 01:49:42.039
shooting coat with padded silk sleeves,
out of which the wedding is peeping at

1146
01:49:42.039 --> 01:49:47.279
a hundred holes. He is smoking
a pipe with a china bowl decorated with

1147
01:49:47.359 --> 01:49:54.079
a mincing ordalisque. His face is
broad and red, his ears purple,

1148
01:49:54.359 --> 01:50:00.439
and his aspect is anything rather than
an aristocratic as he stands giggling and testing

1149
01:50:00.560 --> 01:50:08.239
with the damsels of the steaming midden. This is Baron Volnitski, a man

1150
01:50:08.359 --> 01:50:13.479
who, like a good many others, got himself a good deal talked about

1151
01:50:13.520 --> 01:50:17.640
in eighteen forty eight, and then
vanished from the scene without leaving a trace

1152
01:50:17.800 --> 01:50:25.359
behind. Often, when we see
some dry and barren tray shedding its cyent

1153
01:50:25.720 --> 01:50:30.279
moldy leaves in the autumn, we
find it hard to believe that it bore

1154
01:50:30.359 --> 01:50:34.640
blossoms in the spring, and the
Baron was like such a tray. In

1155
01:50:34.720 --> 01:50:42.439
the springtide of eighteen forty eight,
an overteeming spring throughout Europe, his soul

1156
01:50:42.600 --> 01:50:47.479
too had blossomed. He had had
patriotic visions and had uttered them in rhyme,

1157
01:50:47.920 --> 01:50:53.520
and his country had hailed him as
a prophet, perhaps because it needed

1158
01:50:53.560 --> 01:50:58.920
an idle, or perhaps because in
those agitated times that could not tell black

1159
01:50:59.000 --> 01:51:04.319
from white. In those days,
he had displayed himself in a magnificent national

1160
01:51:04.439 --> 01:51:11.920
costume, with sleeves of the most
elaborate cut, had married a patriotic wife

1161
01:51:12.000 --> 01:51:16.199
who always dressed in the slav colors
blue, white, and red, and

1162
01:51:16.239 --> 01:51:23.239
who got two young men, also
dressed in slav costume, to mount guard

1163
01:51:23.319 --> 01:51:28.279
at the door of her house.
He was descended from a Polish family that

1164
01:51:28.359 --> 01:51:33.359
had emigrated many generations since, and
his connections were as far as possible from

1165
01:51:33.399 --> 01:51:40.239
being aristocratic. While he owed his
little fortune entirely to his father, who

1166
01:51:40.279 --> 01:51:45.520
had put no baron before his name, and who had earned it honestly as

1167
01:51:45.560 --> 01:51:49.880
a master baker in feudal times,
it would hardly have occurred to him to

1168
01:51:50.000 --> 01:51:56.600
furbish up this very doubtful patent of
nobility. But in the air of liberty,

1169
01:51:56.680 --> 01:52:01.880
it might pass muster and prove useful
a very shy peddigray serfs to shid

1170
01:52:02.000 --> 01:52:10.079
glory on a democratic martyr. During
the Insurrection of June, he fled with

1171
01:52:10.199 --> 01:52:15.439
his wife in picturesque disguise, at
first to Dresden, and then to Switzerland,

1172
01:52:15.640 --> 01:52:20.159
where he lived for some time in
a boarding house at Geneva, receiving

1173
01:52:20.239 --> 01:52:27.920
Omasha as a political refugee and horrifying
the mistress by his enormous uptide. At

1174
01:52:28.039 --> 01:52:33.359
length he returned to Bohemia, where
the events of forty eight endeds picturesquely appereled

1175
01:52:33.479 --> 01:52:40.880
leaders had fallen into oblivion. He
retired to his little estate and turned philosopher.

1176
01:52:41.399 --> 01:52:45.920
Philosophy ever since the day of Diogenes, has been the acknowledged refuge of

1177
01:52:46.039 --> 01:52:53.640
shipwrecked hopes and pretensions. There he
went out walking in his shirt sleeves,

1178
01:52:53.840 --> 01:52:59.600
played card with the peasants, and
grew more vulgar, fetter and hungaria every

1179
01:52:59.720 --> 01:53:03.159
day. And if he ever had
an idea, it was unintentionally in a

1180
01:53:03.199 --> 01:53:10.079
bad dream, after eating too much
of some national delicacy. His wife,

1181
01:53:10.279 --> 01:53:15.880
a robust and worthy soul, though
full of absurdities, bore a strong resemblance

1182
01:53:15.960 --> 01:53:19.000
to the mother of the Regent Orleans. In as much as she had a

1183
01:53:19.000 --> 01:53:26.520
sound understanding, combined with a very
sentimental nature, was subtly devoid of tact,

1184
01:53:26.800 --> 01:53:30.239
bitter to the verge of cynicism,
thoroughly in discreet, and a great

1185
01:53:30.439 --> 01:53:35.800
chatterbox. She resigned herself without demure
to the new order of things, and

1186
01:53:36.000 --> 01:53:41.840
brought a new tribe of children into
the world, most of whom died young.

1187
01:53:42.800 --> 01:53:46.760
Three survived, two sons who so
far broke through the traditions of the

1188
01:53:46.840 --> 01:53:54.079
family as to become infantry officers,
and one daughter, in whom patriotic romance

1189
01:53:54.159 --> 01:54:00.640
once more flickered into fanaticism. This
girl had been christened Boho's Love, a

1190
01:54:00.760 --> 01:54:05.720
name which was commonly shortened into Slava, which in the more important dialects of

1191
01:54:05.800 --> 01:54:13.000
the slav tongue means fame. She, like her mother, was of stalwood

1192
01:54:13.119 --> 01:54:18.079
build but her features were regular,
though statuesque and heavy. She was said

1193
01:54:18.199 --> 01:54:23.720
to be like the Apollo Belvedre.
She had already had four suitors, but

1194
01:54:23.920 --> 01:54:28.119
neither of them had met her views, and now, at twenty, having

1195
01:54:28.199 --> 01:54:34.119
been born in forty eight, she
was spending the winter unmarried and sorely discontented

1196
01:54:34.560 --> 01:54:41.600
in the country, where she occupied
herself with serious studies and accepted the attentions

1197
01:54:41.640 --> 01:54:45.760
of a needy young Paul, who
was devoted to her and in whom she

1198
01:54:45.880 --> 01:54:53.600
condescended to take some slight interest.
But Baron Volnitsky is still standing by the

1199
01:54:53.640 --> 01:54:58.359
midden, the great black dog,
which till this moment has never ceased,

1200
01:54:58.439 --> 01:55:02.159
barking at the door of his skin
Cannel, now, to introduce some variety

1201
01:55:02.199 --> 01:55:09.000
into the program, jumps on to
its roof, from which advantageous standpoint he

1202
01:55:09.159 --> 01:55:15.880
still barks without paws. Everything is
dripping from the reluctantly thawed snow, and

1203
01:55:15.079 --> 01:55:19.880
the air is full of the splash
and gurgle of dropping and trickling water.

1204
01:55:20.640 --> 01:55:28.159
The gray February twilight sinks upon the
world, and everything looks stingy and soaked.

1205
01:55:29.359 --> 01:55:33.560
A sound of creaking wheels is heard
approaching, and a dunk cart appears

1206
01:55:33.600 --> 01:55:39.359
in the gateway. Well, what
is going on in the town? Says

1207
01:55:39.399 --> 01:55:43.039
the baron to the man who comes
up to him, wrapped in an evil

1208
01:55:43.159 --> 01:55:47.680
smelling sheepskin and with the ears of
his fur cap tied under his chin,

1209
01:55:48.159 --> 01:55:56.079
to kiss his master's elbow. Have
you brought the newspapers. Yes, your

1210
01:55:56.159 --> 01:55:59.920
grace, my lord Baron, says
the man, and a letter too,

1211
01:56:00.880 --> 01:56:04.359
and he draws a packet tied up
in a red and white handkerchief, out

1212
01:56:04.399 --> 01:56:10.439
of a pocket of his cheap skin. The Baron looks at the documents.

1213
01:56:11.399 --> 01:56:16.079
Another letter from Rome already, he
mutters, grinning, I must take it

1214
01:56:16.119 --> 01:56:21.239
in at once, that the women
may have something to talk about. The

1215
01:56:21.319 --> 01:56:26.239
women, that is to say,
his wife and daughter were sitting in the

1216
01:56:26.319 --> 01:56:30.439
dining room at a long table covered
with a flowered cloth, on which stood

1217
01:56:30.479 --> 01:56:35.920
the tea things, a paraffine lamp, and a bread basket of dull silver

1218
01:56:36.079 --> 01:56:42.840
filigrey work. The lamp was smoking, and the table looked as uncomfortable and

1219
01:56:43.079 --> 01:56:48.039
dingy as the village outside, half
buried and manure. The Baroness, in

1220
01:56:48.079 --> 01:56:54.439
a tan colored loose gown, in
which she looked squarer than ever without a

1221
01:56:54.479 --> 01:56:59.800
cap, her thin gray head cut
short, was hunting for the tenth timed

1222
01:57:00.680 --> 01:57:05.239
on and under every article of furniture
for the keep of the store room.

1223
01:57:06.359 --> 01:57:13.920
Bohuslava meanwhile, sat still with a
volume of Mikiwts in her hand, out

1224
01:57:13.960 --> 01:57:18.640
of which she was reading aloud and
rather stumbling polish with a harsh voice,

1225
01:57:19.359 --> 01:57:24.600
a young man with a sharp cut, sallow face, and long black hair,

1226
01:57:25.039 --> 01:57:31.039
in a Polish braided coat, white
color and olive colored satin cravat corrected

1227
01:57:31.079 --> 01:57:36.720
her pronunciation. Now and then he
was her Polish adora. He was one

1228
01:57:36.760 --> 01:57:43.880
of that familiar species, the teacher
of languages with a romance in the background.

1229
01:57:44.520 --> 01:57:47.960
He lived in the neighboring town and
came every Saturday to the village four

1230
01:57:48.079 --> 01:57:55.560
railway stations off to instruct Bohuslava in
Polish and spend Sunday with the family.

1231
01:57:57.239 --> 01:58:01.279
When the union of these two patriots, which had already been secretly discussed,

1232
01:58:01.680 --> 01:58:06.279
was to take place, depended on
a mysterious lawsuit that the young pole was

1233
01:58:06.439 --> 01:58:13.800
carrying on against the Russian government.
His name was Vladimir de Matushovski. His

1234
01:58:14.000 --> 01:58:17.159
grandmother had been a pototchka, and
when he was not giving lessons, he

1235
01:58:17.319 --> 01:58:25.439
was meditating conspiracies. Is there nothing
else for tea, asked the baron,

1236
01:58:25.960 --> 01:58:31.359
casting a doubtful eye on the stale
looking rolls in the bread basket. No,

1237
01:58:31.760 --> 01:58:36.359
the dogs have eaten up the cakes, replied the baroness coolly. She

1238
01:58:36.560 --> 01:58:41.880
was at the moment on all fours
under the piano, hunting for the key

1239
01:58:41.960 --> 01:58:47.840
behind the paddle, you will get
an apoplexy, said Buslava crossly, but

1240
01:58:48.000 --> 01:58:54.239
without anxiety, and without making the
smallest attempt to assist the old lady.

1241
01:58:55.079 --> 01:58:59.600
But at this instant a housemaid came
in with the sort for key on a

1242
01:58:59.640 --> 01:59:06.239
bent and copper colored Britannia metal waiter. Oh thank Heaven, cried the Baroness.

1243
01:59:06.560 --> 01:59:12.479
Where was the wretched thing in the
dog kennel? Your grace, my

1244
01:59:12.600 --> 01:59:18.079
lady Baroness, The poppy had dragged
it there in her love four dogs again,

1245
01:59:18.159 --> 01:59:23.760
The Baroness resembled the duchess of all
leon. She always had a litter

1246
01:59:23.880 --> 01:59:27.960
of half a dozen puppies to bring
up, and the kennel was a well

1247
01:59:28.039 --> 01:59:31.960
known hiding place for everything that could
not be found in its right place,

1248
01:59:33.399 --> 01:59:40.640
the little rascals, she exclaimed,
with an admiring laugh at the ingenuous perversity

1249
01:59:40.720 --> 01:59:45.880
of her mischievous pets. Bring the
sugar, then, Clara, I have

1250
01:59:45.960 --> 01:59:51.000
a surprise for you, growled her
husband a letter from Rome, and she

1251
01:59:51.079 --> 01:59:58.319
produced the document with its mixed odors
of pachuli and damp sheepskin, and pushed

1252
01:59:58.319 --> 02:00:01.840
it across to his wife while he
took up the rum bottle to flavor his

1253
02:00:02.039 --> 02:00:10.479
tea. From Rome, exclaimed the
Baroness, that is delightful, Where oh

1254
02:00:10.520 --> 02:00:15.560
where are my spectacles? And she
felt and patted herself all over till the

1255
02:00:15.640 --> 02:00:21.520
superfluous substance shook like a jelly.
Ah, here they are, I am

1256
02:00:21.560 --> 02:00:27.279
sitting on them now, then,
children, And she began to read the

1257
02:00:27.359 --> 02:00:31.840
letter aloud. Dear Lotte, you
must not take it ill that I so

1258
02:00:32.079 --> 02:00:38.880
seldom write to you. The Baroness
looked up over her spectacles so seldom.

1259
02:00:39.279 --> 02:00:44.079
She never in her life wrote to
me so often as from Rome. But

1260
02:00:44.199 --> 02:00:48.039
you cannot imagine the turmoil in which
we live. At dinner party every day,

1261
02:00:48.399 --> 02:00:54.319
two evening parties and a boar.
We are spending the carnival with the

1262
02:00:54.439 --> 02:00:59.760
Creme de la creme of a Roman
society. Tomorrow we dine with Princess.

1263
02:01:00.079 --> 02:01:04.880
She was a Troyn and is the
sister of train of r. The next

1264
02:01:05.000 --> 02:01:13.159
day we have theatricals sed ist ceter
Zinca is an immense success. Nikki simply

1265
02:01:13.319 --> 02:01:18.560
among others, the brother of Prince
Sempali, the Great Landed Proprietor, is

1266
02:01:18.840 --> 02:01:25.760
very attentive to her. Here she
was interrupted by her husband. Well,

1267
02:01:25.920 --> 02:01:30.239
I never thought the old goose was
quite such a simple turn, he exclaimed,

1268
02:01:30.560 --> 02:01:35.560
drumming his fingers angrily on the red
and white flowered cloth. I cannot

1269
02:01:35.600 --> 02:01:41.720
imagine how Clotild allows it, cried
the Baroness. And still less do I

1270
02:01:41.840 --> 02:01:47.039
understand, cecil, take my advice, Lotti, go to Rome, observed

1271
02:01:47.039 --> 02:01:54.479
the baron ironically, go and set
their heads straight on their shoulders with the

1272
02:01:54.560 --> 02:02:00.479
greatest pleasure, replied his wife,
taking his irony quite seriously. But unfortunately

1273
02:02:00.479 --> 02:02:04.279
we have not the money. Then
she read the letter to the end.

1274
02:02:04.720 --> 02:02:10.640
Like all Clotelle's epistles, it ended
with the words, what a pity it

1275
02:02:10.720 --> 02:02:14.680
is that you should not be here
too. It would give us the greatest

1276
02:02:14.840 --> 02:02:19.760
pleasure to have you with us.
Tea was done, the maid servant cleared

1277
02:02:19.800 --> 02:02:25.840
the table with a great clatter of
cups and spoons. The baron retired to

1278
02:02:25.920 --> 02:02:30.920
play bulka with his neighbors in the
village. In parlor, the three who

1279
02:02:30.920 --> 02:02:36.359
were left sat in meditative mood.
I must confess that I should like to

1280
02:02:36.399 --> 02:02:41.800
go to Rome, said the baroness, as she swept the crumbs off her

1281
02:02:41.880 --> 02:02:45.920
lap on to the floor. And
it would be pleasant too to have relations

1282
02:02:46.000 --> 02:02:50.359
there for their great acquaintance I own. I do not care a straw.

1283
02:02:53.119 --> 02:02:56.479
I do not see why we should
avoid all society if we were there,

1284
02:02:57.079 --> 02:03:00.880
exclaimed Slava hotly. Well, well, you could do as you liked about

1285
02:03:00.920 --> 02:03:04.479
it, of course, said the
baroness, who held her daughter in the

1286
02:03:04.520 --> 02:03:10.720
deepest respect. I could stay at
home, you see, my dear Vladimir.

1287
02:03:11.079 --> 02:03:15.199
She added most condescendingly to her son
in law, and spay, I

1288
02:03:15.279 --> 02:03:18.520
am uncomfortable in any company where I
cannot get into my slippers. In the

1289
02:03:18.600 --> 02:03:27.239
evening, Mamma cried her daughter,
beside herself. You really are The baroness

1290
02:03:27.279 --> 02:03:31.680
sat, bashed and silent. No
one spoke. There was not a sound

1291
02:03:31.720 --> 02:03:35.920
in the room but the crackling of
the fire in the huge tiled stove,

1292
02:03:36.319 --> 02:03:42.000
and the snoring of the big hunting
dog that lay sleeping on the tail of

1293
02:03:42.079 --> 02:03:48.720
his mistress's skirt. If we only
could sell the Bernini, murmured the Baroness,

1294
02:03:48.760 --> 02:03:56.199
presently resuming the thread of their conversation. The Bernini was a bust of

1295
02:03:56.359 --> 02:04:00.640
Apollo that the baroness had inherited from
her mother's face. Emily said to be

1296
02:04:00.680 --> 02:04:06.600
an adaptation by Bernini from the head
of the Apollo Belvedre. Whenever the Volnitsky's

1297
02:04:06.680 --> 02:04:12.760
were in any financial straits, the
Bernini was packed off to some dealer in

1298
02:04:12.840 --> 02:04:19.560
objects of virtu, from which excursions
it invariably returned unsold. Not many days

1299
02:04:19.600 --> 02:04:26.079
previously the traveled Apollo he had seen
New York, London, and Saint Petersburg,

1300
02:04:26.640 --> 02:04:31.359
had come home from a visit to
Maya of Berlin. By the bye,

1301
02:04:31.439 --> 02:04:35.279
Vladimir, you have not seen it
yet, said Slava. I must

1302
02:04:35.319 --> 02:04:40.680
show you the bust. Is it
the head that is said to be so

1303
02:04:40.920 --> 02:04:45.520
strikingly like you? That will interest
me greatly? Said the young pole,

1304
02:04:46.000 --> 02:04:51.680
casting an adoring eye on Slava.
Bring the lamp, the bostes in the

1305
02:04:51.760 --> 02:04:58.600
drawing room. Vladimir, carrying the
lamp, led the way into the drawing

1306
02:04:58.680 --> 02:05:03.640
room, a large, scantily furnished
room which was never dusted more than once

1307
02:05:03.760 --> 02:05:10.600
a month. There, on a
marble plinth in a corner stood the radiant

1308
02:05:10.760 --> 02:05:15.840
God, a copy from the Berlveder
Apollo. No doubt, but by Bernini.

1309
02:05:17.279 --> 02:05:25.199
The likeness is extraordinary, cried Vladimir
ecstatically and gazing alternately at the bust,

1310
02:05:25.319 --> 02:05:29.359
end at Slava. Oh, it
is a gem, a masterpiece.

1311
02:05:29.720 --> 02:05:33.600
You ought never to part with it. Well, but I must say I

1312
02:05:33.600 --> 02:05:39.359
should very much like to go to
Rome, said the baroness, But Slava

1313
02:05:39.439 --> 02:05:50.439
only bit her lips. End of
chapter seven, Part one, Chapter eight

1314
02:05:50.520 --> 02:05:56.880
of Our Own set by Ossip Shubin, translated by Clara Belle. This libovoxy

1315
02:05:56.880 --> 02:06:01.279
coding is in the public domain recording
by Kierlea. Part one, Chapter eight,

1316
02:06:03.000 --> 02:06:09.159
and what shall we do tomorrow?
Simply would ask Zinka almost every evening

1317
02:06:09.199 --> 02:06:14.920
when he met her, fresh and
smiling at some party. He had made

1318
02:06:14.960 --> 02:06:19.199
it his task to help her to
find her lost Rome, and devoted himself

1319
02:06:19.239 --> 02:06:27.640
to it with praiseworthy diligence. The
disappointment that she had experienced in her expedition

1320
02:06:27.800 --> 02:06:31.359
under the guidance of the Bota driver
to the ruins of the capital of the

1321
02:06:31.439 --> 02:06:39.760
Caesars is a common enough phenomenon.
It comes over almost everyone who sets out

1322
02:06:39.800 --> 02:06:45.760
with his fancy crammed with the mystical
cobwebs that recent literature has spun round the

1323
02:06:45.880 --> 02:06:51.479
name of Rome, to see for
the first time that dense mass of splendor

1324
02:06:51.560 --> 02:07:00.159
and rubbish among the bare modern houses. And the disappointment as greatest in those

1325
02:07:00.159 --> 02:07:04.359
who come for a long stay in
Venice or Verona. Rome has none of

1326
02:07:04.399 --> 02:07:12.079
the seductive charm of those North Italian
cities. Its architecture is somber and heavy,

1327
02:07:12.439 --> 02:07:15.680
and the prevailing hues in winter are
a somber gray and a dull,

1328
02:07:15.800 --> 02:07:24.319
bluish green, more suggestive of a
subtly toned tempera picture than of a glowing

1329
02:07:24.439 --> 02:07:30.439
oil painting. It is vain to
look for the sheen of the shimmering lagoons,

1330
02:07:30.600 --> 02:07:35.319
or the fantastic outline of the campan
yeelds against the sky of Venice,

1331
02:07:35.800 --> 02:07:44.520
for the half ruined frescoes or amber
sunshine of Verona. After the cities of

1332
02:07:44.680 --> 02:07:48.960
North Italy, Rome has the effect
of a severe coral by Handel after a

1333
02:07:49.000 --> 02:07:57.079
nocturne by Chopin. The first impression
is crushing, said simply Tuzinca. But

1334
02:07:57.479 --> 02:08:03.319
one wearies of the nocturne, and
never of the coral, to which Zinca

1335
02:08:03.359 --> 02:08:11.199
replied, but the coral is so
drowned by trivial, hardy gurdy tunes that

1336
02:08:11.319 --> 02:08:16.319
I find it very difficult to follow, to which he laughed and said,

1337
02:08:16.119 --> 02:08:22.199
we will speak of that again in
a fortnight. By the end of the

1338
02:08:22.239 --> 02:08:26.800
fortnight, Zinca had thrown too Zoldi
into the Fountain of Trevi to make sure

1339
02:08:26.880 --> 02:08:33.720
that she should someday see Rome again, And in fanaticism for Rome she outdid

1340
02:08:33.840 --> 02:08:41.520
even the fanatical General Fonklinger Sempaly had
contributed mainly to her conversion. Nothing could

1341
02:08:41.640 --> 02:08:48.079
be more amusing or more interesting than
to explore every nook of the city of

1342
02:08:48.239 --> 02:08:54.000
Ruins under his escort. He was
constantly remembering this or that wonderful thing that

1343
02:08:54.119 --> 02:09:01.239
he must positively show to Zinca,
an artistic bass relief that had been built

1344
02:09:01.359 --> 02:09:09.720
to some queer orange colored house above
the tobacconists or heathen divinity, which had

1345
02:09:09.760 --> 02:09:13.640
had wings attached to its shoulders,
to qualify it for admission as an angel

1346
02:09:13.720 --> 02:09:20.880
into a Christian church. He rode
out with her into the Campania and pointed

1347
02:09:20.920 --> 02:09:24.760
out all the most picturesque parts of
the Trust of Air, and he could

1348
02:09:24.800 --> 02:09:31.920
find a ridiculous suggestion even in the
most reverend things the halls of the Vatican,

1349
02:09:33.079 --> 02:09:37.439
in which the liberal minded vickers of
Christ have granted a refuge to the

1350
02:09:37.520 --> 02:09:43.560
pengenus of antiquity. He called the
poor house of the Gods, and always

1351
02:09:43.800 --> 02:09:50.720
spoke of Saint Peter's, which is
commonly known as La Parocchia de Forestieri as

1352
02:09:52.000 --> 02:09:56.960
the Papal Grand Hotel. There was
not a fountain, a fragment of sculpture,

1353
02:09:58.479 --> 02:10:03.319
or a picturesque keeper ruins of which
he could not relate, some history,

1354
02:10:03.760 --> 02:10:07.720
comic, or a pathetic, or
he invented one. But he never

1355
02:10:07.800 --> 02:10:11.399
produced the impression that he was giving
a lecture. He had, in fact

1356
02:10:11.439 --> 02:10:18.279
a particularly unpretending way of telling an
appropriate and not too lengthy anecdote. He

1357
02:10:18.359 --> 02:10:24.239
never handed it round on a waiter, as it were for examination, but

1358
02:10:24.600 --> 02:10:28.880
let it drop quietly out of his
pocket. His knowledge of art was but

1359
02:10:30.119 --> 02:10:35.439
shallow, but his feeling for it, like all his instincts, was amazingly

1360
02:10:35.600 --> 02:10:41.840
keen. His information on all subjects
was miscellaneous and slender, not an article

1361
02:10:41.880 --> 02:10:48.960
of his intellectual wardrobe. As Charles
Lamb has it was whole. But he

1362
02:10:48.159 --> 02:10:54.680
draped himself in the rags with audacious
grace, and made no attempt to hide

1363
02:10:54.760 --> 02:11:01.399
the holes. Trene and his little
daughter often joined them and these expeditions,

1364
02:11:01.720 --> 02:11:05.359
and sometimes cecil but only when his
mother did not choose to go out,

1365
02:11:05.720 --> 02:11:13.359
and his demeanor on these occasions peripatetic
esthetics. He called their walks was highly

1366
02:11:13.479 --> 02:11:20.439
characteristic. He would walk by the
side of his sister and simply or a

1367
02:11:20.479 --> 02:11:26.359
few steps behind them, sunk in
silence, but always sharply observant. From

1368
02:11:26.399 --> 02:11:31.800
time to time he would correct their
sisterone in his states, which simply took

1369
02:11:31.880 --> 02:11:39.079
with sublime indifference, and for which, taking off his hat, he invariably

1370
02:11:39.199 --> 02:11:46.279
thanked him with princely courtesy. Stetzel
only sympathized with the classical style of the

1371
02:11:46.319 --> 02:11:50.680
Renaissance. The real antiques, which
Zinca raved about, he smiled at as

1372
02:11:50.840 --> 02:11:56.680
caricatures. Guido, on the other
hand, for whom simply had a weakness

1373
02:11:56.079 --> 02:12:03.960
as a chapin among painters, so
detested he declared that the Beatrice sense had

1374
02:12:05.000 --> 02:12:09.000
a cold, wet bandage on her
head, and that the picture was nothing

1375
02:12:09.039 --> 02:12:15.760
more than a study apparently made from
an idiot in a madhouse. When Zinca

1376
02:12:15.800 --> 02:12:20.640
talked of her favorite antiques or other
works, and the mystical and sentimental slang

1377
02:12:20.680 --> 02:12:26.680
of the click, he laughed at
her, but quite good naturedly. He

1378
02:12:26.960 --> 02:12:33.600
scorned all extravagance and raptures as cant
and affectation. Still he was merciful to

1379
02:12:33.640 --> 02:12:39.920
his sister, and when she turned
from a frontia with tears in her eyes,

1380
02:12:39.079 --> 02:12:46.000
or a tanned pale as she quoted
Shelley or spoke of Leonardo's Medusa in

1381
02:12:46.159 --> 02:12:52.439
Florence, he did no more than
shrug his shoulders and say, Zinca,

1382
02:12:52.479 --> 02:12:58.640
you're crazy, or gently pull her
by the ear. Everything in Zinca was

1383
02:12:58.840 --> 02:13:05.920
right, even her want of sound
common sense. The baroness had at last

1384
02:13:05.000 --> 02:13:11.399
found a lodging, almost to her
mind, a small palazzo in a side

1385
02:13:11.439 --> 02:13:18.279
strait of the corso, furnished in
atrocious taste but otherwise very nice. The

1386
02:13:18.359 --> 02:13:24.159
palacetto was in fact a gem in
its way, with a simple and elegant

1387
02:13:24.159 --> 02:13:30.560
stone front and a court surrounded by
a colonnade with red camellia shrubs and a

1388
02:13:30.640 --> 02:13:37.239
fountain in the midst There were several
much injured antique statutes, too, one

1389
02:13:37.279 --> 02:13:41.079
of which was a famous and very
beautiful Amazon, at whose feet a rose

1390
02:13:41.159 --> 02:13:48.760
bush bloomed profusely. This Amazon struck
Zinca as remarkably picturesque, and she sketched

1391
02:13:48.800 --> 02:13:54.279
her from every point of view without
ever reading the warning in her sad face.

1392
02:13:56.279 --> 02:14:03.239
Alas Zinca had gazed at the sun
and it had blinded her. But

1393
02:14:03.600 --> 02:14:11.640
how could Cecil allow this daily growing
intimacy between Simply and his sister. Simply's

1394
02:14:11.680 --> 02:14:16.479
elder brother, Prince Simply, had
been married ten years and was childless.

1395
02:14:16.960 --> 02:14:22.439
So the Attache, as heir presumptive, was in duty bound to make a

1396
02:14:22.520 --> 02:14:28.079
brilliant marriage, did not yet so
know this. Yes, he knew it,

1397
02:14:28.319 --> 02:14:31.760
but he did not trouble his head
about it. He was under no

1398
02:14:31.880 --> 02:14:37.880
illusion as to the singularity, not
to say the improbability of simply marrying a

1399
02:14:37.960 --> 02:14:43.720
girl of inferior birth. He had
no desire that it should be otherwise.

1400
02:14:43.479 --> 02:14:48.960
He was no democrat. On the
contrary, his was a particularly conservative and

1401
02:14:50.159 --> 02:14:56.439
old world nature, equally remote from
cringing or from envy. That simply should

1402
02:14:56.520 --> 02:15:01.399
marry any other girl not his equal
in rank would have struck him as altogether

1403
02:15:01.520 --> 02:15:09.159
wrong. But Zinca Zinca was different. He worshiped her as only a strong

1404
02:15:09.279 --> 02:15:13.239
elder brother can worship a much younger, weaker sister. And there was no

1405
02:15:13.399 --> 02:15:20.039
social elevation of which he deemed her
unwealthy. And when he saw Simply smile

1406
02:15:20.159 --> 02:15:24.760
down so tenderly and at the same
time so respectfully on his butterfly, as

1407
02:15:24.760 --> 02:15:30.159
he called her, he was rejoiced
at her good fortune, and never for

1408
02:15:30.199 --> 02:15:35.640
an instant doubted it. Zinca was
not sentimental. For a long time,

1409
02:15:35.680 --> 02:15:41.039
there was no tinge of any feeling
stronger than good fellowship in her intercourse with

1410
02:15:41.279 --> 02:15:46.439
Simply. Her talk was all fun, her glance soucy and wilful by degrees.

1411
02:15:46.520 --> 02:15:52.920
However, a change came over her. Her whole manner softened. There

1412
02:15:52.039 --> 02:15:58.199
was a gentle dreaminess even in her
capras, and when she smiled it was

1413
02:15:58.359 --> 02:16:05.079
often with tears in her eyes.
Simply was not regular in his visits to

1414
02:16:05.119 --> 02:16:09.239
the Palacetto. Sometimes for two or
three days he failed to appear. Then

1415
02:16:09.319 --> 02:16:16.239
he would call very early at noon, perhaps join the family unceremoniously at their

1416
02:16:16.239 --> 02:16:20.840
breakfast, go out driving with the
ladies, accept an invitation to stay to

1417
02:16:20.880 --> 02:16:26.119
dinner, and if Zinca was looking
pale or out of spirits, he would

1418
02:16:26.239 --> 02:16:31.959
pay her fifty kind little attentions to
conjure a smile to her lips. Occasionally

1419
02:16:33.000 --> 02:16:37.520
he would fall into the melancholy vein
and s talk of his loveless youth and

1420
02:16:37.760 --> 02:16:41.159
let her pity him for it.
He would tell her about his elder brother,

1421
02:16:41.559 --> 02:16:48.239
praising his many noble qualities, and
then add with a shrug, Yes,

1422
02:16:48.360 --> 02:16:52.840
he is a splendid fellow, but
he has ideas. When Zinca asked

1423
02:16:52.920 --> 02:16:58.440
what sort of ideas, simply sighed, I hope you may someday know him,

1424
02:16:58.479 --> 02:17:03.840
and then you judge for yourself.
But this was in a low tone,

1425
02:17:03.879 --> 02:17:09.600
and he seemed to regret having said
it. Then he would frequently allude

1426
02:17:09.680 --> 02:17:13.079
to this or that picture in his
brother's house at Vienna, or to some

1427
02:17:13.239 --> 02:17:18.000
curious family relic, and say how
much he should like to someday show it

1428
02:17:18.120 --> 02:17:24.000
to Zinca. His favorite theme,
however, was Edsburg, the old castle,

1429
02:17:24.079 --> 02:17:30.600
which for numberless generations had been the
family summer retreat of the Sampolice,

1430
02:17:30.959 --> 02:17:35.840
and of which he was passionately fond. Excepting as regards his estate, he

1431
02:17:37.000 --> 02:17:43.120
was singularly free from all false or
family pride. He declared that his brother's

1432
02:17:43.280 --> 02:17:48.840
Viennapolis was an unhealthy Barrack scouted at
the simply braid of horses, laughed at

1433
02:17:48.840 --> 02:17:56.440
the simply nose, and praised the
traditional simply toki more in irony than in

1434
02:17:56.520 --> 02:18:01.520
good faith. But then he came
round to Edsburg again and simply raved about

1435
02:18:01.520 --> 02:18:07.319
it, not about the Oriental luxury
with which part of the castle was fitted

1436
02:18:07.399 --> 02:18:11.520
up. Not in the best taste
of that he never spoke. Indeed,

1437
02:18:11.559 --> 02:18:16.120
he said more about its deficiencies than
its perfections. But in a tone of

1438
02:18:16.200 --> 02:18:22.079
such loving excuse, he talked of
the large, bare rooms were For years

1439
02:18:22.319 --> 02:18:28.520
he had watched for the apparition of
the white lady, half longing, half

1440
02:18:28.639 --> 02:18:33.440
dreading to see her, Of the
doleful groaning of the weather cock, of

1441
02:18:33.520 --> 02:18:39.799
the rocco statutes in the grounds,
and of the gloomy pools with their low

1442
02:18:39.959 --> 02:18:46.559
sad murmur and their carpet of white
water lilies. The statues were bad,

1443
02:18:46.840 --> 02:18:50.319
the pools unhealthy, he admitted,
And yet as he said it, his

1444
02:18:50.639 --> 02:18:58.719
usually mocking glance was soft and almost
devout. Once, when Zinc had grown

1445
02:18:58.840 --> 02:19:03.200
quite dismal or for his reminiscences,
he took her hand and pressed it tenderly

1446
02:19:03.280 --> 02:19:11.680
to his lips. You must see
adspook someday, he murmured. His behavior

1447
02:19:11.760 --> 02:19:15.120
to her was that of a man
who is perfectly clear as to his own

1448
02:19:15.159 --> 02:19:20.079
intentions, but who for some reason
is not immediately afraid to sue for the

1449
02:19:20.159 --> 02:19:24.040
hand of a girl whom, in
his heart of hearts he already regards as

1450
02:19:24.079 --> 02:19:30.000
his own. What did he mean
by all this? What was he thinking

1451
02:19:30.079 --> 02:19:35.520
of? I believe absolutely nothing.
He went with the tide. There are

1452
02:19:35.600 --> 02:19:41.680
many men like him selfish, luxurious
natures, who swim with the stream of

1453
02:19:41.760 --> 02:19:46.680
life and never attempt to stare.
They have for the most part, happy

1454
02:19:46.760 --> 02:19:50.479
tempers. They are content with any
harbor so long as they reach it without

1455
02:19:50.520 --> 02:19:56.479
effort or damage. And if in
their passive course they run down anyone else,

1456
02:19:56.120 --> 02:20:03.319
they exclaim with their usual amiable politeness, Oh, I beg your pardon,

1457
02:20:03.879 --> 02:20:07.600
and are quite satisfied that the mishap
was due to fat and not to

1458
02:20:07.719 --> 02:20:20.600
any fault of theirs. End of
chapter eight, Part one, Chapter nine

1459
02:20:20.639 --> 02:20:26.000
of Our Own set by Ossip Shubin, translated by Clara Belle. This LibriVox

1460
02:20:26.000 --> 02:20:33.120
recording is in the public domain recording
by Carolyn Part one, chapter nine.

1461
02:20:33.440 --> 02:20:37.239
It was in the end of February, shortly before the close of the carnival.

1462
02:20:37.920 --> 02:20:43.440
Trayne going to the Schatzels with his
little girl to take a walk with

1463
02:20:43.719 --> 02:20:48.479
Zinka, saw at the door of
the palacetto a hackney carriage with a small

1464
02:20:48.559 --> 02:20:56.319
portmanteau on the top. Schetzel's manservant, an elegant person with close cut hair

1465
02:20:56.840 --> 02:21:03.600
shaved all but a short beard,
and wearing an impressive watchchain, was condescending

1466
02:21:03.639 --> 02:21:09.680
to exchange a few words with the
driver, blinking in the sunshine. The

1467
02:21:09.799 --> 02:21:15.959
drawing room into which Trayne and his
daughter were admitted unannounced, was in the

1468
02:21:16.000 --> 02:21:22.000
full blaze of light. The moats
danced their aimless rainbow colored dance in the

1469
02:21:22.040 --> 02:21:26.520
middle of the rooms. That Zinca
with both hands on a table over which

1470
02:21:26.600 --> 02:21:33.000
she was bending to gaze at a
magnificent basket of flowers. There was something

1471
02:21:33.040 --> 02:21:39.559
in her attitude, quaint but graceful, in the elegant line of her bust,

1472
02:21:39.000 --> 02:21:45.360
the pathetic joy of her radiant face, the soft flow of her plain

1473
02:21:45.559 --> 02:21:52.639
long dress, which stamped the picture
once and forever on Troyne's memory, as

1474
02:21:52.719 --> 02:21:58.120
sunbeam wanted in her hair, turning
it to gold, and her whole figure

1475
02:21:58.280 --> 02:22:03.879
was the embodiment of sweet and happy
spring delight. The basket of flowers,

1476
02:22:03.920 --> 02:22:09.479
too, was a masterpiece of its
kind, a capriccio of lilies of the

1477
02:22:09.559 --> 02:22:18.159
valley, gardenia's snowflakes, and pale
tinted roses that looked as though the wayward

1478
02:22:18.319 --> 02:22:24.719
west wind had blown them into company. Schatzel was standing by with a pleasant

1479
02:22:24.760 --> 02:22:30.000
smile, and the Baroness, in
an attitude of affected astonishment, stood a

1480
02:22:30.000 --> 02:22:35.200
little apart with a visiting card in
her hand. Neither Cecil nor his sister.

1481
02:22:35.799 --> 02:22:39.280
She absorbed in the flowers, and
he, in gazing at her,

1482
02:22:39.879 --> 02:22:45.920
had heard train arrive. When he
knocked at the door, the Baroness said,

1483
02:22:46.479 --> 02:22:50.959
come in, and gave him the
tips of her fingers. Then,

1484
02:22:50.280 --> 02:22:56.399
with a wave of her hand towards
the basket, she lisped out, did

1485
02:22:56.440 --> 02:23:01.559
you ever see such extravagance? Zinca
looked up and welcomed him, and so

1486
02:23:01.680 --> 02:23:09.319
did Shedezzel. It is perfect folly, quite reckless, sighed the Baroness.

1487
02:23:09.360 --> 02:23:18.600
Such a basket of flowers costs of
fortune? Why only one Guardymia Zinca's underlip

1488
02:23:18.760 --> 02:23:24.600
pouted impatiently, and she Datzel said, in his dry way, my dear

1489
02:23:24.680 --> 02:23:30.440
mother, do not destroy Zinca's illusions. The basket fell from heaven expressly for

1490
02:23:30.639 --> 02:23:33.719
her, and she does not want
to believe that it was bored just like

1491
02:23:33.840 --> 02:23:39.520
any other in the via Condotti or
Babuino. What do you say, count

1492
02:23:39.920 --> 02:23:43.600
simply sent it to her to console
her for the departure of her brother.

1493
02:23:45.440 --> 02:23:50.000
The reason is too absurd, Do
you not think I do not believe you

1494
02:23:50.040 --> 02:23:54.399
would miss me, particularly for a
few days, child? And he put

1495
02:23:54.520 --> 02:23:58.959
his hand affectionately under her chin.
Where are you off to? So suddenly

1496
02:24:00.799 --> 02:24:07.079
asked train, very seriously, to
Naples. Franz Anspeg has telegraphed me to

1497
02:24:07.159 --> 02:24:09.520
ask me to meet him there.
He is on his way to Paris from

1498
02:24:09.559 --> 02:24:13.559
Constantinople, and he is a great
friend of mine, and has come by

1499
02:24:13.639 --> 02:24:22.399
way of Naples on purpose that we
may meet the aunts perk Myrians. You

1500
02:24:22.559 --> 02:24:28.479
know their property adjoins ours, the
baroness, explained Schezzel, who knew very

1501
02:24:28.520 --> 02:24:33.399
well that Troyne was far better informed
as to the antsperg Myrians than his mother.

1502
02:24:33.879 --> 02:24:39.440
Was annoyed and uncomfortable. However,
he kissed her hand and then turned

1503
02:24:39.520 --> 02:24:45.200
to his sister. God shield you, my darling butterfly, write me a

1504
02:24:45.239 --> 02:24:48.799
few lines, or is that too
much to ask? Then he kissed her

1505
02:24:48.840 --> 02:24:54.840
and whispered, mind, you have
not lost those bright eyes by the time

1506
02:24:54.879 --> 02:25:00.399
I return. Train accompanied him to
the carriage with a very long face.

1507
02:25:00.920 --> 02:25:07.200
He and Generifonklinger had watched Sempali's conduct
with much disquietude. They knew him to

1508
02:25:07.239 --> 02:25:13.760
be susceptible but not impressionable, alive
to every new emotion and train would ere

1509
02:25:13.959 --> 02:25:18.239
this have spoken to Sempaly on the
subject if he had not been sure that

1510
02:25:18.280 --> 02:25:24.040
it would merely provoke and irritate him
without producing any good effect. The General,

1511
02:25:24.120 --> 02:25:28.000
on the other hand, could not
make up his mind to open Detzel's

1512
02:25:28.040 --> 02:25:33.399
eyes to the state of affairs,
because, like Baron Stockmar, he had

1513
02:25:33.440 --> 02:25:39.600
an invincible dislike to interfering in matters
that did not concern him. Like that

1514
02:25:39.799 --> 02:25:45.920
famous man, not for worlds would
he have committed an indiscretion to save a

1515
02:25:45.959 --> 02:25:50.559
friend for whom he would have sacrificed
his life. And this terror of being

1516
02:25:50.600 --> 02:25:58.719
indiscreet is a form of cowardice which
is considered meritorious in The Fashionable World,

1517
02:26:00.040 --> 02:26:09.280
Chapter nine, Part one, Chapter
ten of Our Own set by Ossip Shubin,

1518
02:26:09.920 --> 02:26:16.799
translated by Clara Belle. This libovox
recording is in the public domain recording

1519
02:26:16.840 --> 02:26:24.879
by Carolyn Part one, chapter ten. It is Shrove Tuesday. The storious

1520
02:26:24.200 --> 02:26:31.000
Jade of the wretchedest Bota has a
paper rose stock behind his air. Though

1521
02:26:31.159 --> 02:26:37.399
during the hours sacred to the carnival, they are paria sent outcasts from the

1522
02:26:37.440 --> 02:26:43.879
Corso two horse carriages are dressed in
garlands, and the horses have plumes on

1523
02:26:43.959 --> 02:26:50.040
their heads. The Piazza di Spana
is alive with peddlers and hawkers selling flowers

1524
02:26:50.040 --> 02:26:56.079
and little tapers mokoli, and with
bias of every nation doing their best to

1525
02:26:56.280 --> 02:27:03.319
cheapen them. Baskets full of violets, roses, anemones, snowflakes, baskets

1526
02:27:03.360 --> 02:27:09.959
full of indescribable bunches of greenery,
the ammunition of the mob, which have

1527
02:27:09.159 --> 02:27:15.200
already done deety for two or three
days, and are like nothing on earth

1528
02:27:15.239 --> 02:27:20.159
but the wisps of rushes with which
the boards are rubbed. In some parts

1529
02:27:20.200 --> 02:27:26.000
of Austria, the cells of coral
and tortoise shell cry out to you to

1530
02:27:26.159 --> 02:27:33.479
buy a carnevale, and in the
side streets for misery dares not show its

1531
02:27:33.559 --> 02:27:39.719
hid. In the main thoroughfares today
the biggest crowd more closely than ever around

1532
02:27:39.760 --> 02:27:48.600
the pedestrian, with their perpetual cry
more Jodifame. The houses on the corso

1533
02:27:48.840 --> 02:27:54.520
wear their gay carnival trappings today for
the last time, as smart dress flutters

1534
02:27:54.559 --> 02:28:00.959
on every balcony. Several stands have
been erected, and all the window sills

1535
02:28:00.959 --> 02:28:07.959
are covered some with colored schnitz and
some with gold brocade. All Thursday,

1536
02:28:07.200 --> 02:28:13.959
Saturday and Monday, Zinca and Gabriel
had driven unweariedly up and down the Corso

1537
02:28:15.479 --> 02:28:20.319
with count Train, flinging flowers at
all their acquaintances and at a good many

1538
02:28:20.360 --> 02:28:26.239
strangers. Today, however, they
had agreed to look on from the windows

1539
02:28:26.280 --> 02:28:31.440
of the Palazza Volpini for the close
of the carnival is apt to be somewhat

1540
02:28:31.639 --> 02:28:37.959
riots. Everyone who lives on the
corso seizes the opportunity of paying long owing

1541
02:28:37.079 --> 02:28:43.040
debts of civility and office a place
in a window to as many friends as

1542
02:28:43.079 --> 02:28:48.440
can possibly be squeezed in. There
was a large party at the Volpines.

1543
02:28:48.760 --> 02:28:52.959
For the most part Italians and relations
of the Princess, Madame de Gondri and

1544
02:28:54.120 --> 02:28:58.760
Missus Ferguson had invited themselves, and
Zinca, with Gabriel Train, was to

1545
02:28:58.799 --> 02:29:05.040
see the turmoil in the corso from
the balcony of the palazzo. The Baroness

1546
02:29:05.079 --> 02:29:09.559
had Tigdolorus, which kept her at
home and which no one regretted. At

1547
02:29:09.600 --> 02:29:13.959
six o'clock before the beginning of the
moccoli, all the company were to go

1548
02:29:15.079 --> 02:29:20.319
to the Falcone, a well known
and especially Roman restaurant, where they would

1549
02:29:20.440 --> 02:29:24.719
dine more comfortably and easily than at
home. From thence they were to adjoin

1550
02:29:24.799 --> 02:29:31.239
to the Teatro Constance. Prince Volpini
had drawn up this thoroughly carnival program for

1551
02:29:31.319 --> 02:29:37.600
the special benefit of the Contesse Charlingen, who had a passion for local color,

1552
02:29:37.920 --> 02:29:43.079
and who was enchanted. The Princess
was resigned. Local color had no

1553
02:29:43.200 --> 02:29:48.399
interest for her, and she was
somewhat prejudiced against Italian native dishes and masked

1554
02:29:48.520 --> 02:29:56.319
festivities of all kinds. It was
three o'clock. Baskets of flowers and whole

1555
02:29:56.360 --> 02:30:01.520
heaps of sweet little sugar plum boxes
were read piled in the windows for ammunition.

1556
02:30:03.280 --> 02:30:09.079
The little Volpinies, who entirely filled
the large center window, and their

1557
02:30:09.159 --> 02:30:13.799
shy English governess in her black gown, had just come into the room,

1558
02:30:13.239 --> 02:30:18.760
skipping about and pulling each other's hair
for sheer impatience and excitement. And when

1559
02:30:18.799 --> 02:30:26.920
their governess reproved them for behaving so
roughly, ma E Carnevale is thought sufficient

1560
02:30:26.040 --> 02:30:31.600
excuse, the company laughed, and
the English girl said no more. All

1561
02:30:31.680 --> 02:30:37.680
the party had assembled, Madame de
Gondri and Missus Ferguson were both looking pretty

1562
02:30:37.680 --> 02:30:41.559
and picturesque. The former had stuck
on a face and the other a quaintly

1563
02:30:41.680 --> 02:30:48.399
folded handkerchief of oriental stuff in honor
of the carnival, when eccentricity of costume

1564
02:30:48.479 --> 02:30:54.959
is admissible and conventional hit gear are
condemned. From the windows down to the

1565
02:30:56.000 --> 02:31:00.319
carriages, From the carriages up to
the windows, the war was e gully

1566
02:31:00.360 --> 02:31:07.040
wage, Bunches of flowers and bonboniers
from spielmants and nazaries fly in all directions,

1567
02:31:07.079 --> 02:31:13.000
and scraps of colored paper full like
snow through the air. Then the

1568
02:31:13.000 --> 02:31:18.319
blair and pipe of a military band
came up from the Piazza di Venezia,

1569
02:31:18.719 --> 02:31:24.639
and the masquis crowded in among the
carriages. One of the liveliest groups along

1570
02:31:24.680 --> 02:31:30.639
the corso was certainly that where the
Volpini children were grouped with Zinca in their

1571
02:31:30.680 --> 02:31:35.479
midst she having undertaken the charge of
them at their own earnest and treaty.

1572
02:31:35.239 --> 02:31:39.559
She and Gabriel were both laughing with
glee, but at the height of their

1573
02:31:39.639 --> 02:31:45.680
fun they remembered to pay all sorts
of little civilities to the half scared English

1574
02:31:45.719 --> 02:31:50.520
governess and had stuck a splendid bunch
of lilies of the valley in front of

1575
02:31:50.559 --> 02:31:56.399
her camphor scented black silk dress.
What especially interested the children was watching for

1576
02:31:56.559 --> 02:32:01.559
Norina's carriage, for they not only
recognized the prince who was driving, but

1577
02:32:01.799 --> 02:32:07.040
knew all his party. Train zik
wook Sempaly, and as it passed with

1578
02:32:07.120 --> 02:32:13.559
its four bays, the little volpinies
jumped with delight and chirped and piped like

1579
02:32:13.600 --> 02:32:18.920
a tree full of birds. The
gentlemen waved their hands, smiled and gallantly

1580
02:32:18.959 --> 02:32:24.159
aimed bouquets without end at the windows
of the Palazza, But all the finest

1581
02:32:24.200 --> 02:32:31.360
flowers that they were beyond the doubt
aimed at Zinca. The floor all around

1582
02:32:31.399 --> 02:32:35.399
her was heaped with snowflakes and violets
and roses. In her hand, she

1583
02:32:35.440 --> 02:32:41.799
had caught a huge bunch of roses
flung up to her by Sempali oh Oh,

1584
02:32:43.040 --> 02:32:46.200
cried Madame de Gondriy, retiring from
the window to rest for a few

1585
02:32:46.239 --> 02:32:52.639
minutes and refresh herself with a sip
of wine. Ah, Mademoiselle, glancing

1586
02:32:52.719 --> 02:32:58.399
enviously at the mass of blossoms strewn
around Zinca, you have as many bouquets

1587
02:32:58.440 --> 02:33:03.079
as a prima Donna Zinca nodded,
then, contemplating her hat, which she

1588
02:33:03.159 --> 02:33:07.479
had thrown off in her excitement,
with a whimsical air of regret, and

1589
02:33:07.680 --> 02:33:13.760
pulling the feather straight, she said, with a mockery of repentance, My

1590
02:33:13.959 --> 02:33:18.280
poor hat will be glad to rest
on ash Wednesday. It is perfect,

1591
02:33:18.360 --> 02:33:22.920
Marie, really perfect, This Roman
carnival a thing never to be forgotten,

1592
02:33:24.520 --> 02:33:28.799
exclaimed the Comtesse Charlingen, coming in
from the window. She was a genuine

1593
02:33:28.879 --> 02:33:35.479
Austrian, always ready to go into
ecstasies of enthusiasm. It is horrid,

1594
02:33:35.840 --> 02:33:41.319
answered the princess impatiently. Under the
new government, it is nothing but an

1595
02:33:41.360 --> 02:33:48.040
amusement for the strangers and street boys. The barbieri have rushed past, and

1596
02:33:48.120 --> 02:33:52.600
the procession has once more begun to
move on, But its interest and excitement

1597
02:33:52.680 --> 02:33:58.239
are over. The crowd in the
road begins to thin and simply tren Noreena

1598
02:33:58.479 --> 02:34:03.920
Zigburg and the General have come in
as agreed to escort the ladies to the

1599
02:34:03.959 --> 02:34:07.719
falcone. The children have all been
kissed and sent off to their dinner at

1600
02:34:07.760 --> 02:34:11.879
home. Gabrielle, somewhat ill pleased
at not being allowed to go with the

1601
02:34:11.959 --> 02:34:18.000
elder party and train himself. Not
liking to part with his little companion,

1602
02:34:18.920 --> 02:34:24.000
Zinka wishes to comfort Gabriel by remaining
with the little ones, but this was

1603
02:34:24.120 --> 02:34:28.479
not to be heard of. Only
too many of us would wish to follow

1604
02:34:28.520 --> 02:34:35.360
your example, whispers princess Fulpini,
to whom this dinner at a Roman restaurant

1605
02:34:35.479 --> 02:34:39.360
is detestable. They are to go
on foot, but they are so long

1606
02:34:39.399 --> 02:34:45.120
getting ready after this little delay,
that the one peaceful half hour before the

1607
02:34:45.239 --> 02:34:48.840
mogoli is lost. By the time
they sully into the street. The crowd,

1608
02:34:50.000 --> 02:34:54.600
which had dispersed, is getting denser
every minute. The darkness comes on

1609
02:34:54.760 --> 02:35:00.920
rapidly like a gray curt and let
down suddenly from the skies. The gaudy

1610
02:35:00.959 --> 02:35:05.600
hangings are being taken in from the
windows lest they should catch fire. The

1611
02:35:05.680 --> 02:35:09.680
carnival is putting on its ball dress. Now. The first twinkling tapers are

1612
02:35:09.719 --> 02:35:13.959
seen here and there, like glow
worms in the dusk, and are instantly

1613
02:35:15.000 --> 02:35:20.559
pelted with mazetti and bunches of greenery, mostly picked up from the pavement.

1614
02:35:20.120 --> 02:35:26.600
Fi Fori is the monotonous cry on
every side, and presently sen sa moccolo

1615
02:35:26.760 --> 02:35:35.000
Verregonna, the death cries of the
carnival. The Austrian gentlemen find their position

1616
02:35:35.120 --> 02:35:39.600
anything rather than pleasant, for it
is impossible to protect the ladies effectually against

1617
02:35:39.639 --> 02:35:46.000
being jostled and pushed, still less
against hearing much rough jesting. At last

1618
02:35:46.120 --> 02:35:50.520
they are out of the Corso and
have divided in the narrow straits, some

1619
02:35:50.639 --> 02:35:58.159
having turned into the Via Madalena,
while others have crossed the Piazza Caprnitza to

1620
02:35:58.239 --> 02:36:01.479
the Piazza de la Rotunda. But
at last they are all met. After

1621
02:36:01.639 --> 02:36:07.600
various small adventures at the Falconne,
the lady's toilettes have suffered a little,

1622
02:36:07.920 --> 02:36:16.280
and Princess Volpini looks very unhappy.
The Falcone is a very unpretending restaurant,

1623
02:36:16.319 --> 02:36:22.159
where the waiters wear white jackets,
the terifas moderate, and the risottos celebrated.

1624
02:36:22.840 --> 02:36:28.600
Volpini orders a thoroughly Italian dinner in
an upper room. Suddenly, Trene

1625
02:36:28.639 --> 02:36:33.600
exclaims in dismay what has become of
Zinca and Saint Palis. They have lingered

1626
02:36:33.799 --> 02:36:39.200
talking on the way, says Madame
de Gondry with pinched lips, as she

1627
02:36:39.360 --> 02:36:43.440
leans back in her chair and pulls
off her gloves. People always walk slowly

1628
02:36:43.479 --> 02:36:48.319
when they have so much to say
to each other. Train frowned. I

1629
02:36:48.319 --> 02:36:52.719
am afraid they have got entangled in
the crowd and have not been able to

1630
02:36:52.719 --> 02:36:56.879
make their way out. I have
hated this expedition from the first. I

1631
02:36:56.920 --> 02:37:00.760
cannot imagine, Marie, what could
have put such a plan in your head?

1632
02:37:01.879 --> 02:37:05.159
Mine, says his sister in an
undertone with a meaning glance. But

1633
02:37:05.280 --> 02:37:09.680
she says no more. He knows
perfectly well that she is as innocent of

1634
02:37:09.760 --> 02:37:16.319
the scheme as the angels in heaven. Why what on earth is the matter?

1635
02:37:16.840 --> 02:37:22.520
Asks Volpini, pouring huge quantities of
grated cheese into his soup, while

1636
02:37:22.559 --> 02:37:28.239
Missus Ferguson complains that she is dying
of hunger, which is singular considering the

1637
02:37:28.440 --> 02:37:33.559
enormous number of bonbons she has eaten
in the course of the day. Madame

1638
02:37:33.600 --> 02:37:39.559
de Gondri asks for a series of
fringed dishes which the Falcone has never heard

1639
02:37:39.600 --> 02:37:43.639
of. Countess Charleinging is loud in
her praises of the Italian cookery, and

1640
02:37:43.799 --> 02:37:50.040
is only sorry that she has no
appetite. Trayne and the General sat gazing

1641
02:37:50.079 --> 02:37:54.559
at the door in growing anxiety.
Zinc and simply do not make their appearance.

1642
02:37:56.120 --> 02:38:01.719
Train can hardly conceal his alarm.
I certainly cannot understand what you are

1643
02:38:01.799 --> 02:38:07.280
so uneasy about, says Madame de
Gondrie, with a perfidious smile. If

1644
02:38:07.399 --> 02:38:11.840
Fraeulein Zinka has been mobbed and hindered, simply is in the same predicament,

1645
02:38:11.920 --> 02:38:18.200
and will take good care of her
if she were with any one less trustworthy,

1646
02:38:18.479 --> 02:38:22.879
less competent, with whom she was
less intimate than I could understand.

1647
02:38:22.840 --> 02:38:28.079
Trine passes his hand over his gray
hair in extreme perplexity and mutters in his

1648
02:38:28.280 --> 02:38:33.639
mother tongue, this woman will be
the death of me, and then he

1649
02:38:33.719 --> 02:38:39.239
again blames his sister. Yet another
quarter of an hour, though the waiters

1650
02:38:39.280 --> 02:38:43.239
are not nimble, they have got
to the desert and still no signs of

1651
02:38:43.360 --> 02:38:50.600
sempaly and Zinka. I am beginning
to feel very anxious, says Marie.

1652
02:38:50.079 --> 02:38:56.319
I only hope the child has not
fainted in the crowd. Madame de Gondrie

1653
02:38:56.360 --> 02:39:01.000
makes a meaning grimace. It is
perhaps the cleverest thing she could have done,

1654
02:39:01.319 --> 02:39:07.239
she says. Tryne hears and bites
his lip. The door just now

1655
02:39:07.360 --> 02:39:11.280
opens, and Zinc and simply come
in she come and sweet. He dark

1656
02:39:11.319 --> 02:39:18.520
and scowling. Thank God, cries
Trayne. What in the world has happened,

1657
02:39:18.920 --> 02:39:24.040
asked the princess, while Tryne draws
a chair to the table for Zinka

1658
02:39:24.479 --> 02:39:30.079
next to himself. What has happened? Repeated Simply the most obvious thing in

1659
02:39:30.120 --> 02:39:33.000
the world. We got into the
thick of the mob and could not get

1660
02:39:33.040 --> 02:39:37.479
through. I cannot understand how that
should have occurred, says Madame de Gondrie.

1661
02:39:37.920 --> 02:39:43.840
We all came through. You may
perhaps recollect that we were the last

1662
02:39:43.879 --> 02:39:48.520
of the party contests. We had
hardly gone twenty yards when the crowd had

1663
02:39:48.600 --> 02:39:52.799
become a compact mass. We pressed
on, determined to get through at any

1664
02:39:52.840 --> 02:39:58.000
cost. Alone could have managed it, but with a lady suddenly we were

1665
02:39:58.000 --> 02:40:03.280
in the thick of a few is
squabble, curses, blows and knives.

1666
02:40:03.559 --> 02:40:07.520
I cannot tell you how miserable I
was at finding myself out in the street

1667
02:40:07.559 --> 02:40:11.559
with a lady, a young girl. Freuleinch. Dad still seems to take

1668
02:40:11.600 --> 02:40:16.399
it all much more coolly than you
do, count, simply interposes Madame de

1669
02:40:16.440 --> 02:40:22.200
Gondris. Spitefully. She does not
appear to have been at all terrified by

1670
02:40:22.239 --> 02:40:28.200
the adventure. Falenzinca was very brave, replied, simply, gidness me.

1671
02:40:28.639 --> 02:40:33.120
What was there to be afraid of? Says Zinca, with the simplicity of

1672
02:40:33.280 --> 02:40:41.159
childish innocence. The responsibility was count
simplice, not mine. The French woman

1673
02:40:41.280 --> 02:40:46.280
laughs sharply. We must be moving
now, she says, if we mean

1674
02:40:46.360 --> 02:40:50.680
to go to Constance's. And there
is a clatter of chairs and a little

1675
02:40:50.719 --> 02:40:54.079
scene of confusion in which no one
can find the right shawl or wrap for

1676
02:40:54.159 --> 02:41:01.360
each lady. But Princess Volpini makes
no attempt to move. I am going

1677
02:41:01.440 --> 02:41:05.559
nowhere else this evening, she says, with unwonted determination. I will not

1678
02:41:05.719 --> 02:41:11.000
take Zinca to Constancis. I will
wait till she has eaten her beefsteak,

1679
02:41:11.040 --> 02:41:15.760
and then I will take her home. I hope you will all enjoy yourselves.

1680
02:41:16.559 --> 02:41:22.639
Zinca eats her beefsteak with the greatest
calmness and unmistakably good appetite. She

1681
02:41:22.799 --> 02:41:28.040
is perfectly sweet and docilent natural.
She has no suspicion that her name will

1682
02:41:28.200 --> 02:41:31.959
to morrow morning be in every mouth. Train is as pale as death.

1683
02:41:33.360 --> 02:41:37.639
He has heard Madame de Gondre's whisper
to her friend. After this he must

1684
02:41:37.799 --> 02:41:43.799
make her an offer. And of
Part one, chapter ten and of Part

1685
02:41:43.959 --> 02:41:54.799
one the Carnival, Part two,
chapter one of our own set by of

1686
02:41:54.920 --> 02:42:01.559
Subshubin, translated by Clara Belle.
This libovoxyc is in the public domain recording

1687
02:42:01.559 --> 02:42:11.520
by Caroline part two lent chapter one. I am glad to have found you,

1688
02:42:11.000 --> 02:42:16.280
cried Trene next morning, as he
entered Simpali's room in the Palazza di

1689
02:42:16.440 --> 02:42:22.280
Vinizia and discovered him sipping his coffee
after his late breakfast, with a book

1690
02:42:22.319 --> 02:42:26.959
in his hand. I am delighted
that you should for once have taken the

1691
02:42:26.040 --> 02:42:31.159
trouble to climb up to me.
I must show you my frontier. The

1692
02:42:31.239 --> 02:42:35.159
dealer who sold it to me declares
it as a frontier. But you look

1693
02:42:35.200 --> 02:42:41.159
worried. What has brought you here? I only wanted to know to ask

1694
02:42:41.239 --> 02:42:46.079
you whether you will drive out to
Frascati with us today, to Frascati this

1695
02:42:46.280 --> 02:42:52.360
afternoon. What's an idea? Exclaimed
Simpali. And in any case I cannot

1696
02:42:52.440 --> 02:42:54.600
join you, for I am going
to the Palatine at three o'clock with the

1697
02:42:54.680 --> 02:43:03.840
Sdetzos. Yes, said Tren,
uncommonly grave, may I offer you a

1698
02:43:03.879 --> 02:43:09.520
cup of coffee, asked simply coolly. No, thank you, replied Trayne.

1699
02:43:09.520 --> 02:43:15.639
Shortly, he was evidently uneasy and
began examining the odds and ends at

1700
02:43:15.639 --> 02:43:18.719
the table to give himself countenance.
By accident, he took up the book

1701
02:43:18.760 --> 02:43:24.879
that simply had been reading when he
came in. It was Charles Lamb's Essays,

1702
02:43:24.319 --> 02:43:30.040
and on the first page was written
in a large firm hand, in

1703
02:43:30.159 --> 02:43:37.319
friendly remembrance of a terrible quarrel.
Zinkaschtazzo, the child lost a bet with

1704
02:43:37.440 --> 02:43:41.719
me not long since, simply explained. Another bet is still unsettled and is

1705
02:43:41.760 --> 02:43:46.479
to be decided to day at the
palatine. Tryne shut the book sharply and

1706
02:43:46.600 --> 02:43:50.799
threw it down, then setting his
elbows on the table at which they were

1707
02:43:50.879 --> 02:43:56.840
sitting, and fixing his eyes keenly
on Sempali's face, he said, do

1708
02:43:56.879 --> 02:44:03.399
you intend to marry? Zinkashiatzo simply
started, What do you mean, he

1709
02:44:03.479 --> 02:44:09.239
exclaimed, what are you dreaming of? But as Tryne said no more,

1710
02:44:09.600 --> 02:44:15.360
simply gazing fixedly at him, he
took up an attitude of defiance. He

1711
02:44:15.440 --> 02:44:20.200
looked Tryne straight in the face with
an angry glare, and retorted and suppose

1712
02:44:20.280 --> 02:44:26.479
I do, then I can only
hope you will have enough resolution to carry

1713
02:44:26.520 --> 02:44:31.200
out your intentions, said Tyryne,
For to stop halfway in such a case

1714
02:44:31.200 --> 02:44:35.799
as a crime. He drew a
deep breath and looked at the ground,

1715
02:44:35.239 --> 02:44:41.399
but simply's face, instead of clearing, grew darker. He was prepared for

1716
02:44:41.559 --> 02:44:46.399
vehement opposition, and his cousin's calm
consent, not to say encouragement, put

1717
02:44:46.520 --> 02:44:52.360
him in the position of a man
who, after straining every muscle to lift

1718
02:44:52.399 --> 02:44:56.319
a heavy weight, suddenly discovers that
it is a piece of painted pasteboard.

1719
02:44:58.000 --> 02:45:03.360
It completely threw him off his balance. Well, I must say, he

1720
02:45:03.479 --> 02:45:09.040
began in a tone of extreme annoyance. You speak of it as if it

1721
02:45:09.079 --> 02:45:13.360
were a no more serious question than
the dancing of a courtillan. In plain

1722
02:45:13.520 --> 02:45:18.399
terms, the thing is impossible.
What are we to live on? I

1723
02:45:18.479 --> 02:45:22.760
have long since run through all my
fortune. If I took what my brother

1724
02:45:22.799 --> 02:45:26.120
would regard as so monstrous a step, he would cut off all supplies.

1725
02:45:26.520 --> 02:45:31.639
And Zinka is not of age.
I might, to be sure take to

1726
02:45:31.719 --> 02:45:35.440
selling dripping to maintain my wife,
which would have the additional advantage that my

1727
02:45:35.559 --> 02:45:41.120
mother in law would cut me in
consequence, or perhaps you would advise me

1728
02:45:41.239 --> 02:45:48.040
to let Dame Clotilchtazzel keep us till
Zinka comes into her money. Well,

1729
02:45:48.319 --> 02:45:52.840
says Trenne, calmly. If you
can take such a reasonable view of the

1730
02:45:52.840 --> 02:45:58.959
impossibility of your marriage with Zinka Stazze, your behavior to her is perfectly inexplicable.

1731
02:46:00.239 --> 02:46:03.440
Trine was still sitting by the little
table on which the pretty coffee service

1732
02:46:03.600 --> 02:46:09.479
was set out, while sempalyly,
his arms in his pockets, was walking

1733
02:46:09.559 --> 02:46:13.120
up and down the room, kicking
and shoving the furniture with all the irritation

1734
02:46:13.280 --> 02:46:18.399
of a man who knows himself to
be in the wrong. Upon my soul,

1735
02:46:18.399 --> 02:46:22.079
I cannot make out what you would
be at, he suddenly exclaimed,

1736
02:46:22.440 --> 02:46:28.760
standing still and facing his cousin.
Schetzel has never found any fault with my

1737
02:46:28.840 --> 02:46:33.959
behavior, and it is much more
his affair than yours. Trayne changed color

1738
02:46:35.000 --> 02:46:39.680
a little, but did not lose
his presence of mind. Schdetz, with

1739
02:46:39.840 --> 02:46:45.559
all his dryness of manner, is
an idealist, he said, who would

1740
02:46:45.559 --> 02:46:50.440
fetch the stars from heaven for his
sister if he could. He has never

1741
02:46:50.559 --> 02:46:54.079
for an instant doubted that your intentions
with regard to her were quite serious.

1742
02:46:56.399 --> 02:47:00.840
That is impossible, cried SEMPALYI.
But it is so, oh, Trene

1743
02:47:00.840 --> 02:47:05.120
asserted, he is too blind to
think his sister beneath any one's notice.

1744
02:47:05.440 --> 02:47:11.959
And he's right, exclaimed, simply
perfectly right. But the pressure of circumstances

1745
02:47:11.159 --> 02:47:16.200
of position, the duties I have
inherited. He had seated himself on the

1746
02:47:16.239 --> 02:47:20.520
deep inner ledge of one of the
windows, with his elbows on his knees,

1747
02:47:20.559 --> 02:47:26.200
in his chin between his hands,
and was staring thoughtfully at the floor.

1748
02:47:26.600 --> 02:47:31.200
Allow me to ask you, he
said, what induced you to mix

1749
02:47:31.239 --> 02:47:35.200
yourself up in the affair. It
has weighed on my shoulder for a long

1750
02:47:35.239 --> 02:47:39.280
time, said Trayne. But what
especially moved me to speak of it to

1751
02:47:39.399 --> 02:47:46.200
day is the circumstance that last evening
before you came into the falcon, Madame

1752
02:47:46.319 --> 02:47:50.280
de Gandri and Ferguson allowed themselves to
speak in a way which convinced me that

1753
02:47:50.360 --> 02:47:56.399
your constant intimacy with Zinca is beginning
to do her no good. Oh,

1754
02:47:56.479 --> 02:48:03.000
of course, if you listen to
the gossip of every washerwoman simply interrupted angrily,

1755
02:48:03.360 --> 02:48:09.319
and he muttered a long speech in
which the words sacred responsibility due regard

1756
02:48:09.360 --> 02:48:13.959
for the duties imposed by providence,
who were freely thrown in. Traine's handsome

1757
02:48:15.000 --> 02:48:20.000
face flushed with contempt, and at
length he broke into his cousin's harangue,

1758
02:48:20.239 --> 02:48:24.920
to which for a few minutes he
had listened in silence. No swager nor

1759
02:48:26.000 --> 02:48:31.360
bluster. The matter is quite simple. Do you love Zinca? The attache

1760
02:48:31.520 --> 02:48:35.719
frowned. Yes, he said fiercely. Then it is only that you have

1761
02:48:35.840 --> 02:48:41.000
not the courage to face the annoyances
that a marriage with her would involve you

1762
02:48:41.079 --> 02:48:46.200
in. Simply was dumb. Then, my dear fellow, there is no

1763
02:48:46.319 --> 02:48:50.799
choice. You must break off the
intimacy as gently, but as immediately as

1764
02:48:50.840 --> 02:48:58.639
possible. That I neither can nor
will attempt, cried, simply stamping his

1765
02:48:58.799 --> 02:49:03.360
foot. If within three days we
have not taken the necessary steps to secure

1766
02:49:03.399 --> 02:49:09.319
your removal from Rome, I shall
feel myself compelled to give Shadzl a hint,

1767
02:49:09.760 --> 02:49:15.520
or your brother, whichever you prefer. Train spoke quite firmly, and

1768
02:49:15.680 --> 02:49:20.079
now good bye. Good bye,
said simply, without moving, and Trayne

1769
02:49:20.159 --> 02:49:24.920
went to the door. There he
paused and said, hesitatingly, do not

1770
02:49:26.159 --> 02:49:30.159
take it a miss, Niki.
I could do no less. Remember that

1771
02:49:30.159 --> 02:49:35.000
though the writer is a bitter morsel. It has a good after taste.

1772
02:49:35.559 --> 02:49:41.280
Poor child, poor sweet little girl, Tryn murmured to himself as he descended

1773
02:49:41.280 --> 02:49:46.719
the gray stone stairs of the Palazzo
Devinezzia. Is this a time to be

1774
02:49:46.799 --> 02:49:52.959
talking of inherited responsibilities and of the
duties of position? Now? Good heavens,

1775
02:49:54.360 --> 02:49:58.239
He lighted a cigar and then flung
it angrily away. Good heavens,

1776
02:49:58.280 --> 02:50:01.319
to have met a girl like Zinka, to have won her love, and

1777
02:50:01.719 --> 02:50:07.799
to be free. He hurried out
into the street, leaving the gate porter,

1778
02:50:07.920 --> 02:50:13.120
astonished that the count, who was
usually so courteous, should have taken

1779
02:50:13.200 --> 02:50:16.760
no notice of his respectful bow.
Such a thing had never happened before.

1780
02:50:18.000 --> 02:50:22.879
He was a strange man, this
gray haired young count Train. He had

1781
02:50:22.959 --> 02:50:28.280
grown up as one of a very
happy family, and when still quite young,

1782
02:50:28.319 --> 02:50:31.920
he had been hurried much against his
will into a marriage with the handsome

1783
02:50:31.959 --> 02:50:37.719
Gabrielle Sinsenburg. He had never been
able to reconcile himself to the empty worldliness

1784
02:50:37.760 --> 02:50:43.879
of his life in her society.
She was a heartless, superficial woman,

1785
02:50:43.399 --> 02:50:48.840
some few years older than himself,
who had staked everything on her hope of

1786
02:50:48.959 --> 02:50:54.799
achieving a marriage with him. Within
a few years they had separated quite amiably

1787
02:50:54.959 --> 02:50:58.000
by mutual consent. He had given
her his name, and she gave him

1788
02:50:58.040 --> 02:51:03.879
his child. His life was spoilt. He had a noble and a loving

1789
02:51:03.920 --> 02:51:07.200
heart, but he might not be
stowed on any woman. He must carry

1790
02:51:07.239 --> 02:51:13.280
it about in his breast, where
it grew heavy to bear. His love

1791
02:51:13.440 --> 02:51:16.399
for his little girl, devoted as
he was to her, was not enough

1792
02:51:16.440 --> 02:51:20.840
to live by, and a bitter
sense of craving lurked in his spirit.

1793
02:51:22.719 --> 02:51:26.040
For in many years he had lived
a great deal abroad, his mind had

1794
02:51:26.079 --> 02:51:33.239
expanded, and he had shed several
of his purely Austrian prejudices. At home,

1795
02:51:33.280 --> 02:51:37.639
he was still regarded as a staunch
conservative, because he always passively voted

1796
02:51:37.680 --> 02:51:43.680
on that side. But he was
only indifferent, absolutely indifferent to all political

1797
02:51:43.760 --> 02:51:50.280
strive, and smiled alike at the
recklessness of the left and the excitability of

1798
02:51:50.399 --> 02:51:54.760
the right, While in his inmost
soul he regarded the perfecting of government as

1799
02:51:54.920 --> 02:52:00.680
mere labor lost, for he was
no optimist, and thought that to heal

1800
02:52:00.719 --> 02:52:05.440
the woes of humanity nothing would avail
but its thorough regeneration, and that men

1801
02:52:05.520 --> 02:52:11.479
have no mind for such regeneration.
All they ask is to be allowed to

1802
02:52:11.600 --> 02:52:16.799
cry out when they are hurt and
shift their sins onto each other's shoulders.

1803
02:52:18.440 --> 02:52:22.600
It afforded him no satisfaction to cry
out. His weary soul found no rest

1804
02:52:22.680 --> 02:52:30.520
but an unbounded benevolence and some police
nature experimental groping. His way through life

1805
02:52:30.959 --> 02:52:35.440
had seemed to him to day more
odious than ever. How can a man

1806
02:52:35.479 --> 02:52:41.319
be at once so tender and such
a coward, he asked himself. He

1807
02:52:41.440 --> 02:52:46.319
is the most completely selfish being I
ever met, with a thorough epicurean and

1808
02:52:46.440 --> 02:52:50.680
sentiment, and has only just hard
enough for his own pleasure and enjoyment.

1809
02:52:54.360 --> 02:52:58.000
The bad outstanding between zinc and s
and Pali was not decided that afternoon,

1810
02:53:00.319 --> 02:53:03.719
did not go to the palatine,
but excused himself at the last moment in

1811
02:53:03.760 --> 02:53:09.000
a little note to Zinca. Trene's
words, though he would not have admitted

1812
02:53:09.040 --> 02:53:13.680
it to himself, had made a
very deep impression, and though he fought

1813
02:53:13.719 --> 02:53:18.920
against it, he could no longer
avoid looking the situation in the face.

1814
02:53:18.639 --> 02:53:24.040
To get himself transferred to some other
capital, to give up all his pleasant,

1815
02:53:24.159 --> 02:53:28.479
idle habits here. The idea was
intolerable. He felt exactly like a

1816
02:53:28.520 --> 02:53:33.239
man who has been suddenly roused from
a slumber, bright with pleasant drains.

1817
02:53:35.159 --> 02:53:37.600
He did not want to wake or
to rub his eyes clear off. The

1818
02:53:37.719 --> 02:53:46.239
vision was everything at an end,
Troyne had to be sure suggested an alternative

1819
02:53:46.920 --> 02:53:52.959
if he could but call up sufficient
energy. It rested only with himself to

1820
02:53:52.040 --> 02:53:58.879
turn the sweet dream into a still
sweeter and lovelier reality, and his whole

1821
02:53:58.959 --> 02:54:05.799
being thrilled with ecstasy. As this
delightful possibility flattered his fancy, he was

1822
02:54:05.920 --> 02:54:11.360
long past the age at which a
man commits some matrimonial folly, believing that

1823
02:54:11.440 --> 02:54:16.840
he can reclaim the morals of some
disrespectable second rate actress, or that his

1824
02:54:16.000 --> 02:54:20.719
highest happiness is to devote his life
to his sister's governess, who is a

1825
02:54:20.760 --> 02:54:26.760
dozen years older than himself. When
he contemplated the possibility of his marryings in

1826
02:54:26.799 --> 02:54:31.639
Kashdiat's laughter, all it was with
the certainty that his feeling for her was

1827
02:54:31.719 --> 02:54:35.200
not a mere transient madness, but
that it had its roots in the depths

1828
02:54:35.239 --> 02:54:41.879
of his nature. Every form and
kind of enjoyment had been at his command,

1829
02:54:41.239 --> 02:54:45.920
and he had hated them, all
things in which other men of his

1830
02:54:46.079 --> 02:54:52.239
age and position could find excitement and
interest roused his fastidious nature to disgust.

1831
02:54:52.120 --> 02:54:56.399
Life had long since become to him
a vain and empty show. When he

1832
02:54:56.479 --> 02:55:03.559
had met Zinca, then all this
sweetest spirits of spring had descended, fluttering

1833
02:55:03.680 --> 02:55:07.760
into his vacant heart. A magical
touch had made it the garden of flowers

1834
02:55:09.079 --> 02:55:15.040
and filled it with fair, mad
dreams of love. All the sweet sorrow

1835
02:55:15.120 --> 02:55:18.479
of life was revealed to him in
a new form. And now was he

1836
02:55:18.600 --> 02:55:24.239
to tread the blossoms and to dust
give up seeing her get myself sent away?

1837
02:55:24.719 --> 02:55:28.440
Never? I cannot and I will
not do it, he muttered to

1838
02:55:28.520 --> 02:55:33.840
himself indignantly, as he thought it
all over. What business is it of

1839
02:55:33.040 --> 02:55:39.000
trains? What right has he to
issue his orders to me? But when

1840
02:55:39.000 --> 02:55:43.200
he had resolved simply to go on
with Zinca as he had begun to sun

1841
02:55:43.319 --> 02:55:46.639
himself, as heretofore in her smile, her gentleness, and her beauty,

1842
02:55:48.120 --> 02:55:52.360
he was still uncomfortable. He felt
that it would not be the same.

1843
02:55:52.840 --> 02:55:56.639
Till now his heart had simply been
content. Now it could speak and ask

1844
02:55:56.799 --> 02:56:01.399
for more. To try to satisfy
it with this shadow of delight was like

1845
02:56:01.479 --> 02:56:07.559
attempting to slake a raging thirst with
the dew of a rosebud. He loved

1846
02:56:07.559 --> 02:56:13.719
her now suddenly and madly. Interesting. Women had hitherto utterly failed to interest

1847
02:56:13.840 --> 02:56:18.520
him. They were like brookolids filled
by the rain. The muddiness of the

1848
02:56:18.559 --> 02:56:26.000
water prevented their shallowness, being immediately
perceptible. The storms of life had spoilt

1849
02:56:26.079 --> 02:56:31.319
their clearness and purity. Zinc on
the contrary, was like a mountain lake,

1850
02:56:31.360 --> 02:56:35.760
whose waters are so transparent that near
the shore every pebblous visible. And

1851
02:56:37.000 --> 02:56:41.200
though in the middle the bottom is
no longer seen, it is because they

1852
02:56:41.280 --> 02:56:46.040
are deep, and not because they
are turbid, till their crystalline opacity reflects

1853
02:56:46.200 --> 02:56:52.120
the sky overhead. And in the
depths of that lake, he thought lay

1854
02:56:52.120 --> 02:56:56.959
a treasure which one alone, guided
and blessed by God, might hope to

1855
02:56:56.079 --> 02:57:01.799
find. How he longed to sound
dead, She was made for him.

1856
02:57:03.200 --> 02:57:07.120
Never for an instant had he been
dull in her society. She satisfied both

1857
02:57:07.159 --> 02:57:13.479
his head and his heart. All
the bewitching, inconsistency and contradictions of her

1858
02:57:13.559 --> 02:57:18.479
nature captivated him. He had said
of her that she was like a little

1859
02:57:18.559 --> 02:57:22.399
handbook of the study of women.
She was made up of such a variety

1860
02:57:22.440 --> 02:57:28.520
of characteristics. In the midst of
her childlike moods, she had such unexpected

1861
02:57:28.559 --> 02:57:35.799
depth of thought, such flashes of
wisdom. Her wildest wagaries were so original,

1862
02:57:35.840 --> 02:57:41.760
and often ended so suddenly in wistful
reverie. Her little selfish caprices were

1863
02:57:41.799 --> 02:57:48.319
the converse of such devoted self sacrifice. Her grace was so spontaneous, her

1864
02:57:48.440 --> 02:57:54.079
voice so soft and appealing. Why
but should he No, it must not

1865
02:57:54.239 --> 02:57:58.360
be Train had said it. He
must quit Rome, the sooner the better.

1866
02:58:00.600 --> 02:58:03.360
He took his hat and went out
to call on the ambassador and discussed

1867
02:58:03.399 --> 02:58:09.200
the matter with him. His Excellency
was not at home, and simperly betook

1868
02:58:09.280 --> 02:58:13.799
himself to the club, where he
lost several games at Ecrte. He was

1869
02:58:13.920 --> 02:58:18.280
greatly annoyed. Then he went home
and sat looking constantly at the cloak,

1870
02:58:18.319 --> 02:58:24.000
as though he were expecting some one. His irritation creased every minute. And

1871
02:58:24.159 --> 02:58:35.319
of Part two, Chapter one,
Part two, Chapter two of Our Own

1872
02:58:35.399 --> 02:58:39.399
set by Ossip Schubin, translated by
Clara Belle. This LibriVox according is in

1873
02:58:39.440 --> 02:58:46.719
the public domain recording by Caroline.
Part two, Chapter two, Bright May,

1874
02:58:48.200 --> 02:58:52.879
the sweetest month of spring, The
trees and fields with flowers are strown,

1875
02:58:54.840 --> 02:58:58.760
dear heart to thee life's May I
bring, take it and keep it

1876
02:58:58.799 --> 02:59:05.840
for thine own, Nay, draw
the knife. I will not start pierce.

1877
02:59:05.920 --> 02:59:11.559
If thou wilt my willing breast.
There thou shalt find my faithful heart,

1878
02:59:11.000 --> 02:59:18.440
whose truth and death shall stand confessed. These words, sung in the

1879
02:59:18.559 --> 02:59:24.879
Roman dialect to a very simple air, came quavering out of the open window

1880
02:59:24.959 --> 02:59:30.559
of the drawing room of the Setzel's
Palacetto as simply passed by it. That

1881
02:59:30.719 --> 02:59:35.799
evening he had gone out to pay
some visits to divert his mind, and

1882
02:59:35.280 --> 02:59:39.680
though his way did not take him
along the side straight in which the palacettos

1883
02:59:39.719 --> 02:59:45.719
stood, he had not been able
to resist the temptation to make a detour.

1884
02:59:46.479 --> 02:59:50.440
It was a mild evening, and
the tones floated down like an invitation.

1885
02:59:50.159 --> 02:59:56.239
He recognized Zinka's voice as she sang
one of the melancholy ston Nelli,

1886
02:59:56.719 --> 03:00:01.920
in which the peasants of the Campagna
give utterance to their loves. He had

1887
03:00:01.040 --> 03:00:07.479
ceased, and she was just moving
away when another even sweeter and more piercing

1888
03:00:07.600 --> 03:00:13.639
lament broke the warm silence. Where
shall I die? Poison itself could have

1889
03:00:15.319 --> 03:00:20.040
no terrors if I took it from
thy hand. Thy heart should be my

1890
03:00:20.200 --> 03:00:26.399
death bid and my grave. The
passionate words were sung with subdued vehemence to

1891
03:00:26.559 --> 03:00:33.600
a rather monotonous tune, like a
faded wraith of spring flowers borne along by

1892
03:00:33.680 --> 03:00:39.879
some murmuring stream. He turned back
and listened with suspended breath. The song

1893
03:00:41.079 --> 03:00:45.200
ended on a long, full note. He felt that he would give God

1894
03:00:45.360 --> 03:00:50.120
knows how much to hear the last
to line once more, La sepultura mia

1895
03:00:50.319 --> 03:00:58.159
sara il too seno. Now Zinka
was speaking. It vexed him beyond measure

1896
03:00:58.239 --> 03:01:01.959
that he could not hear what she
was saying, saying it was maddening good

1897
03:01:03.000 --> 03:01:07.959
heavens, what a fool he was
to stand fretting outside. When he went

1898
03:01:07.040 --> 03:01:11.159
into the drawing room, to his
great surprise, he was met by Schtetzel.

1899
03:01:13.000 --> 03:01:16.680
Begged so soon, he exclaimed,
as he shook hands with him.

1900
03:01:18.120 --> 03:01:22.879
Yes, Ainstein had only two days
to spare napples, replied Schtetzel. I

1901
03:01:22.959 --> 03:01:26.639
was delighted to see him again,
but well, I must be growing very

1902
03:01:26.680 --> 03:01:31.479
old. I was so glad to
find myself at home again. And he

1903
03:01:31.600 --> 03:01:37.040
drew his sister to him and lightly
stroked her pretty brown hair, his brotherly

1904
03:01:37.120 --> 03:01:43.040
caress added to some plice excitement.
No wonder that you like your home,

1905
03:01:43.239 --> 03:01:46.959
he was saying, when the Baroness
appeared with an evening wrap on her shoulders,

1906
03:01:48.319 --> 03:01:52.079
a fan and a scent bottle in
her hand, and as usual,

1907
03:01:52.600 --> 03:01:58.760
dying of refinement and airs not ready
yet is in naid ah, my dear,

1908
03:01:58.840 --> 03:02:03.319
simply, how very sweet of you, and she gave him the tips

1909
03:02:03.319 --> 03:02:09.959
of her fingers. We were quite
anxious about you when you so suddenly excused

1910
03:02:09.000 --> 03:02:13.120
yourself from joining us. Zinka was
afraid you had to take in the Roman

1911
03:02:13.200 --> 03:02:20.719
fever, she said sentimentally. Zinka
has an imagination that feeds on horace,

1912
03:02:20.120 --> 03:02:24.639
said she Dedzeled, smiling. I
did think that you must have some very

1913
03:02:24.799 --> 03:02:31.000
urgent reason, said Zinca hastily,
and in some confusion, simply looked into

1914
03:02:31.000 --> 03:02:35.600
her eyes. I was doing ash
Wednesday pennance, that was all, he

1915
03:02:35.639 --> 03:02:41.639
said, in a low voice.
Well, to complete the mortification, come

1916
03:02:41.760 --> 03:02:48.600
now to Lady Dalrymple's. The Baroness
suggested, Oh, be merciful, grant

1917
03:02:48.639 --> 03:02:52.799
me a dispensation. I should so
much enjoy quiet evening, cried simply,

1918
03:02:54.879 --> 03:02:58.840
And I too, added Zinka.
I am mouttily sick of suarees and rauts.

1919
03:03:00.200 --> 03:03:05.000
These performances give me the impression of
a full dress review at which such

1920
03:03:05.040 --> 03:03:09.879
and such fashionable regiments are paraded.
Give us a holiday, mother, Remember

1921
03:03:09.920 --> 03:03:13.600
it is ash Wednesday, and we
are good Catholics, said her son.

1922
03:03:16.360 --> 03:03:22.280
I had some scruples myself, but
the Duchess of Ortranto is going list the

1923
03:03:22.360 --> 03:03:28.319
baroness. However, when simply had
assured her that the Duchess of Otranto was,

1924
03:03:28.399 --> 03:03:33.239
by no means a standard authority in
Roman society, she yielded to the

1925
03:03:33.360 --> 03:03:37.360
common desire that they should remain at
home, and withdrew to her room to

1926
03:03:37.399 --> 03:03:43.399
write some letters before tea. Most
men have senses and nerves only in their

1927
03:03:43.440 --> 03:03:48.879
brain, while women, as is
well known, have them all over the

1928
03:03:48.959 --> 03:03:54.040
body. In this respect, simply
was like a woman. He had senses

1929
03:03:54.120 --> 03:03:58.079
even in his finger tips. As
a Frenchman had once said of him,

1930
03:03:58.639 --> 03:04:05.680
I la verlis So poet. A
poet's nerves. The most trifling external conditions

1931
03:04:05.719 --> 03:04:13.239
gave him disproportionate pleasure or pain.
The smallest detail of ugliness was enough to

1932
03:04:13.319 --> 03:04:18.280
spoil his appreciation of the noblest and
grandest work of art. He would not

1933
03:04:18.399 --> 03:04:22.319
have felt the beauty of Faust if
he had first read it in a shabby

1934
03:04:22.399 --> 03:04:28.040
or dirty copy. Now, when
the Baroness had left the room, there

1935
03:04:28.120 --> 03:04:33.879
was no detail that could disturb his
enjoyment in being with Zinca Schadsld taking up

1936
03:04:33.879 --> 03:04:39.360
his newspaper. Zinca, at Sampali's
request, had seated herself at the piano.

1937
03:04:41.040 --> 03:04:45.719
She always accompanied herself by heart,
and sat with her head bowed a

1938
03:04:45.719 --> 03:04:50.040
little over the keys and half shut
dreamy eyes. The sober tone of the

1939
03:04:50.120 --> 03:04:54.319
room, with its tape, straight
walls and happy medley of knick knacks,

1940
03:04:54.799 --> 03:05:03.600
broad leaved plants, Japanese screens,
and comfortable furniture, formed a harmonious background

1941
03:05:03.719 --> 03:05:07.920
to her slight white figure. The
light of the lamp was moderated by its

1942
03:05:09.000 --> 03:05:15.280
rose colored shade. A subdued Mitza
Voce tone of color prevailed in the room,

1943
03:05:15.319 --> 03:05:18.639
which was full of the scent of
roses and violets, and the heavy

1944
03:05:18.680 --> 03:05:26.319
perfume seemed in sympathy with the gloomy
sentiment of the popular love songs. Simplyi's

1945
03:05:26.360 --> 03:05:33.479
whole nature thrilled with rapturous suspense,
such as few men would perhaps quite understand.

1946
03:05:33.360 --> 03:05:39.360
At his desire Zinka sang one after
another of the Stonnelli. Her voice

1947
03:05:39.440 --> 03:05:45.120
grew fuller and deeper. Do not
sing too long, Zini, it will

1948
03:05:45.200 --> 03:05:48.920
tire you. Said her brother.
Only one more, the one I heard

1949
03:05:50.000 --> 03:05:56.479
from outside, begged simply, and
she sang la sepoltura mia, sara il

1950
03:05:56.639 --> 03:06:01.600
tuo seno. The words tremble on
her lips. Her hands slipped off the

1951
03:06:01.719 --> 03:06:07.959
last notes into her lap. Simply
took the warm, soft little hands into

1952
03:06:07.959 --> 03:06:11.920
his own. A sort of delightful
giddiness mounted to his brain as he touched

1953
03:06:11.959 --> 03:06:18.159
them. Zinka, He said,
tell me, do you feel a little

1954
03:06:18.159 --> 03:06:24.639
of what your voice expresses. Her
eyes met his, and she blinked as

1955
03:06:24.680 --> 03:06:28.520
we blink at a strong, bright
light. She shrank back a little,

1956
03:06:28.799 --> 03:06:35.000
as we shrank from too great and
sudden joy. Her answer was fluttering on

1957
03:06:35.040 --> 03:06:41.319
her lips. When the door opened, the Italian servant pronounced some perfectly unintelligible

1958
03:06:41.360 --> 03:06:46.040
gibberish by way of a name,
and in marched, followed by her daughter

1959
03:06:46.200 --> 03:06:52.319
and their polish swaying the bareness wolnut
scar Oh, thank goodness, I have

1960
03:06:52.440 --> 03:06:56.920
found you at home, she exclaimed. We counted on finding you at home

1961
03:06:56.959 --> 03:07:05.680
on ash Wednesday. God bless Sue
Zinca. Zinca was petrified. Mamma Schdetzel

1962
03:07:05.840 --> 03:07:11.920
rushed in from an adjoining room at
the sound of those rough tones. Charlotte

1963
03:07:11.520 --> 03:07:18.440
was all she could stammer out.
Char Let you hear quite a surprise,

1964
03:07:18.520 --> 03:07:24.280
is it not, Clotilde? Yes, the most unhoped for things sometimes happen.

1965
03:07:24.760 --> 03:07:28.600
We arrived today at three o'clock and
called here this afternoon, but you

1966
03:07:28.680 --> 03:07:31.680
were out, so then we decided
to try in the evening. It is

1967
03:07:31.799 --> 03:07:35.120
rather late, to be sure,
and I, for my part, should

1968
03:07:35.159 --> 03:07:41.959
have been here long ago. But
Slava insisted on dressing for such near relations.

1969
03:07:41.079 --> 03:07:45.360
Quite upset, but I do not
like to contradict her. She is

1970
03:07:45.600 --> 03:07:50.319
so easily put out, so I
waited to dress too, and the bareness.

1971
03:07:50.639 --> 03:07:56.559
After embracing her, sister and her
niece, plumped down uninvited on a

1972
03:07:56.680 --> 03:08:01.319
very low chair. She had dressed
with a vengeance. A black olais cap

1973
03:08:01.520 --> 03:08:05.840
was perched on the top of her
short gray hair, with the lapids that

1974
03:08:05.959 --> 03:08:13.000
hung down over her ears. Her
massive person was squeezed into a violet satin

1975
03:08:13.079 --> 03:08:18.360
gown, which she had evidently outgrown, and a lace scarf picturesquely thrown over

1976
03:08:18.399 --> 03:08:24.719
her shoulders was intended to conceal its
defects. Her lavender colored gloves were very

1977
03:08:24.760 --> 03:08:31.680
short and much too tight, and
a burst at all the buttonholes. Slava

1978
03:08:31.719 --> 03:08:35.719
had a general effect of tricolor,
and she wore some old jewelry that she

1979
03:08:35.799 --> 03:08:41.799
had bought off a dealer in antiquities
at Verona. She had curled and piled

1980
03:08:41.879 --> 03:08:46.600
up her hair after the antique,
and kept her head constantly turned over her

1981
03:08:46.680 --> 03:08:50.719
left shoulder to be as much like
the Apollo as possible, at the same

1982
03:08:50.799 --> 03:08:56.559
time making a grimace as if she
were being photographed, and wished to look

1983
03:08:56.639 --> 03:09:03.639
bewitching. Vladimir Matuschauzski's tall, slouching
figure was buttoned into a braided coat.

1984
03:09:05.200 --> 03:09:09.680
He held a low crowned hat with
tassels in his hand, and glared at

1985
03:09:09.719 --> 03:09:15.760
the plain dress coats of the other
two men as though they were a personal

1986
03:09:15.799 --> 03:09:24.600
insult. Monsieur Vladimir de Matoshawski said
the Baroness introducing him a a friend of

1987
03:09:24.680 --> 03:09:28.840
the family, but she said it
in French. When the Baroness Volnitzkaw was

1988
03:09:28.879 --> 03:09:35.319
set all at a loss, she
commonly spoke French. Her sister, who

1989
03:09:35.360 --> 03:09:39.200
by this time had got over her
astonishment now began to wish to dazzle the

1990
03:09:39.280 --> 03:09:46.879
newcomers. Count Sempali, she said, presenting the attache a friend of our

1991
03:09:48.200 --> 03:09:52.360
family, my sister, the Baroness
Wolnitzka. You have no doubt heard of

1992
03:09:52.440 --> 03:09:58.559
the famous slav leader Baron Volnitsky,
who was so conspicuous a figure in forty

1993
03:09:58.600 --> 03:10:07.280
eight. Simply bowed without speaking.
Baroness Volnitzka rose and politely offered him her

1994
03:10:07.360 --> 03:10:11.399
hand. I am delighted to make
your acquaintance, she said. I have

1995
03:10:11.479 --> 03:10:15.959
heard a great deal about you.
My sister has mentioned you in all her

1996
03:10:16.040 --> 03:10:22.760
letters, and I am quite o
Kurn again simply bowed in silence and then

1997
03:10:22.079 --> 03:10:28.079
retiring into the background. While the
mistress of the house turned to address Slava,

1998
03:10:28.559 --> 03:10:33.879
he said to Schatzo, I will
take an opportunity of slipping away a

1999
03:10:33.040 --> 03:10:39.639
stranger, as always an intruder at
a family meeting. His manner was suddenly

2000
03:10:39.760 --> 03:10:46.920
cold and stiff, and his tone
intolerably arrogant. Schtetzo nodded. Go by

2001
03:10:46.959 --> 03:10:52.879
all means, he replied, but
Baroness Schatzo, perceiving his purpose, exclaimed,

2002
03:10:54.799 --> 03:10:58.159
no, no, my dear SEMPALYI
you really must not run away.

2003
03:10:58.719 --> 03:11:05.040
You are not in the least detroit
and a stranger you certainly can never be

2004
03:11:05.840 --> 03:11:09.760
hit. Would look as though we
had frightened you away, and that I

2005
03:11:09.799 --> 03:11:16.639
will not imagine, added her sister
archly, so simply stayed, only perhaps

2006
03:11:16.719 --> 03:11:20.879
from the impulse that so often prompts
us to drink a bitter cup to the

2007
03:11:20.000 --> 03:11:26.479
dregs. Pray command yourself, a
little Zini, whispered Cecil to his sister.

2008
03:11:28.319 --> 03:11:33.000
The interruption is unpleasant, but you
should not show your annoyance so plainly.

2009
03:11:33.639 --> 03:11:39.559
Tea was now brought in. Sieze
devoted himself in an exemplary manner to

2010
03:11:39.639 --> 03:11:43.719
his cousin Slava, so as to
give his spoilt little sister as much liberty

2011
03:11:43.760 --> 03:11:50.440
as possible. Slava treated him with
the greatest condescension and kept glancing over her

2012
03:11:50.600 --> 03:11:56.479
huge Japanese fan at Sampali, who
was sitting by Zinca on a small sofa,

2013
03:11:56.840 --> 03:12:03.840
taciturn and ill pleased, while he
helped her to pour out the tea.

2014
03:12:03.280 --> 03:12:09.079
Therein as Volnitskag gulped down one cup
after another, eat up almost all

2015
03:12:09.159 --> 03:12:15.280
the tea cake, and never seized
an endless medley of chatta, the young

2016
03:12:15.360 --> 03:12:20.639
pole sat brooding, gloomily, ostentatiously, refused old food and spoke not a

2017
03:12:20.680 --> 03:12:26.120
word. His arms crossed on his
breast, he set the image of the

2018
03:12:26.200 --> 03:12:33.399
dignity of man on the defensive.
I am desperately hungry. Madame Volnitzskag confessed.

2019
03:12:35.120 --> 03:12:37.920
We are at a very good hotel, Hotel de la Stella in Via

2020
03:12:39.040 --> 03:12:41.719
de la Pacere. We were told
of it by a priest with whom we

2021
03:12:41.840 --> 03:12:46.600
met on our journey. It is
not absolutely first class. Still, only

2022
03:12:46.639 --> 03:12:52.760
people of the highest rank frequented.
Two Polish counts dined at the table,

2023
03:12:52.840 --> 03:12:56.719
Dots and a French marquise. In
her case, I must own I thought

2024
03:12:56.719 --> 03:13:00.680
I could smell a rat. I
suspect she is running away with her lover,

2025
03:13:00.719 --> 03:13:05.799
from her husband or from her creditors. Out of defense to the highest

2026
03:13:05.920 --> 03:13:11.319
rank. The baroness had put her
hand up to her mouth on the side

2027
03:13:11.479 --> 03:13:18.159
nearest to the young couple as she
made this edifying communication. The dinner was

2028
03:13:18.360 --> 03:13:22.000
very good. She went on capital
and we pay six francs a day for

2029
03:13:22.079 --> 03:13:31.559
our board. Seven corrected Slava six
Slava seven, Mamma, And a discussion

2030
03:13:31.639 --> 03:13:35.639
of the deepest interest to the rest
of the party and suit between the mother

2031
03:13:35.719 --> 03:13:43.360
and daughter. As to this important
point, Slava remained master of the field.

2032
03:13:43.000 --> 03:13:48.159
And with wax lights and service,
it comes to eight, she added

2033
03:13:48.200 --> 03:13:52.879
triumphantly. I let her talk,
whispered her mother, again, directing her

2034
03:13:52.879 --> 03:13:58.879
words with her hand. She is
very peculiar in that way. Everything cheap

2035
03:13:58.920 --> 03:14:03.159
she thinks must be better. However, what I was going to say was

2036
03:14:03.319 --> 03:14:05.799
that, to tell the truth,
I did not get enough to eat at

2037
03:14:05.840 --> 03:14:11.399
dinner. There were flowers on the
table, and she reached herself a slice

2038
03:14:11.440 --> 03:14:18.440
of plum cake. At this moment
the door opened to admit Count Sikbourg.

2039
03:14:18.680 --> 03:14:22.760
Good evening. He began. Seeing
you so brightly lighted up, I could

2040
03:14:22.840 --> 03:14:26.840
not resist the temptation to come in
and see how you were spending your ash

2041
03:14:26.879 --> 03:14:33.799
Wednesday. He glanced around at the
three strangers and instantly grasped the situation,

2042
03:14:35.639 --> 03:14:39.639
but far from taking the tragical view
of it, he had once determined to

2043
03:14:39.680 --> 03:14:45.079
get as much fun out of it
as possible. After being introduced, he

2044
03:14:45.120 --> 03:14:48.959
placed himself in a position from which
he could command the whole party, simply

2045
03:14:50.040 --> 03:14:56.000
included and converse both with Madame Volnitzka
and her daughter. He addressed himself first

2046
03:14:56.120 --> 03:15:01.840
to the letter the name of Voynetski
is known to fame. He said,

2047
03:15:03.120 --> 03:15:09.360
Yes, my father played a distinguished
part in forty eight, replied Slava zik

2048
03:15:09.479 --> 03:15:18.120
Borg zik Bork. Madame Volnitzka was
meanwhile murmuring to herself, which of the

2049
03:15:18.239 --> 03:15:24.559
zik works the zik books of Budor, or of Waldau or the Wildau Branch,

2050
03:15:26.120 --> 03:15:31.120
said Baroness Scheltzer. His mother was
a princess hag, and she leaned

2051
03:15:31.159 --> 03:15:37.520
back on her cushions. Ah,
the Wildau zik books quite the best zig

2052
03:15:37.600 --> 03:15:43.719
books, remarked her sister, in
a tone of astonishment. Of course,

2053
03:15:43.200 --> 03:15:48.639
replied Baroness Scheltzer, with great coolness, as though she had never in her

2054
03:15:48.719 --> 03:15:54.600
life spoken to anyone less than the
best zik books. Madame Volnitzsky arranged her

2055
03:15:54.639 --> 03:16:01.000
broad face in the most afeable wrinkles
she could command, and smiling at the

2056
03:16:01.079 --> 03:16:05.719
young count, watching for an opportunity
of putting in a word for the present.

2057
03:16:05.799 --> 03:16:11.000
However, this did not offer,
for her sister addressed her asking in

2058
03:16:11.040 --> 03:16:16.200
a bitter sweet voice, and what
made you decide on coming to Rome?

2059
03:16:16.959 --> 03:16:20.639
Can you ask? I have wished
for years to see Rome, and you

2060
03:16:20.719 --> 03:16:26.680
wrote so kindly and so constantly,
Clotilde, so at length and here followed

2061
03:16:26.719 --> 03:16:33.159
the history of the Bernini. You
remember our Bernini, Clotilde. Her sister

2062
03:16:33.319 --> 03:16:39.280
nodded, well, I had the
Apollo the head, only a copy by

2063
03:16:39.319 --> 03:16:43.399
Bernini. It is a work of
art that has been in our family for

2064
03:16:43.559 --> 03:16:48.879
generations. She continued, turning to
Zigburg as she saw that he was listening

2065
03:16:48.920 --> 03:16:56.879
to her narrative for centuries, added
Madame Schtazzer, I must confess that I

2066
03:16:56.920 --> 03:17:01.120
could hardly bear to part with it. Her sister went on, However,

2067
03:17:01.159 --> 03:17:03.879
I made up my mind to do
so, when too, the great antiquary

2068
03:17:05.000 --> 03:17:09.280
from Vienna came one day and bid
for it. She'atzi, to whom the

2069
03:17:09.319 --> 03:17:13.680
god's wanderings were known, made some
allusion to them in his dry way,

2070
03:17:15.079 --> 03:17:20.959
on which the Baroness Volnitzkash shuffled herself
a little nearer to Zikbog and addressed herself

2071
03:17:20.000 --> 03:17:26.200
to him. You see, Count, it was something like what often happens

2072
03:17:26.200 --> 03:17:30.239
with a girl. You drag her
about to balls for years, take her

2073
03:17:30.280 --> 03:17:33.799
from one wandering place to another,
and never get her off your hands.

2074
03:17:35.280 --> 03:17:39.639
Then you settle down quietly at home, and suddenly, when you least expected

2075
03:17:39.040 --> 03:17:43.959
as suitor, turns up. I
could hardly bear to see the last of

2076
03:17:43.040 --> 03:17:48.319
the bust. I assure you it
must indeed have been a harrowing parting,

2077
03:17:48.840 --> 03:17:54.920
said Zigbog, with much feeling.
Terrible, said the baroness, and doubly

2078
03:17:56.000 --> 03:18:00.520
painful, because and here she leaned
over to whisper, and zik ear,

2079
03:18:01.239 --> 03:18:05.840
Slava is so amazingly like the Bernini, does not her likeness to the Apollo

2080
03:18:05.920 --> 03:18:11.639
strike you. I saw it at
once as soon as I came in,

2081
03:18:11.120 --> 03:18:16.879
Zigbook declared, without hesitation. Everyone
says, so, well, then you

2082
03:18:16.959 --> 03:18:22.280
can understand what a sacrifice it was. It cut me to the heart only

2083
03:18:22.360 --> 03:18:26.440
to think of it. Oh,
these great emotions. Excuse me if I

2084
03:18:26.479 --> 03:18:31.760
take off my cap. And she
hastily snatched off the black lace structure,

2085
03:18:31.120 --> 03:18:35.959
and passing her fingers through her thin
gray hair, with the vehemence of a

2086
03:18:37.000 --> 03:18:41.319
genius, she exclaimed, Merciful God, how we poor women are ill,

2087
03:18:41.479 --> 03:18:46.719
used, crushed, fettered. Yes, a woman's lot is not a happy

2088
03:18:46.719 --> 03:18:54.120
one, said Zigboog sympathetically. You
are quite an original, exclaimed her sister,

2089
03:18:54.479 --> 03:18:58.879
giggling rather uncomfortably. For in good
society it is quite understood that when

2090
03:18:58.879 --> 03:19:05.120
we are suffering under relations devoid of
manners, and whom if we dared we

2091
03:19:05.159 --> 03:19:09.120
should shut up at once in a
mad house. We may do what we

2092
03:19:09.200 --> 03:19:15.399
can to render them harmless by ticketing
them with this title, quite an original.

2093
03:19:15.799 --> 03:19:20.319
Are you still always ready to break
a lance for the emancipation of our

2094
03:19:20.479 --> 03:19:26.479
sex? No, replied Madame Volnitzka. No, my dear Clotilde, I

2095
03:19:26.520 --> 03:19:31.079
have given that up since I learned
by experience that every woman is ready to

2096
03:19:31.159 --> 03:19:35.399
set aside the idea of emancipation as
soon as she has a chance of marrying.

2097
03:19:35.799 --> 03:19:41.639
I have lost my sympathy with the
cause. The emancipation of women,

2098
03:19:41.680 --> 03:19:46.360
of course, can only be interesting
to those who cannot marry, observed Sdetz,

2099
03:19:46.760 --> 03:19:50.760
who had not long since read an
article on this much ventilated question.

2100
03:19:52.239 --> 03:19:58.399
And as there are undoubtedly more women
than men in the world, legalized polygamies

2101
03:19:58.520 --> 03:20:03.520
the only solution of the dayfficulty.
His aunt asserted, Mamma, you really

2102
03:20:03.639 --> 03:20:11.200
are, said Slava with an angry
flare. Your views are necessarily pity and

2103
03:20:11.440 --> 03:20:15.680
narrow, retorted her mother. If
I were speaking on the subject in a

2104
03:20:15.719 --> 03:20:20.200
light and frivolous tone, I could
understand your indignation. But I am looking

2105
03:20:20.239 --> 03:20:24.040
at the matter from a philosophical point
of view. You understand me. I

2106
03:20:24.079 --> 03:20:28.680
am sure, Count zik Book perfectly, My dear Madam, zig Book assured

2107
03:20:28.719 --> 03:20:33.000
her with grave dignity. You look
at the question from the point of national

2108
03:20:33.040 --> 03:20:39.520
and political economy, and from that
point of view, improprieties have no existence.

2109
03:20:39.879 --> 03:20:46.399
Simply sat twirling his mustache. Zinka
first blushed and then turned pale,

2110
03:20:46.760 --> 03:20:50.079
while the mistress of the house patted
her sist on the shoulder, saying with

2111
03:20:50.200 --> 03:20:58.079
a sharp, awkward laugh, quite
an original, Quite an original. But

2112
03:20:58.239 --> 03:21:03.200
she deads it, seeing that zik
Book was excessively entertained by the old woman's

2113
03:21:03.239 --> 03:21:07.280
absurdities, and was on the point
of amusing himself still further at her expense

2114
03:21:07.360 --> 03:21:11.959
by laying some fresh trap for her
folly. Happily, bethought him that the

2115
03:21:13.000 --> 03:21:18.719
only way to procure silence would be
to ask Slava to sing, so he

2116
03:21:18.840 --> 03:21:24.360
begged his cousin to give them some
national air. Zikbook joined in the request,

2117
03:21:24.600 --> 03:21:30.000
but Slava tried to excuse herself on
a variety of pretexts. The piano

2118
03:21:30.120 --> 03:21:33.879
was too low, the room was
bad to sing in, and so forth,

2119
03:21:33.920 --> 03:21:37.200
and so forth. At last,
however, she was persuaded to sing

2120
03:21:37.280 --> 03:21:46.159
some patriotic songs in which Matushawski accompanied
her. Her tall, vulcure like figure,

2121
03:21:46.559 --> 03:21:52.159
swayed and trembled with romantic emotion,
and faithful to the traditions of the

2122
03:21:52.280 --> 03:21:58.079
art Fremisson the thrilling school, she
held a piece of music fast in both

2123
03:21:58.120 --> 03:22:01.239
hands for the sake of effect,
though it had not the remotest connection with

2124
03:22:01.479 --> 03:22:07.280
the song she was singing. Her
mother sat in breathless silence. Tears of

2125
03:22:07.319 --> 03:22:13.280
admiration ran down her cheeks. Like
many other mothers, she only recognized those

2126
03:22:13.360 --> 03:22:20.319
of Slava's defects which came in to
conflict with her own idiosyncrasy, and admired

2127
03:22:20.399 --> 03:22:26.200
everything else. When Slava had shouted
the last verse of the latest revolutionary ditty,

2128
03:22:26.559 --> 03:22:31.040
which would have been prohibited in forty
eight, and Schetzl was still asking

2129
03:22:31.120 --> 03:22:35.920
himself whether it was worse to listen
to the mother's tongue or the daughter's singing,

2130
03:22:35.520 --> 03:22:41.920
Matushawski, whose ch grin at the
small approval bestowed on his and Slava's

2131
03:22:41.000 --> 03:22:46.760
musical efforts, had reached an unendurable
pitch, observed that it was growing latent

2132
03:22:46.879 --> 03:22:52.639
that the ladies must be needing rest
after all their exertions and fatigues. Madame

2133
03:22:52.719 --> 03:22:58.120
Volnitzka hastened to devour the last slice
of tea cake, brushed the crumbs away

2134
03:22:58.200 --> 03:23:03.120
from her purpose, set in lap
onto the carpet, rose slowly and made

2135
03:23:03.120 --> 03:23:09.639
her away with many bows and courtesies
towards the door, taking at least half

2136
03:23:09.680 --> 03:23:16.079
an hour before she was fairly gone. When his relatives had at length disappeared,

2137
03:23:16.280 --> 03:23:20.680
Scheedzeler accompanied the two gentlemen, who
had also bid the ladies good night,

2138
03:23:20.120 --> 03:23:26.280
into the hall and said good humoredly
to Zigbourg, You, I fancy

2139
03:23:26.360 --> 03:23:31.200
are the only one of the party
who has really enjoyed the evening. Zig

2140
03:23:31.239 --> 03:23:33.479
Book colored. Then, looking up
frankly at his friend, he said,

2141
03:23:35.360 --> 03:23:41.479
you are not offended. Well,
perhaps just a little, replied Setzel with

2142
03:23:41.520 --> 03:23:46.920
a smile. But I must admit
that the temptation was a strong one,

2143
03:23:46.319 --> 03:23:52.159
and really and truly I'm very sorry
for you. Zig Book went on with

2144
03:23:52.280 --> 03:23:56.399
that ingenuous want of tact that never
lost him a friend. There is nothing

2145
03:23:56.440 --> 03:24:01.840
in the world so odious as to
have a pusse of disagreeable relations who suddenly

2146
03:24:01.879 --> 03:24:07.440
appear and cling on to your coat
tails. I know it by experience.

2147
03:24:07.920 --> 03:24:13.360
Last spring at Vienna, half a
dozen old aunts of my mother's came down

2148
03:24:13.440 --> 03:24:18.719
upon us from Bukania like a snow
storm. Sampaline, meanwhile, had buttoned

2149
03:24:18.760 --> 03:24:24.879
himself into his fur lined coat and
said nothing. And of Part two,

2150
03:24:26.079 --> 03:24:35.200
Chapter two, Part two, Chapter
three of Our Own set by Ossip Shu,

2151
03:24:35.319 --> 03:24:41.159
being translated by Clara Belle. This
libovox recording is in the public domain.

2152
03:24:41.639 --> 03:24:48.040
Recording by Caroline. Part two,
Chapter three. The three days have

2153
03:24:48.200 --> 03:24:52.920
gone by in which Trine had desired
his cousin to make up his mind.

2154
03:24:52.799 --> 03:25:00.319
Three days since the sudden descent of
Baroness Vomittska scared away the sweet vision that

2155
03:25:00.600 --> 03:25:07.079
till then had dwelt in Simpally's soul
and checked the declaration actually on his lips.

2156
03:25:07.639 --> 03:25:13.680
But he has not yet requested to
be removed from Rome. Trene's eye

2157
03:25:13.719 --> 03:25:18.280
has been upon him all through these
three days, has constantly met his own

2158
03:25:18.399 --> 03:25:24.879
with grave questioning, as though to
say, have you decided? No,

2159
03:25:26.280 --> 03:25:31.239
He had not decided. To a
man like Sempaly. There is nothing in

2160
03:25:31.280 --> 03:25:35.440
the world so difficult as a decision. Fate decides for him, He for

2161
03:25:35.559 --> 03:25:43.799
himself. Never his encounter with the
preposterous barreness might silence the avowal he was

2162
03:25:43.840 --> 03:25:48.040
on the verge of uttering, but
it was not so powerful as to banish

2163
03:25:48.239 --> 03:25:54.520
Zinca's image once and for all from
his mind. The silly old woman's chatter

2164
03:25:54.639 --> 03:26:00.959
he had by this time forgotten.
The stornelli that Zinca had been singing still

2165
03:26:01.040 --> 03:26:05.280
rang in his ears. For two
days. He had had the resolution to

2166
03:26:05.319 --> 03:26:09.479
avoid the Palasetto, but he had
seen Zinka for a moment by accident.

2167
03:26:09.920 --> 03:26:16.040
Yesterday on the Corso. She was
in the carriage with Marie Volpini. She

2168
03:26:16.159 --> 03:26:22.200
had on a gray velvet dress and
a broad brimmed musquetaire hat that threw a

2169
03:26:22.280 --> 03:26:28.200
shadow on her forehead and her golden
brown hair. She held a large bouquet

2170
03:26:28.239 --> 03:26:33.280
of flowers and was chatting merrily with
the little Volpinis and Gabrielle train. What

2171
03:26:33.600 --> 03:26:39.520
pretty merry ways she had with children. His blood fire in his veins as

2172
03:26:39.639 --> 03:26:46.040
their eyes met, and she blushed
as she returned his bow. It was

2173
03:26:46.200 --> 03:26:50.239
the first time she had blushed at
seeing him. All that night he dreamed

2174
03:26:50.319 --> 03:26:56.239
the wildest dreams, and now he
was taking a solitary early walk in the

2175
03:26:56.280 --> 03:27:01.879
spring sunshine on the Pincio, lost
in thought, but snapping the twigs as

2176
03:27:01.920 --> 03:27:07.799
he passed along to vent his irritation. More and more he felt that marriage

2177
03:27:07.840 --> 03:27:13.479
with Zinca was a sinequa non of
his existence. He had never in his

2178
03:27:13.600 --> 03:27:20.840
life denied himself a pleasure. And
now the brilliant March sun flooded the Piazza

2179
03:27:20.879 --> 03:27:28.440
di Spanna. The warders of the
Barracaccia sparkled and danced, reflecting the radiant

2180
03:27:28.479 --> 03:27:33.280
blue sky, against which the towers
of the Trinita del Monte stood out sharp

2181
03:27:33.319 --> 03:27:39.040
and clear. All over the shallow
steps of the church, models were lounging

2182
03:27:39.079 --> 03:27:46.840
in the regulation peasant costumes, and
blind beggars incessantly muttering their prayers. In

2183
03:27:46.959 --> 03:27:52.239
front of the Hotel de l'orbes.
The cab drivers were sweetly slumbering under the

2184
03:27:52.360 --> 03:27:58.600
huge patched umbrellas stuck up behind their
coach boxes for protection against the sun.

2185
03:27:58.760 --> 03:28:05.840
Or flower sellers were squatted on every
doorstep, and here and there sat a

2186
03:28:05.879 --> 03:28:13.040
brown eyed, snubnosed, white Pomeranian
dog. The piazza was swarming with tourists,

2187
03:28:13.440 --> 03:28:18.399
and Beatrice di Cenci gazed with the
saddest eyes in the world out of

2188
03:28:18.399 --> 03:28:26.840
a photographer's shop at the motley crowd
and bustle Zigburg in happy unconsciousness of coming

2189
03:28:26.879 --> 03:28:33.079
evil, had just come out of
laws the money changes, and was inhaling

2190
03:28:33.120 --> 03:28:39.520
with peculiar satisfaction the delicious pervading scent
of hyacinths when his eye was accidentally attracted

2191
03:28:39.559 --> 03:28:45.079
by the fine figure of a young
english woman who passed him in a closely

2192
03:28:45.120 --> 03:28:50.920
fitting jersey. He was still watching
her when a harsh voice close to him

2193
03:28:50.959 --> 03:28:56.399
exclaimed, good morning, count what
luck. He turned around and recognized,

2194
03:28:56.760 --> 03:29:03.079
under a vast shady hat, the
broad, dark face of the Baroness Wolnut

2195
03:29:03.079 --> 03:29:09.200
scar. Though the day was splendidly
fine, she had on that most undressed

2196
03:29:09.200 --> 03:29:13.719
of garments, originally meant as a
protection against rain, but subsequently adopted to

2197
03:29:13.799 --> 03:29:20.559
conceal every conceivable defect of costume,
and long since known to the mocking youth

2198
03:29:20.600 --> 03:29:26.479
of Paris as a kashmizer, or
to rendered freely a slut cover. And

2199
03:29:26.760 --> 03:29:31.879
though the pavement was perfectly dry,
under this waterproof she held up the gown

2200
03:29:31.959 --> 03:29:39.000
at head so high that her white
feet, in their untidy boots with elastic

2201
03:29:39.120 --> 03:29:45.760
sides, were plainly displayed. Ah
Baroness, he said, lifting his hat.

2202
03:29:46.440 --> 03:29:50.120
I really did not No, you
did not recognize me, she said,

2203
03:29:50.200 --> 03:29:54.200
calmly. That was why I spoke
to you. What luck. But

2204
03:29:54.319 --> 03:30:00.840
you are the embassy too, certainly, that is they very thing I have

2205
03:30:00.920 --> 03:30:05.479
a request to make them. My
daughter is most anxious to have an audience

2206
03:30:05.520 --> 03:30:09.479
of his holiness. Slava, you
must know, is a fervent Catholic,

2207
03:30:09.879 --> 03:30:13.000
though between you and me it is
a mere matter of fashion. Now,

2208
03:30:13.040 --> 03:30:18.479
I, for my part, take
a philosophical view of religious matters. At

2209
03:30:18.479 --> 03:30:20.799
the same time, I should be
very much interested in seeing the Pope.

2210
03:30:22.760 --> 03:30:28.959
But the Pope is unfortunately more inaccessible
than ever, said Ziegburg. Besides,

2211
03:30:28.000 --> 03:30:31.319
as I do not belong to the
papal embassy, I cannot, I regret

2212
03:30:31.360 --> 03:30:37.959
to say give you the smallest assistance. That is what my nephew says.

2213
03:30:37.200 --> 03:30:43.600
It is disastrous, positively disastrous.
At this moment, Slava joined them,

2214
03:30:43.639 --> 03:30:50.639
emerging from Pilali's library in an eccentric
director costume with a peaked hat and feather

2215
03:30:52.040 --> 03:30:56.760
and a pair of gloves no longer
clean, drawn far up over her elbows.

2216
03:30:58.879 --> 03:31:01.840
Ah, good morning, said she, offering the count her finger tips,

2217
03:31:01.879 --> 03:31:09.040
while Matushawski, who was in attendance, sulkily bowed. By this time,

2218
03:31:09.159 --> 03:31:15.559
zikbog hemmed in on all sides began
to think this situation unpleasant. It

2219
03:31:15.680 --> 03:31:20.280
is so delightful to meet with a
fellow countryman in a foreign land. Slava

2220
03:31:20.319 --> 03:31:26.879
began quite delightful, replied Zigbog,
thinking to himself, how am I to

2221
03:31:26.959 --> 03:31:31.200
get out of this? When suddenly
the absurdity of the thing came upon him

2222
03:31:31.239 --> 03:31:35.600
afresh, for he had the baroness
once more, good morning, count what

2223
03:31:35.840 --> 03:31:39.959
luck? And at the same moment
she bore down on no lesser man than

2224
03:31:39.079 --> 03:31:45.680
Simpali, who had just come down
the sunlit steps and was crossing the piazza.

2225
03:31:45.760 --> 03:31:50.440
Lost in sullen meditation. I beg
your pardon, he muttered, somewhat

2226
03:31:50.479 --> 03:31:56.319
startled. I really did not recognize
you, And he gazed helplessly into the

2227
03:31:56.399 --> 03:32:00.799
distance, as though he looked for
a rescue. But the bare went on.

2228
03:32:01.600 --> 03:32:05.360
I am so delighted to have met
you. I have a particular request

2229
03:32:05.520 --> 03:32:09.200
to make. Could you not procure
me admission to the Farnesina. The Duke

2230
03:32:09.280 --> 03:32:13.719
di Ripalda is said to be all
powerful. I am sorry to say it

2231
03:32:13.799 --> 03:32:20.920
is quite im But at this instant
a party of foreigners called Saint Palie's Eye,

2232
03:32:20.200 --> 03:32:26.200
two young ladies with a maid.
The two girls tall and straight as

2233
03:32:26.319 --> 03:32:31.200
pine trees, both remarkably handsome and
dressed in neatly fitting English linen dresses,

2234
03:32:31.680 --> 03:32:37.479
were eagerly bargaining with an Italian who
had embroidered cambric trimmings for sale, and

2235
03:32:37.719 --> 03:32:41.799
they seemed to think it a delightful
adventure to buy something in the street.

2236
03:32:43.360 --> 03:32:50.040
Two charming girls. Surely I know
them, cried Madame Volnitzka. Are they

2237
03:32:50.079 --> 03:32:54.799
not the Datinsky's. One of the
young ladies, looking up, called out

2238
03:32:54.360 --> 03:33:01.639
Nikki Niki half across the piazza,
with the friend audacity of people who have

2239
03:33:01.799 --> 03:33:05.280
grown up in the belief that the
world was created expressly for their use.

2240
03:33:07.040 --> 03:33:11.520
Excuse me, said simply with a
bow to the Baroness, my cousins,

2241
03:33:13.159 --> 03:33:16.479
and without more ado, he made
his escape. How long have you been

2242
03:33:16.520 --> 03:33:22.959
here? Where are you staying?
We arrived this morning Hotel de Landre,

2243
03:33:22.360 --> 03:33:26.200
Mamma wrote to you at once to
the embassy. Ah, here is another

2244
03:33:26.280 --> 03:33:33.639
Austrian, for Zigburg had contrived to
join them. Rome is but a suburb

2245
03:33:33.680 --> 03:33:37.360
of Vienna, after all. But
tell me who on earth were that old

2246
03:33:37.479 --> 03:33:43.719
fortune teller and her extraordinary daughter to
whom you were both devoting yourselves so attentively.

2247
03:33:46.360 --> 03:33:50.319
The Voonitsky trio had, in the
meantime, moved away. The Baroness

2248
03:33:50.479 --> 03:33:56.319
very gracious Slava very haughty, as
became the living representative of the Apollo belverdre

2249
03:33:56.920 --> 03:34:03.680
passed the two handsome girls sent down
the via Condotte. Suddenly Baroness Wonitzka stopped.

2250
03:34:05.479 --> 03:34:09.799
I quite forgot to ask Count Sempaly
to get me an invitation to the

2251
03:34:09.799 --> 03:34:15.799
International Artists Festival, she exclaimed,
striking her forehead, and she promptly turned

2252
03:34:15.840 --> 03:34:22.879
about, evidently intending to repair the
omission. Only Matsushawski's decided interference preserved simply

2253
03:34:24.000 --> 03:34:30.639
from her return to the charge.
This scene is now the Pincio between five

2254
03:34:30.719 --> 03:34:33.959
and six in the afternoon, the
hour when the band plays every day on

2255
03:34:35.040 --> 03:34:39.520
the Great Terrace, while the crowd
collects to watch the sunset behind Saint Peter's.

2256
03:34:41.360 --> 03:34:45.879
The reflection of the glow gilds the
gravel, glints from the lace on

2257
03:34:45.920 --> 03:34:50.479
the uniforms and the brass instruments,
and throws golden sparks on the water in

2258
03:34:50.520 --> 03:34:56.680
the white basin behind the band stand. The black shadows rapidly lengthen on the

2259
03:34:56.719 --> 03:35:05.120
grass and the palmettos and evergreen oaks
stand out in rich, deep tones against

2260
03:35:05.159 --> 03:35:11.120
the sky that fades from crimson to
salmon and gray. A special set of

2261
03:35:11.319 --> 03:35:16.399
visitors hount the shady side of the
Pincio, not the fashionable world governesses and

2262
03:35:16.639 --> 03:35:24.440
nurses with their charges, and priests, priests of every degree, the illustrious

2263
03:35:24.479 --> 03:35:30.239
monsignori, with their finely chiseled features, their upright bearing, and their elegant

2264
03:35:30.280 --> 03:35:35.799
hands. Monks with their bearded faces
comfortably framed in their cowls, and whole

2265
03:35:35.879 --> 03:35:41.840
regiments of priest links from the seminaries
in their uniforms of every hue, lank

2266
03:35:43.079 --> 03:35:50.760
lean figures with sallow, unformed features, separated from these only by a leafy

2267
03:35:50.920 --> 03:35:56.000
screen. The beaudy and fashion of
a Rome drive up and down the residents

2268
03:35:56.000 --> 03:36:01.879
and handsome private carriages, the foreigners
and hyat vig of varying DeGrace of respectability,

2269
03:36:03.479 --> 03:36:09.479
or even in the humble one hoarse
hackney cab. The crowd grows denser

2270
03:36:09.600 --> 03:36:15.280
every minute. As this stream of
Roman rank and wealth swells along the Via

2271
03:36:15.399 --> 03:36:20.200
Borgaese, across the Piazza del Popolo, and up the hill on the top

2272
03:36:20.239 --> 03:36:26.360
of the Pincio, the carriages come
to a standstill. Gentlemen on foot gather

2273
03:36:26.479 --> 03:36:31.760
around them, bowing and smiling.
The ladies talk across from one victoria to

2274
03:36:31.799 --> 03:36:39.159
another, all sorts of trivial small
talk, unintelligible to the uninitiated. Up

2275
03:36:39.200 --> 03:36:43.399
from the gardens which line the road
from the Via Margutta comes a fragrance of

2276
03:36:43.559 --> 03:36:50.959
budding and growing spring. Down below
lies Rom and lurding it grandly over the

2277
03:36:50.040 --> 03:36:56.520
labyrinthine mass of houses and ruins,
solemn and severe, its crown touched by

2278
03:36:56.559 --> 03:37:05.719
the last rays of vanished sun stands. Saint Peter's Contess Ilsenberg's carriage was drawn

2279
03:37:05.799 --> 03:37:09.879
up side by side with that of
Princess Vulpini. The newly arrived party of

2280
03:37:09.920 --> 03:37:16.600
the Jatinskys was divided between them,
the Countess mother reclining indolently with a gracious

2281
03:37:16.799 --> 03:37:22.000
smile on her lips, by the
side of Contess Ilsenberg, while the Princess

2282
03:37:22.000 --> 03:37:28.520
had undertaken to Chapra and the young
ladies on the front seat by his cousin

2283
03:37:28.559 --> 03:37:35.159
Eugenie Nini they called her. Said
Sampali Zigbuk was leaning over the carriage door,

2284
03:37:35.559 --> 03:37:39.000
talking all sorts of nonsense and relating
all the gossip of Rome that was

2285
03:37:39.040 --> 03:37:46.639
fit for maiden ears to the two
newcomers. They infinitely amused laughed till their

2286
03:37:46.719 --> 03:37:52.079
simple merriment infected even Saint Pali,
who had taken the seat coveted of all

2287
03:37:52.120 --> 03:37:56.239
the golden youth of Rome, the
seat next his beautiful cousin, in a

2288
03:37:56.360 --> 03:38:03.760
very gloomy and taciturn humor. Presently, there was an evident sensation among the

2289
03:38:03.799 --> 03:38:07.879
public. Every one was looking in
the same direction. What is happening,

2290
03:38:09.520 --> 03:38:15.879
asked Polissenna, the elder of the
two Jatinska girls. It must be the

2291
03:38:15.959 --> 03:38:20.639
Duryas's new drag or the king,
said Princess Volpini, screwing up her short

2292
03:38:20.760 --> 03:38:26.840
sighted eyes. No, said Ziegborg, looking back, neither. It is

2293
03:38:28.000 --> 03:38:33.639
Beroness Voynitska. And in fact,
Madame Schtetzel's pretty landau, which she had

2294
03:38:33.719 --> 03:38:39.280
placed at the disposal of her sister
for the afternoon, was coming up the

2295
03:38:39.399 --> 03:38:45.000
road. In it the Voonidska's mother
and daughter, both in their finest array.

2296
03:38:45.719 --> 03:38:50.719
Slava was leaning back elegantly languid,
while her mother stood up in the

2297
03:38:50.799 --> 03:38:54.920
carriage and surveyed the world of Rome
through an opera glass. From time to

2298
03:38:54.959 --> 03:39:00.959
time, either to restore it because
she suddenly lost her balance, she sat

2299
03:39:01.079 --> 03:39:05.600
down, and then she filled up
her time by examining every detail of the

2300
03:39:05.639 --> 03:39:11.639
trimming and lining of the landau.
It was this singular demeanor, combined with

2301
03:39:11.760 --> 03:39:16.920
her very conspicuous person, that attracted
so much attention to the Schetzel's vehicle,

2302
03:39:18.440 --> 03:39:24.760
an attention which both mother and daughter, of course, ascribed to Slava's extraordinary

2303
03:39:24.799 --> 03:39:31.120
resemblance to the belverdra apollo. Baroness
Wolnitzka, the wonderful old woman we saw

2304
03:39:31.159 --> 03:39:37.799
with you yesterday in the Piazza di
Spanna, cried Polissenna. Yes, only

2305
03:39:37.920 --> 03:39:45.120
think Nikki. She went on to
simply, Mamma knows her. Who is

2306
03:39:45.159 --> 03:39:50.319
it that I know? Asked her
mother from the other carriage, Baroness Wolnitzka.

2307
03:39:50.399 --> 03:39:54.440
Mamma, do you see her out
there? Heaven? Preserve me?

2308
03:39:54.920 --> 03:39:58.559
Exclaimed the comtesse fervently. I do
not feel secure of my life when I

2309
03:39:58.559 --> 03:40:03.200
am near her. Her she fell
upon me to day in the Villa Wolkonski,

2310
03:40:03.600 --> 03:40:07.600
how on earth do you happen to
know the old woman? Aunt asked

2311
03:40:07.719 --> 03:40:13.000
simply, irritably. Oh, my
husband had some political connection with hers.

2312
03:40:13.440 --> 03:40:18.120
The Countess explained, she is not
to be born. She stuck to me

2313
03:40:18.319 --> 03:40:24.799
like a leech for half an hour. Your conversation must have been very interesting,

2314
03:40:24.079 --> 03:40:30.399
said Siegburg. He did not interest
me, replied the Countess rather sharply.

2315
03:40:31.000 --> 03:40:33.079
She told me how much her journey
had cost her what she pays a

2316
03:40:33.159 --> 03:40:37.840
day for the carriage higher, and
that when she was young she had singing

2317
03:40:37.959 --> 03:40:43.399
lessons of Sissimarra. And she chatted
endlessly about her sister Schierazze, who is

2318
03:40:43.479 --> 03:40:46.440
living here in the first styland.
Nos, absolutely none but the creme de

2319
03:40:46.479 --> 03:40:52.239
la cremee. You laugh well,
mamma, you must confess that the association

2320
03:40:52.399 --> 03:40:58.000
of such a name as Schierzza with
the cream of society is irresistibly funny,

2321
03:40:58.559 --> 03:41:03.959
cried Polissenna. It was anything rather
than funny to me, said the comtesse

2322
03:41:03.079 --> 03:41:07.600
ruefully. By the way, though
she did tell me one thing that her

2323
03:41:07.680 --> 03:41:13.479
niece zenaich Dadze. Well, what
is there to laugh at now, zenaich

2324
03:41:13.520 --> 03:41:18.360
d'adze. The name is a poem
in itself, cried Polisenna. It is

2325
03:41:18.399 --> 03:41:22.840
as though an English woman were named
Belinda Brown, or a French girl called

2326
03:41:22.959 --> 03:41:28.719
Roxala and du bois. Well,
it seems from what the old woman told

2327
03:41:28.799 --> 03:41:33.559
me that the fair Zenaide is about
to relinquish the graceless name of schi'azzo for

2328
03:41:33.760 --> 03:41:37.280
one of the noblest names in Austria. That is the old idiot's story.

2329
03:41:37.760 --> 03:41:41.639
It has not yet been made public, so she could not tell me the

2330
03:41:41.680 --> 03:41:46.879
bright Girlm's name. But Zenaide is
as good as betrothed to young count and

2331
03:41:46.920 --> 03:41:50.440
natache to the Austrian embassy. Who
on earth could it be you ought to

2332
03:41:50.520 --> 03:41:56.440
know? Ah? Ah, is
it you, said Pulisenna, turning to

2333
03:41:56.520 --> 03:42:01.040
Zigburg. But zig Book shook his
head, stroking his yellow mustache to conceal

2334
03:42:01.079 --> 03:42:07.120
a malicious smile as he watched Saimpally's
conspicuous annoyance. Or is it you,

2335
03:42:07.319 --> 03:42:13.479
Nikki? The young comtesse went on. I congratulate you on marrying into such

2336
03:42:13.479 --> 03:42:18.479
a delightful family. But such a
marked effect of embarrassment was produced by her

2337
03:42:18.520 --> 03:42:24.000
speech that she was suddenly silent.
I know nothing of it, said simply,

2338
03:42:24.079 --> 03:42:31.239
with a gloomy scowl. That old
chatterbox's imagination is positively stupendous. The

2339
03:42:31.319 --> 03:42:35.479
play of light on the gold lace
of the uniforms and the brass instruments is

2340
03:42:35.639 --> 03:42:41.200
fast fading away, and the sheen
of the glossy leaved evergreens is almost extinct.

2341
03:42:43.280 --> 03:42:48.959
Gerand Dieu Maurer si Giovanna is the
tune the band is playing. The

2342
03:42:48.079 --> 03:42:52.520
sun is down, the day is
dead. Night shrouds the scene. The

2343
03:42:52.559 --> 03:42:58.440
only color left is a dull glow
behind Saint Peter's, like a dying fire

2344
03:43:00.280 --> 03:43:03.840
at the Elysis. This evening zig
Book calls out to the ladies as he

2345
03:43:03.879 --> 03:43:09.120
lifts his hat and turns away.
The carriages make their way down the hill

2346
03:43:09.520 --> 03:43:15.719
passed the Villa Medici, back into
Rome, and their steady roar is like

2347
03:43:15.799 --> 03:43:20.319
that of a torrent rushing to join
the sea. And of Part two,

2348
03:43:20.559 --> 03:43:31.600
chapter three, Part two, chapter
four of Our Own set by Ossip Schubin,

2349
03:43:31.000 --> 03:43:37.319
translated by Clara Belle. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain recording

2350
03:43:37.319 --> 03:43:45.520
by Carolyn Part two, Chapter four, Mister and Lady Julia Ellis. She

2351
03:43:45.799 --> 03:43:50.799
was an earldest daughter. English people
of enormous wealth and amazing condescension, had

2352
03:43:50.840 --> 03:43:56.120
for many years spent the winters in
Rome. In former times, the lady's

2353
03:43:56.159 --> 03:44:01.559
eccentricities had given rise to much discuss. Now she was an old lady with

2354
03:44:01.719 --> 03:44:07.799
white hair, fine regular features,
and much too fat arms, like all

2355
03:44:07.879 --> 03:44:13.680
English women of her day. She
appeared in a low gown on all occasions

2356
03:44:13.719 --> 03:44:18.559
of full dress, and was fond
of decking her hit with a pink feather.

2357
03:44:18.639 --> 03:44:22.680
Her husband was younger than she was, and had a handsome, thoroughly

2358
03:44:22.840 --> 03:44:28.360
English face, with a short beard
and very picturesque, curly white hair.

2359
03:44:30.120 --> 03:44:33.879
His profile was rather like that of
Mendelssohn, a fact of which she was

2360
03:44:33.920 --> 03:44:39.760
succeedingly proud. Besides this, he
was proud of two other things of his

2361
03:44:39.840 --> 03:44:43.959
wife, who had been admired in
her youth by King George the four,

2362
03:44:45.600 --> 03:44:50.879
and of a very old umbrella,
because Felix Mendelssohn had once borrowed it.

2363
03:44:50.760 --> 03:44:56.399
He had a weakness for performing on
the concertina, and had musical evenings once

2364
03:44:56.559 --> 03:45:01.840
a week, it happened, and
that on the occasion when the Jatinskys first

2365
03:45:01.959 --> 03:45:07.680
went on one of these parties.
Tolpin, the Russian genius whose great work

2366
03:45:07.760 --> 03:45:13.600
had served as the introduction to the
ismbeg Tableau, was elaborating a new opera

2367
03:45:13.760 --> 03:45:20.399
to a French libretto on a national
Russian story. He was, of course,

2368
03:45:20.479 --> 03:45:24.879
one of those Russians who combined a
passionate devotion to the national slav cause

2369
03:45:26.520 --> 03:45:31.760
with a fervent wish to be mistaken
for born Parisians wherever they appear. The

2370
03:45:31.799 --> 03:45:39.280
piano groaned under his hands, while
Sundrey favorite phrases from Orfeo Sanfals and other

2371
03:45:39.399 --> 03:45:46.159
well known works were heard above the
rolling sea of tremolos. From time to

2372
03:45:46.239 --> 03:45:52.040
time the performer threw in a word
to elucidate the situation. The czar speaks,

2373
03:45:52.479 --> 03:45:56.600
the Bohas speaks, the peasant speaks, the sighing of the wind in

2374
03:45:56.639 --> 03:46:03.760
the Caucasus, the foaming of the
torrent, while mister Ellis, who believed

2375
03:46:03.799 --> 03:46:09.760
implicitly in the opera, was heard
murmuring splendid, magnificent. The opera must

2376
03:46:09.879 --> 03:46:16.879
be worked out. It must not
remain unperformed, worked out, sighed Taupin

2377
03:46:18.000 --> 03:46:22.959
with melancholy irony. That is no
concern of mine. We we have the

2378
03:46:24.040 --> 03:46:28.799
ideas, the working out we leave
to to to others. In short,

2379
03:46:30.159 --> 03:46:35.000
you must remember that I cannot read
a note of music, literally, not

2380
03:46:35.360 --> 03:46:41.000
a note, he repeated with intense
and visible satisfaction, and he flung off

2381
03:46:41.040 --> 03:46:48.760
a few stumbling apreggios, while mister
Ellis cried astonishing and compared him with Mendelssohn,

2382
03:46:48.040 --> 03:46:52.440
which Tulpin, who believed only in
the music of the future, took

2383
03:46:52.639 --> 03:46:58.959
very much amiss a Grand pri de
Musique from the French Academy of Arts at

2384
03:46:58.959 --> 03:47:03.920
the Villamidici, who had been waiting
more than an hour to perform his Arab

2385
03:47:03.040 --> 03:47:09.440
symphony, muttered to himself, good
Heavens, leave music to us, and

2386
03:47:09.479 --> 03:47:15.040
to let us be thankful that we
are not great folks. At last,

2387
03:47:15.280 --> 03:47:20.040
Lady Julia took pity on her guests
and invited them to go to take tea.

2388
03:47:20.680 --> 03:47:24.760
Everyone was only too glad to accept, and in a few minutes the

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03:47:24.840 --> 03:47:31.079
music room was almost empty. Madame
Tolpin, out of devotion, the Grand

2390
03:47:31.120 --> 03:47:35.440
Prix out of spite, and mister
Ellis out of duty, were all that

2391
03:47:35.600 --> 03:47:39.959
remained within hearing. In the adjoining
room, everyone had burst into conversation over

2392
03:47:41.000 --> 03:47:46.440
their tea. Still as certain gloom
prevailed. Melancholy seemed to have fallen upon

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03:47:46.520 --> 03:47:52.239
the party like an epidemic, and
the subject that was most eagerly discussed was

2394
03:47:52.399 --> 03:48:00.000
the easiest motive, suicide. Tulpin
rattled and thumped on. Suddenly he stopped.

2395
03:48:00.680 --> 03:48:05.159
The Jatinskys had come in and their
advent was such a godsend that even

2396
03:48:05.200 --> 03:48:11.000
the genius abandoned the piano in their
honor. They all three were smiling in

2397
03:48:11.040 --> 03:48:16.399
the most friendly, it might almost
be said, in the most reassuring manner.

2398
03:48:16.799 --> 03:48:22.680
For contesse Elzenbeg had not failed to
impress upon them the very mixed character

2399
03:48:22.799 --> 03:48:28.200
of Roman society, and, feeling
their own superiority, they were able to

2400
03:48:28.280 --> 03:48:33.719
cover their self consciousness with the most
engaging amiability. The two younger ladies were

2401
03:48:33.760 --> 03:48:39.239
surrounded besieged, and the strange thing
was that the women paid them even greater

2402
03:48:39.319 --> 03:48:45.600
homage than the men. Everything about
them was admired. Their small feet,

2403
03:48:45.959 --> 03:48:50.799
their finely cut profiles, their incredibly
slender waists, the color of their hair,

2404
03:48:52.319 --> 03:48:56.239
the artistic simplicity of their dresses and
beds were laid as to whether these

2405
03:48:56.319 --> 03:49:01.079
were the production of funny or of
worth. But now there was the little

2406
03:49:01.120 --> 03:49:05.639
commotion in the next room that is
caused by the arrival of some very popular

2407
03:49:05.719 --> 03:49:11.559
person. Zinka, without her mother, under her brother's escort, only came

2408
03:49:11.600 --> 03:49:16.559
in and gave her a slim hand
with an affectionate greeting to the lady of

2409
03:49:16.600 --> 03:49:22.399
the house. You are an incorrigible
truant. You always come too late,

2410
03:49:22.879 --> 03:49:28.200
said lady Julia in loving reproach.
I like repentance, and the police,

2411
03:49:28.559 --> 03:49:33.840
said Zinca merrily, and then Lady
Julia introduced her to Comtesse Jatinska. But

2412
03:49:35.079 --> 03:49:37.440
you must help me with the tea. You know I always reckon on you

2413
03:49:37.600 --> 03:49:43.879
for that. Lady Julia went on, give your charming country women some will

2414
03:49:43.959 --> 03:49:48.879
you. Polysena and Nemi were sitting
a yard or two off, surrounded by

2415
03:49:48.920 --> 03:49:54.239
all the young men of Rome.
Zinka was going towards them with her winning

2416
03:49:54.360 --> 03:50:00.000
grace of manner, when simply happened
to come up and found himself so unexpected

2417
03:50:00.319 --> 03:50:03.840
face to face with her, that
he had no alternative but to shake hands,

2418
03:50:05.200 --> 03:50:09.840
and he could not avoid saying a
few words. Of course, like

2419
03:50:09.000 --> 03:50:13.879
any other man in his place,
he made precisely the most unlucky speech she

2420
03:50:13.920 --> 03:50:20.520
could possibly have hit upon. We
have not met for some time. She

2421
03:50:20.600 --> 03:50:24.520
looked him in the face, but
of half shut eyes, with her head

2422
03:50:24.600 --> 03:50:31.879
slightly thrown back, and replied,
with very becoming defiance. You have carried

2423
03:50:31.879 --> 03:50:37.360
out the penancy began on ash Wednesday
perhaps, and he could not help smiling.

2424
03:50:39.520 --> 03:50:43.479
She shrugged her shoulders. I had
intended to break off our friendship.

2425
03:50:43.760 --> 03:50:48.799
She went on. But now that
I see the cause of your faithlessness,

2426
03:50:48.280 --> 03:50:54.680
and she glanced at the handsome young
contesses, I quite understand it. Will

2427
03:50:54.719 --> 03:50:58.120
you, at any rate do me
the favor of introducing me to the ladies,

2428
03:50:58.479 --> 03:51:03.719
for Lunchez said simply. But hardly
had she uttered the words, when

2429
03:51:03.719 --> 03:51:09.000
a scarcely suppressed smile curled Policenna's lip. Zinka saw the smile, and she

2430
03:51:09.159 --> 03:51:15.920
saw too that Saint Palice's manner instantly
changed. He puts on an artificial expression

2431
03:51:15.959 --> 03:51:22.959
of intolerable condescension. Zinka turned very
pale, her eyes flashed indignantly as she

2432
03:51:24.120 --> 03:51:28.440
hastily returned the young Austrian's bow and
at once went back to her post.

2433
03:51:30.319 --> 03:51:33.600
Schiazzer, who was talking to Twine
in a recess and saw the little scene

2434
03:51:33.639 --> 03:51:39.760
from a distance, frowned darkly.
Samtpally meanwhile seated himself on a stool by

2435
03:51:39.760 --> 03:51:46.280
his cousins and with his back to
the tea table where Zinka was busying herself.

2436
03:51:48.639 --> 03:51:52.440
So this is the far famed Zinka, Schtazzer, exclaimed, Poliicenna.

2437
03:51:54.120 --> 03:51:58.200
She does credit to your tasniki,
but she allows herself to speak to you

2438
03:51:58.319 --> 03:52:05.000
in a very extraordinary manner. It
is really rather too much. Simply made

2439
03:52:05.000 --> 03:52:09.079
no reply. She treats you already
as if you were her own property.

2440
03:52:11.319 --> 03:52:16.840
But seen now, said Nimi,
trying to moderate her sister's irony. At

2441
03:52:16.959 --> 03:52:20.840
least do not speak so loud.
In a few minutes, mister Ellis came

2442
03:52:20.879 --> 03:52:26.639
to announce that Monsieur Baa was about
to play his Arab symphony, and the

2443
03:52:26.719 --> 03:52:33.719
company moved back into the drawing room. The evening had other trades in store.

2444
03:52:33.159 --> 03:52:37.399
When Monsieur Bea had done, his
place was taken by a young Belgian

2445
03:52:37.520 --> 03:52:43.559
count who devoted all his spare time
to the composition of funeral marches, who

2446
03:52:43.559 --> 03:52:48.399
could also play songs and ballads such
as are usually confined to the Straits of

2447
03:52:48.559 --> 03:52:54.239
Florence or the Cafe Chentense of Paris, arranged for the piano, and who

2448
03:52:54.280 --> 03:52:58.520
gave a duet between a clock,
and who gave a duet between a cock

2449
03:52:58.559 --> 03:53:05.280
and hen, with so much feeling
and effect that all the audience applauded heartily,

2450
03:53:05.879 --> 03:53:09.600
especially the Jatinskis, to whom this
style of thing was quite a novelty.

2451
03:53:11.159 --> 03:53:18.079
Then Missus Ferguson sang her French couplets. Mister Ellis played anadaggio by Beethoven

2452
03:53:18.159 --> 03:53:22.719
on the concertina, and then Zinka
was asked to sing. What am I

2453
03:53:22.799 --> 03:53:26.959
to sing? You know the extent
of my collection, she said, with

2454
03:53:26.159 --> 03:53:33.239
rather forced brightness to mister Ellis oh
Eshtonello, We beg for Eshtonello, said

2455
03:53:33.319 --> 03:53:39.639
Zegborg, following her to the piano
Vienni Maggio, Vienni Primavera, and Lady

2456
03:53:39.719 --> 03:53:46.079
Julia seconded the request. Zinca laid
her hands on the keys and began.

2457
03:53:46.879 --> 03:53:50.479
Her voice sounded through the room,
a little husky at first, but very

2458
03:53:50.520 --> 03:53:56.000
sweet, like the tone of a
forest bird. Never before had she sat

2459
03:53:56.120 --> 03:54:01.559
down to sing without bringing him to
her side, even from the remotest corner

2460
03:54:01.600 --> 03:54:07.159
of the room. At the very
first notes, and now, involuntarily she

2461
03:54:07.280 --> 03:54:11.760
looked up to meet his gaze,
but he was sitting by poly Senna on

2462
03:54:11.840 --> 03:54:18.520
a small sofa in a very familiar
attitude, leaning back, holding one foot

2463
03:54:18.559 --> 03:54:22.760
on the other knee, and laughing
at something that she was whispering to him.

2464
03:54:22.920 --> 03:54:28.280
Zinca lost her self command and was
suddenly paralyzed with self consciousness. She

2465
03:54:28.319 --> 03:54:33.559
could not sing that song before him. Her voice broke, she forgot the

2466
03:54:33.559 --> 03:54:37.239
accompaniment, fell about the notes,
struck two or three wrong chords, and

2467
03:54:37.360 --> 03:54:43.159
at length rose with an awkward laugh. I cannot remember anything this evening,

2468
03:54:43.719 --> 03:54:50.200
she stammered. Poly Senna had some
spiteful comment to make, of course,

2469
03:54:50.639 --> 03:54:54.879
and simply grew angry. He was
on the point of rising to go to

2470
03:54:54.959 --> 03:54:58.399
Zinca and console her for her failure, but before he could quite make up

2471
03:54:58.399 --> 03:55:03.280
his mind to move, Mimi had
risen. In spite of her shyness.

2472
03:55:03.479 --> 03:55:09.440
She made her way straight across the
room to Zinca and said something kind to

2473
03:55:09.520 --> 03:55:13.600
her. Simplice stayed where he was, but as they were leaving, he

2474
03:55:13.639 --> 03:55:18.840
put on Mimi's cloak for her and
sat in a low tone, Mimi,

2475
03:55:18.360 --> 03:55:26.360
you are a good fellow, and
he kissed her hand. Simpally's attentions had

2476
03:55:26.399 --> 03:55:31.920
made Zinca the fashion. His sudden
discontinuance, not merely of attentions, but

2477
03:55:33.079 --> 03:55:37.920
of any but the barest civilities,
of course, made her the laughing stock

2478
03:55:37.000 --> 03:55:43.719
of all their circle. The capital
caricature that Sempaly had droll off Scherzel and

2479
03:55:43.840 --> 03:55:48.559
his sister that evening at the Volpines
was remembered once more. Madame de Gondre,

2480
03:55:48.760 --> 03:55:52.399
to whom Sempaly had been very civil
till he had neglected her. For

2481
03:55:52.559 --> 03:56:01.000
Zinca showed the sketch to all her
acquaintance with a plentiful seasoning of spiteful incations.

2482
03:56:01.079 --> 03:56:05.840
Everyone was ready to laugh at the
adventuress who had come to Rome to

2483
03:56:05.920 --> 03:56:11.159
bid for a princess coronet, and
who had been obliged to submit to such

2484
03:56:11.360 --> 03:56:18.840
condign humiliation. The leaders of foreign
society vied with each other in doing honor

2485
03:56:18.920 --> 03:56:24.000
to the Jatinskys. Madame de Gondris
at the example by giving a party at

2486
03:56:24.040 --> 03:56:30.920
which Ristori was engaged to reside.
Sezzo was of course invited, his mother

2487
03:56:31.000 --> 03:56:35.280
and sister were left out. It
was the first time since Zinka's appearance at

2488
03:56:35.319 --> 03:56:41.280
the Uzenbergs that she had been omitted
from any entertainment. However, select many

2489
03:56:41.399 --> 03:56:46.600
ladies of the International Circle followed Madame
de Gondri's lead, wishing like her to

2490
03:56:46.680 --> 03:56:52.920
make a parade before the Austrians of
their own exclusiveness and at the same time

2491
03:56:52.040 --> 03:56:56.879
to be revenged on Zinka for many
a saucy speech she had ventured to make

2492
03:56:58.319 --> 03:57:03.879
when she was still one of the
initiated of the Sacred Inner Circle. The

2493
03:57:03.920 --> 03:57:09.280
Italian society of Rome did not,
of course, trouble itself about all these

2494
03:57:09.399 --> 03:57:16.000
trumpery subtleties, and behaved to Zinka
with the same superficial politeness as before.

2495
03:57:16.440 --> 03:57:20.520
She, for her part, took
no more note of their amenities than she

2496
03:57:20.639 --> 03:57:24.840
did of the pin pricks from the
other side. If her feelings had not

2497
03:57:24.920 --> 03:57:30.840
been so deeply engaged by sempaly,
she would no doubt have taken all these

2498
03:57:30.959 --> 03:57:37.159
pity social humiliations very hardly. But
her anguish of soul had dulled her shallower

2499
03:57:37.280 --> 03:57:43.120
feelings. There is a form of
suffering which didn't the senses, and which

2500
03:57:43.239 --> 03:57:48.159
mockery cannot touch. It was all
the same to her, whether she was

2501
03:57:48.200 --> 03:57:52.159
invited or not. She could not
bear to go anywhere. The idea of

2502
03:57:52.280 --> 03:57:58.920
meeting simply with his cousins was as
terrible as death itself. She was an

2503
03:57:58.000 --> 03:58:03.200
altered creature. His shy, scared
smile was always on her lips, like

2504
03:58:03.280 --> 03:58:09.440
the ghost of departed joys. Her
movements had lost all their elasticity, and

2505
03:58:09.559 --> 03:58:13.159
her gait was more than ever like
that of an angel whose wings have been

2506
03:58:13.280 --> 03:58:22.079
clipped. Baroness Stetslow course still drove
out regularly on the corso and made the

2507
03:58:22.159 --> 03:58:28.280
most praiseworthy attempts to keep up a
bowing acquaintance with her former friends, and

2508
03:58:28.360 --> 03:58:33.559
as often as she could she went
out in the evening alone. There was

2509
03:58:33.799 --> 03:58:39.120
some consolation too, in the proud
consciousness of having quarreled with Madame de Gondriy

2510
03:58:39.479 --> 03:58:43.600
and being on visiting terms with all
the Roman duchesses. The only thing that

2511
03:58:43.799 --> 03:58:52.639
caused her any serious discomfort was her
sister Volnidzka's persistent and indiscreet catechism as to

2512
03:58:52.760 --> 03:58:56.959
the state of affairs between Sinca and
Saint Palis. She herself, out of

2513
03:58:58.159 --> 03:59:03.520
mere idle bragging, had told Charlotte
the first day of her arrival in Rome

2514
03:59:03.559 --> 03:59:11.399
that Zinca's engagement was not yet made
public. Her aunt's coarse remarks and hints

2515
03:59:11.440 --> 03:59:18.040
were fast driving Zinca crazy when Zigbog, fortunately perhaps intentionally out of compassion for

2516
03:59:18.159 --> 03:59:22.479
her, so frightened the mother and
daughter one evening when he met them at

2517
03:59:22.520 --> 03:59:28.440
the Palacetto by his account of the
Roman fever, that they were panic stricken

2518
03:59:28.520 --> 03:59:33.440
and fled the very next morning to
Naples. The member of the family who

2519
03:59:33.479 --> 03:59:39.719
was most keenly alive to the change
in their social relations oddly enough was cecil

2520
03:59:41.399 --> 03:59:46.639
He has been once to feel himself
superior to these silly class jealousies, and

2521
03:59:46.760 --> 03:59:50.520
at the same time had a reasonable
and manly dignity of his own that had

2522
03:59:50.600 --> 03:59:58.719
preserved him from that morbid petulence which
sometimes stands in arms against all friendly advances

2523
03:59:58.760 --> 04:00:03.719
from min who, after all,
cannot help the fact of their superior birth.

2524
04:00:03.680 --> 04:00:09.639
Democratic touchiness is a disease to which, in the Old World countries where

2525
04:00:09.760 --> 04:00:13.600
hereditary rank is still a living fact, every man who is not a toady

2526
04:00:13.760 --> 04:00:22.239
is liable from verta downwards when fate
brings him into contact with aristocratic circles.

2527
04:00:22.959 --> 04:00:28.520
Sheds had moved in them so long
that he was acclimatized, or rather it

2528
04:00:28.639 --> 04:00:31.840
had attacked him late in life.
And, as is always the case when

2529
04:00:31.959 --> 04:00:41.200
grown up men take infantine complaints with
aggravated severity, he attributed all his sister's

2530
04:00:41.360 --> 04:00:46.799
misery not to his own want of
caution and simplice weakness of character, but

2531
04:00:46.040 --> 04:00:52.120
to the tyranny of social prejudice.
And he turned against society with vindictive contempt,

2532
04:00:52.559 --> 04:00:58.360
making himself perfectly intolerable wherever he went. Being a well bred man,

2533
04:00:58.680 --> 04:01:03.399
a customed all his life to the
graces of politeness. He could not become

2534
04:01:03.559 --> 04:01:09.799
absolutely ill mannered, but as ill
mannered as he could be, he certainly

2535
04:01:09.120 --> 04:01:16.239
was assertive, irritable, always on
the defensive, he was constantly involved in

2536
04:01:16.319 --> 04:01:20.159
some argument or dispute. Even at
home, he was not the same.

2537
04:01:20.520 --> 04:01:26.239
His pride was deeply nettled by Zinca's
total inability to hide her suffering, while

2538
04:01:26.280 --> 04:01:31.799
he felt it humiliating to be able
to do nothing to comfort her. At

2539
04:01:31.840 --> 04:01:35.760
first, in the hope of diverting
her thoughts, he would bring her tickets

2540
04:01:35.799 --> 04:01:41.879
for concerts in the theater and give
her a thousand costly trinkets, old treasures

2541
04:01:41.920 --> 04:01:48.159
of porcelain, carved irony, and
curiosities of art, such as she had

2542
04:01:48.200 --> 04:01:54.040
once loved. She used to rejoice
over these pretty trifles. Now she smiled

2543
04:01:54.040 --> 04:01:58.159
as a sick man smiles at some
dainty. He no longer has any appetite,

2544
04:01:58.239 --> 04:02:03.799
for he could see how sincerely she
tried to be delighted, but the

2545
04:02:03.920 --> 04:02:09.200
tears were in her eyes all the
while. This drove Stadzlo to desperation.

2546
04:02:11.000 --> 04:02:16.159
At first, he religiously avoided mentioning
sempaly in her presence, But as days

2547
04:02:16.200 --> 04:02:20.399
and weeks passed and she brought no
change in her crushed melancholy, he waxed

2548
04:02:20.440 --> 04:02:26.120
impatient. He took it into his
head that it would be well to open

2549
04:02:26.200 --> 04:02:31.159
Zinca's eyes. With regard to sempaly, Schatzel himself was energetic, always looking

2550
04:02:31.200 --> 04:02:35.079
to the future. He had it
out with his disappointments and got rid of

2551
04:02:35.120 --> 04:02:39.360
them, however hard he might have
been hit. He had always let things

2552
04:02:39.479 --> 04:02:43.440
roll if they would not stand,
and then set to work to begin again.

2553
04:02:45.200 --> 04:02:48.920
His great point in life was to
see things as they were. Truth

2554
04:02:50.120 --> 04:02:54.280
was his divinity, and he could
not understand that to a creature constituted like

2555
04:02:54.399 --> 04:03:01.079
Zinca, illusion was indispensable. That
she still laid no blame simply, but

2556
04:03:01.239 --> 04:03:07.159
only on the alteration in his circumstances, on her own unworthiness, on anything

2557
04:03:07.239 --> 04:03:11.600
and everything but himself, that it
was a necessity of her nature to be

2558
04:03:11.639 --> 04:03:15.799
able still to love him, even
though she knew that he was lost to

2559
04:03:15.840 --> 04:03:20.319
her forever. His austere nature could
not enter and to zink U's soft and

2560
04:03:20.479 --> 04:03:28.440
impressible susceptibility. So when he took
to speaking slightingly or contemptuously of simply on

2561
04:03:28.600 --> 04:03:35.239
every possible opportunity, she never answered
him, but listened in silence, looking

2562
04:03:35.280 --> 04:03:39.600
at him with frightened, astonished eyes
and a pale face, like a marcher

2563
04:03:39.760 --> 04:03:45.639
to whom her tormentous tried to prove
that there is no God. The result

2564
04:03:45.680 --> 04:03:52.159
of Cecil's well meant but injudicious proceedings, was a temporary coolness between himself and

2565
04:03:52.200 --> 04:03:56.639
his sister, the coolness which on
his part lay only on the surface,

2566
04:03:58.000 --> 04:04:03.920
but which froze her spirit to its
depth. And all this naturally tended to

2567
04:04:03.959 --> 04:04:09.799
add fuel to Stetzel's detestation of Sempalyi. The two men were in daily intercourse,

2568
04:04:11.159 --> 04:04:16.680
and now in a state of constant
friction. Stetzel would make biting remarks

2569
04:04:16.719 --> 04:04:22.760
over the smallest negligence or oversight of
which simply might be guilty, and was

2570
04:04:22.879 --> 04:04:28.200
bitterly sarcastic as to the incompetence of
a young connection of the Simpalice, who

2571
04:04:28.239 --> 04:04:33.639
had not long since been attached to
the embassy. To be sure, he

2572
04:04:33.879 --> 04:04:37.760
ended in declaring, in Austria,
it is a matter of far greater importance

2573
04:04:39.239 --> 04:04:43.719
that Natache should be a man of
family than that he should know how to

2574
04:04:43.879 --> 04:04:52.440
spell to such depth of clumsy rudeness
could he descend simply without losing his supercilious

2575
04:04:52.440 --> 04:05:00.120
good humor, would only smile or
answer in his most piping tones, if

2576
04:05:00.159 --> 04:05:03.920
you are very right, the view
we take of privilege is quite extraordinary.

2577
04:05:05.319 --> 04:05:09.840
We should form ourselves on the model
of the French court diplomatique. Do not

2578
04:05:09.959 --> 04:05:16.680
you think so? For a few
days previously the Figaro had published a satirical

2579
04:05:16.840 --> 04:05:22.120
article on the presentation of a plebeian
representative to the Republic at some foreign court.

2580
04:05:24.040 --> 04:05:28.319
Well simply might have retorted in a
much hotier key, But the later

2581
04:05:28.399 --> 04:05:35.879
his irony, the more in exasperated. Datza end of Part two, Chapter

2582
04:05:35.920 --> 04:05:45.920
four, Part two, Chapter five
of Our Own set by Ossip Shubin,

2583
04:05:46.399 --> 04:05:52.319
translated by Clarabelle. This librivoxyquiding is
in the public domain recording by Carolyn.

2584
04:05:52.360 --> 04:06:00.719
Part two, chapter five contes Jatinska
spent almost the whole of first stay in

2585
04:06:00.840 --> 04:06:05.120
Rome on the so far. When
she was asked what she thought of Rome,

2586
04:06:05.440 --> 04:06:09.159
she replied that she found it very
fatiguing. When the same question was

2587
04:06:09.239 --> 04:06:15.120
put to her daughters, they,
on the contrary, declared themselves enchanted,

2588
04:06:16.000 --> 04:06:20.840
simply knew full well that in all
Rome there was nothing they liked better than

2589
04:06:20.879 --> 04:06:26.840
their never do well cousin. He
displayed for their benefit all his most amiable

2590
04:06:26.879 --> 04:06:33.159
graces, criticized or admired their dresses, touched up their coiffure with his own

2591
04:06:33.319 --> 04:06:39.440
light hand, faithfully reported to them
all their conquests, and made them presents

2592
04:06:39.479 --> 04:06:45.719
of cigarettes and of trinkets from castellanies. When there was nothing else to be

2593
04:06:45.799 --> 04:06:48.079
done, he was ready to attend
them, of course, under the charge

2594
04:06:48.120 --> 04:06:54.840
of some older lady, to see
galleries and churches. Polyicenna had a way

2595
04:06:54.239 --> 04:07:00.840
that was highly characteristic of rushing past. The greatest works were her nose in

2596
04:07:00.920 --> 04:07:05.520
the air and laughing as she repeated
some imbecile remark that she had overheard or

2597
04:07:05.600 --> 04:07:13.440
pointed out some eccentricity of tourist costume. Niini took out more seriously, looked

2598
04:07:13.520 --> 04:07:18.479
carefully at everything by the catalog,
and even kept a diary. Sana was

2599
04:07:18.600 --> 04:07:24.879
commonly thought the handsomer and the more
brilliant of the sisters, and simply apparently

2600
04:07:24.920 --> 04:07:31.159
devoted himself chiefly to her. But
he decidedly liked Nini best. The hours

2601
04:07:31.239 --> 04:07:35.200
that he did not spend with his
cousins he passed at the club, where

2602
04:07:35.200 --> 04:07:41.040
he gambled away large sums. Meanwhile, he was looking very ill and complained

2603
04:07:41.079 --> 04:07:46.280
of a return of old Roman fever, and what did the world say to

2604
04:07:46.319 --> 04:07:52.440
his behavior? The phlegmatic Italians did
not trouble themselves about the matter. Madame

2605
04:07:52.479 --> 04:07:58.319
de Gondrie and Missus Ferguson laughed over
it. Zigbuk pronounced it disgraceful, and

2606
04:07:58.399 --> 04:08:03.440
ilsn'bear called it a bad taste to
say the least, that he ought to

2607
04:08:03.520 --> 04:08:09.639
have arranged to leave Rome. Everybody
agreed. Princess Volpini held long and lamentable

2608
04:08:09.719 --> 04:08:18.079
conferences with Generalfonklinger, reproaching herself bitterly
for not having seen the position of affairs

2609
04:08:18.120 --> 04:08:24.159
long ago. But she had never
attached any importance to Simply's marked attentions,

2610
04:08:24.200 --> 04:08:28.159
having had no eyes for anything but
zig Book's devotion to Zinca, and she

2611
04:08:28.239 --> 04:08:33.639
had taken a quite motherly interest in
what she regarded as a good match for

2612
04:08:33.840 --> 04:08:41.120
both. Trene was perfectly furious with
Simply. All that he was to Zinca

2613
04:08:41.200 --> 04:08:45.760
during these weeks can only be divined
by those who have passed through such a

2614
04:08:45.840 --> 04:08:50.280
time of grief and humiliation. With
the consciousness of having a high, souled

2615
04:08:50.319 --> 04:08:56.760
and tender friend in the background.
He was the only person who never aggravated

2616
04:08:56.799 --> 04:09:03.120
her wound. He had the gentle
touch, the delicate skill which the best

2617
04:09:03.280 --> 04:09:07.760
man or woman can only acquire through
the ordeal of an aching heart. He

2618
04:09:07.879 --> 04:09:13.319
came every afternoon with his little girl
to take Zinca for a walk, for

2619
04:09:13.520 --> 04:09:18.159
he knew that the regular drive on
the corso would only bring her added pain.

2620
04:09:18.680 --> 04:09:22.479
And while the baroness, with outspread
skirts, drove in the wake of

2621
04:09:22.799 --> 04:09:28.399
fashion up to the Villa Borghes and
the Pincio, these three, with the

2622
04:09:28.479 --> 04:09:35.559
general, not unfrequently for a fourth, would wander through silent and deserted cloisters,

2623
04:09:35.040 --> 04:09:41.479
or take long walks across the Campania. Not once did Train bring a

2624
04:09:41.559 --> 04:09:46.520
secret tear to her eye. If
some accidental remark or association brought the hot

2625
04:09:46.639 --> 04:09:52.159
color to her thin cheek, he
could always turn the subject so as to

2626
04:09:52.239 --> 04:09:58.360
spare her. One sultry afternoon late
in spring, Train and his two daughters,

2627
04:09:58.639 --> 04:10:03.360
as he was wanted to call Zinca
and Gabrielle, with the soldier artist,

2628
04:10:03.520 --> 04:10:09.639
were sauntering home after a long walk
through the somber and picturesque straits that

2629
04:10:09.799 --> 04:10:16.479
surrounded the Pantheon. The neighborhood is
humble and wretched, but over a garden

2630
04:10:16.520 --> 04:10:20.840
wall arose a mulbray tray and whose
green branches. A blackbird was singing,

2631
04:10:22.440 --> 04:10:28.120
and a few red geraniums blazed behind
rusty window bars. Bright specks in the

2632
04:10:28.159 --> 04:10:33.280
monotonous brown above the roofs bent the
deep blue sky. The air was heavy

2633
04:10:33.319 --> 04:10:39.799
and hot, and full of obscure
smells of guttess and stale vegetables. Somewhere

2634
04:10:39.840 --> 04:10:46.559
in an upstairs room, a woman
sang love song of melancholy longing. Suddenly,

2635
04:10:46.600 --> 04:10:50.559
the blackbird and the woman ceased singing. At the same time. A

2636
04:10:50.639 --> 04:10:54.799
dismal howl and groan echoed through the
strait, and a mass of black shadows

2637
04:10:54.879 --> 04:11:01.319
darkened the scene. Zinca, who
had lately become excessively nervous, started and

2638
04:11:01.479 --> 04:11:09.000
shuddered. It is nothing only a
funeral, Trene explained, taking off his

2639
04:11:09.159 --> 04:11:16.200
hat. That was all a Roman
funeral grim but picturesque, a long procession

2640
04:11:16.239 --> 04:11:22.239
of mysteriously shrouded figures, only able
to see through two slits in the sacle

2641
04:11:22.399 --> 04:11:26.719
like cowls that covered their heads,
ropes around their waists, and torches or

2642
04:11:26.879 --> 04:11:33.799
mystical banners in their hands, banners
with the emblems of death. These were

2643
04:11:33.840 --> 04:11:39.040
followed by a troop of barefooted friars
and lust came the beer, covered with

2644
04:11:39.120 --> 04:11:46.079
a bright yellow pal carried by four
more of the shrouded figures, who bent

2645
04:11:46.360 --> 04:11:50.520
under its weight as they shuffled along
the ruddy flare. In the black smoke

2646
04:11:50.680 --> 04:11:56.319
wreaths the groan like chanted, the
uncanny glitter of the men's eyes, out

2647
04:11:56.360 --> 04:12:03.799
of the formless hoods, ghastly,
ghostly, and exhaling a savor of moldiness

2648
04:12:03.840 --> 04:12:07.600
and incense, like the resurrection of
a fragment of the Middle Ages. The

2649
04:12:07.680 --> 04:12:16.799
procession defiled through the narrow strait zinca
half fainting clungu Tetrine. Gabriel, whose

2650
04:12:16.920 --> 04:12:22.959
childish nerves were less shoocked, watched
them with intense curiosity and began to question

2651
04:12:22.079 --> 04:12:26.879
a woman who stood near her in
the crowd that had collected in her fluent

2652
04:12:28.159 --> 04:12:33.559
bungling Italian. Who is it they
are burying? She asked at length a

2653
04:12:33.600 --> 04:12:39.840
woman was the answer? Was she
young? See? And what did she

2654
04:12:39.959 --> 04:12:45.799
die of? Of? Fever?
No, said the Roman, shrugging her

2655
04:12:45.840 --> 04:12:50.079
shoulders, and then she added,
in the slow musical drawl of the Roman

2656
04:12:50.159 --> 04:12:58.200
peasant di Pascione, the procession had
passed, The chanting had died away.

2657
04:12:58.680 --> 04:13:01.879
The blackbird was singing, singing lustily. Once more. They went on their

2658
04:13:01.959 --> 04:13:07.319
way, Trained first, with Zinca
hanging wearily on his arm behind them.

2659
04:13:07.360 --> 04:13:15.200
Gabriel and the General pacione. Is
that a Roman illness, she asked with

2660
04:13:15.280 --> 04:13:20.520
her insatiable inquisitiveness. No, it
occurs in most parts of the world,

2661
04:13:20.959 --> 04:13:26.639
said the General dryly, But only
among poor people, I suppose, said

2662
04:13:26.680 --> 04:13:31.440
the child. No, it is
known to the better classes too, But

2663
04:13:31.520 --> 04:13:35.200
it is not called by the same
name, said the old man, with

2664
04:13:35.360 --> 04:13:41.879
some bitterness, more to himself than
to Gabriel. Then it is wrong,

2665
04:13:41.159 --> 04:13:46.799
a shameful thing to die of,
she asked with wide, astonished eyes.

2666
04:13:48.360 --> 04:13:52.799
Suddenly the General perceived that Zinka was
listening. Her head drooped as she heard

2667
04:13:52.879 --> 04:14:00.680
the child's heedless catechism. He,
under the circumstances, would have felt paralyzed.

2668
04:14:01.079 --> 04:14:03.280
He would not have known what to
say to the poor, crushed soul.

2669
04:14:03.760 --> 04:14:09.159
But not so Train. He turned
to his companion and said something in

2670
04:14:09.200 --> 04:14:13.159
a low tone what the General could
not hear. But it must have been

2671
04:14:13.200 --> 04:14:18.719
something kind and helpful, something which, without any direct reference to the past,

2672
04:14:20.120 --> 04:14:26.559
conveyed his unalterable respect and regard for
She answered him almost brightly. Then

2673
04:14:26.600 --> 04:14:31.319
he went on talking of trifles,
remembering little incidents of his boyhood, characteristic

2674
04:14:31.399 --> 04:14:37.719
anecdotes of his parents in such small
matters as may divert a sick and weary

2675
04:14:37.840 --> 04:14:43.000
spirit, till when they parted at
the door of the Palacetto, Zinka was

2676
04:14:43.159 --> 04:14:46.719
smiling that he has the brains of
a genius. I will not say,

2677
04:14:48.040 --> 04:14:54.000
but he has genius of heart.
I dare swear. Thought the soldier Trayne

2678
04:14:54.040 --> 04:15:00.079
had gone out riding with her two
or three times across the Campagna, and

2679
04:15:00.120 --> 04:15:03.440
she had enjoyed it. But one
day they met Simpli, galloping with his

2680
04:15:03.680 --> 04:15:11.200
two handsome cousins over the anemone strewn
sward. From that day she made excuses

2681
04:15:11.239 --> 04:15:16.360
for avoiding the Campania, as though
she thus avoided the chance almost the certainty

2682
04:15:16.440 --> 04:15:22.399
of meeting him and them, Why
then did she remain in Rome at all?

2683
04:15:22.920 --> 04:15:26.600
Schetzel would not hear of her quitting
it, because he thought that the

2684
04:15:26.639 --> 04:15:31.159
world of Rome would regard it as
a flight after defeat. His mother,

2685
04:15:31.280 --> 04:15:35.879
too, on different grounds, set
her face against any such abridgment of their

2686
04:15:35.959 --> 04:15:39.879
stay in Rome. Had she not
taken the palacette till the fifteenth of May

2687
04:15:41.840 --> 04:15:46.680
and did Zinka in fact wish to
go. She often spoke of longing to

2688
04:15:46.719 --> 04:15:50.879
be at home again, but whenever
their departure was seriously discussed, it gave

2689
04:15:50.920 --> 04:15:54.920
her a shock. She dreaded meeting
him and longed for it at the same

2690
04:15:56.000 --> 04:16:00.360
time, and in the evening,
when a few old friends dropped into call

2691
04:16:00.920 --> 04:16:06.760
Trayn every evening and Zik book very
frequently, Trayne noticed that every time there

2692
04:16:06.840 --> 04:16:11.200
was a ring, she sat with
her eyes fixed and eager expectation on the

2693
04:16:11.319 --> 04:16:17.319
door. She still cherished a sort
of hope, a broken, moory bound

2694
04:16:17.440 --> 04:16:22.760
hope that was in fact no more
than unrest. The vitality of suffering.

2695
04:16:23.520 --> 04:16:36.760
And of Part two, chapter five, and of Part two lent Part three,

2696
04:16:36.959 --> 04:16:41.399
chapter one of Our Own set by
Ossip Shubin, translated by Clara Belle.

2697
04:16:41.440 --> 04:16:48.600
This LibriVox recording is in the public
domain recording by Carolyn. Part three

2698
04:16:48.000 --> 04:16:55.680
Easter, chapter one, Passion Week
in Rome, and in all the glory

2699
04:16:55.719 --> 04:17:02.120
and glow of an Italian spring,
the glinting radiance brightens even the mystical gloom

2700
04:17:02.159 --> 04:17:06.920
of Saint Peter's sparkles. For an
instant on the holy water in the basins,

2701
04:17:07.520 --> 04:17:12.399
wonders from the hits of the gigantic
caribs and the colossal statues down to

2702
04:17:12.440 --> 04:17:18.920
the inlate pavement. With the cold
sheen of sunlight on polished marble, the

2703
04:17:19.079 --> 04:17:25.959
hours glide on the long solemn hours
of Holy Thursday. In Rome, the

2704
04:17:26.079 --> 04:17:32.040
last gleam of daylight has faded away. The vast cathedral is filled with almost

2705
04:17:32.239 --> 04:17:40.120
palpable twilight, and its magnificence seems
shrouded in a transparent veil of crape.

2706
04:17:40.639 --> 04:17:45.040
The stone walls look dim and distant, the fin seems built of shadows,

2707
04:17:45.360 --> 04:17:51.799
and sacred mystery falls as if it
were from Heaven, deeper and more solemn.

2708
04:17:52.040 --> 04:17:57.319
As the minutes slip by to sanctify
the spot. In the papal chapel,

2709
04:17:57.559 --> 04:18:03.680
Zinca is kneeling with Trayne and Gabrielle, her eyes fixed on her hands,

2710
04:18:03.680 --> 04:18:08.200
which are convulsively clasped, and praying
with the passion of youthful nature,

2711
04:18:08.559 --> 04:18:15.040
whose yearning has found no foothold on
earth and seeks a home in Heaven.

2712
04:18:15.159 --> 04:18:22.600
On both sides sit the prelates and
dignitaries of the Church in their carved stalls.

2713
04:18:22.159 --> 04:18:27.840
Inquisitive and prayerless foreigners crowd at their
feet. The tragedy of the passion

2714
04:18:27.879 --> 04:18:33.719
is being recited in a monotonous,
inconclusive chant that dies away in the dim

2715
04:18:33.799 --> 04:18:40.559
corners of the chapel. The last
of the twelve tapers on the altar is

2716
04:18:40.639 --> 04:18:48.719
extinguished. Miserre demi. The choristes
cry with terrible emphasis, and then awful

2717
04:18:48.799 --> 04:18:52.959
but most sweet. Beginning as a
mere breath and rising to a mighty wail

2718
04:18:53.040 --> 04:18:57.959
of grace, comes a voice like
the utterance of the anguish of the God

2719
04:18:59.000 --> 04:19:04.079
of Love over the mystery from which
he can never release mankind, and before

2720
04:19:04.120 --> 04:19:11.719
the majesty of that divine and selfless
sorrow. Human sorrow bows in silence.

2721
04:19:12.479 --> 04:19:18.840
Zinca bends her head. It is
ended. The last sound has died away

2722
04:19:18.879 --> 04:19:22.360
in a sob. The crowd rises
to follow the procession, which, with

2723
04:19:22.559 --> 04:19:29.120
the cardinal at the head, wends
its way through the church. Trayne and

2724
04:19:29.200 --> 04:19:33.440
the two girls quit the chapel.
Behind them, the steps of the priests

2725
04:19:33.479 --> 04:19:38.079
and choristairs, drowned in their own
echoes, sound like the rustling of angelic

2726
04:19:38.120 --> 04:19:45.760
wings. The brooding, melancholy peacefulness
has lulled Zinca's heart to rest for the

2727
04:19:45.840 --> 04:19:52.120
first time. For many weeks.
She has forgotten most interesting but the bus

2728
04:19:52.280 --> 04:19:59.360
was horse. It was Policina Jatinsky
who pronounced this summary criticism of the solemn

2729
04:19:59.440 --> 04:20:04.719
ceremony. I close to Zinka.
Zinka looked around simply with his aunt and

2730
04:20:04.959 --> 04:20:11.079
cousins were at her side. They
had attended the service and reserved places in

2731
04:20:11.120 --> 04:20:17.239
the choir. Involuntarily, yielding to
an impulse of pain, Zinca pressed forward,

2732
04:20:17.559 --> 04:20:22.159
but Gabrielle had flown to join them. Then she was obliged to stay

2733
04:20:22.200 --> 04:20:29.319
and talk. The Jatinskis were perfectly
friendly. Policina giving her her hand simply

2734
04:20:29.440 --> 04:20:36.079
alone held aloof on going out.
The air struck chill, almost cold on

2735
04:20:36.239 --> 04:20:41.680
Zinka's face, and she shivered.
A well known voice close behind her said

2736
04:20:41.760 --> 04:20:45.440
rather brusquely, you are too lightly
dressed, and there's fever in the air.

2737
04:20:45.760 --> 04:20:51.559
Put this around you, and simply
threw over her shoulders a scarf that

2738
04:20:51.639 --> 04:20:56.399
he was carrying for one of the
ladies. Thank you, I am not

2739
04:20:56.639 --> 04:21:03.000
cold. These ladies will want the
scarf. Zinca hastily and repellently. Polysena

2740
04:21:03.079 --> 04:21:07.639
said nothing. Perhaps she may have
thought it strange that, in his anxiety

2741
04:21:07.719 --> 04:21:12.399
for this little stranger, her cousin
should forget to consider that one of them

2742
04:21:12.520 --> 04:21:18.319
might take cold, but Nini exclaimed, no, no f relanchdazze. We

2743
04:21:18.479 --> 04:21:25.479
are well wrapped up. At this
juncture, Tryne's servant, who had been

2744
04:21:25.559 --> 04:21:30.920
seeking them among the crowd, told
them where the carriage was waiting. While

2745
04:21:30.040 --> 04:21:37.120
Zinka, wrapped in Nini's china crape
shawl, is borne along between the splashing

2746
04:21:37.200 --> 04:21:41.559
fountains, across the bridge of Saint
Angelo, and through the empty, ill

2747
04:21:41.719 --> 04:21:48.719
lighted straits of the Palacetto. All
her pulses are dancing and throbbing, and

2748
04:21:48.879 --> 04:21:53.799
the stars in the sky overhead seem
unnaturally bright. It is the resurrection of

2749
04:21:53.879 --> 04:21:57.959
her pain, and with it the
lovely, mocking visions of the joy she

2750
04:21:59.040 --> 04:22:04.200
has lost. Good God, how
vividly she remembers the more, how keenly,

2751
04:22:04.639 --> 04:22:10.440
the long, dreamy afternoons on the
Palatine, the delicious hours in the

2752
04:22:10.479 --> 04:22:15.479
Corsini garden, under the plain trays
by the fountain, where he talked about

2753
04:22:15.479 --> 04:22:21.799
Etsbourg, while the perfume of violets
and lilies fanned her with their intoxicating breath.

2754
04:22:22.440 --> 04:22:26.200
The sound of his voice, the
touch of his light thin hand,

2755
04:22:26.719 --> 04:22:30.600
his smile, his way of saying
particular words, of looking at her in

2756
04:22:30.680 --> 04:22:37.319
particular moments she is walking with him
once more in the Vatican, in rapt

2757
04:22:37.440 --> 04:22:44.280
enjoyment of the beauty of the statues. The Belveder fountain trickled and splashed in

2758
04:22:44.440 --> 04:22:51.079
dreamy monotony. Golden sunbeams fleck the
pavement like footmarks left by the guards before

2759
04:22:51.120 --> 04:22:56.239
they mounted their pedestals. There is
a mysterious rustle and whisper in the lofty

2760
04:22:56.280 --> 04:23:02.920
corridors, as of far, far
distant ghostly es. And then suddenly she

2761
04:23:03.120 --> 04:23:07.479
is in front of San Donofrio's.
The air is thick with pale mist at

2762
04:23:07.520 --> 04:23:14.000
her feet, Veiled in the thin
haze, indistinct and mirage, like the

2763
04:23:14.120 --> 04:23:19.079
very ghost of departed splendor, lies
Rome, the vast reliquary of the world,

2764
04:23:19.680 --> 04:23:25.840
Rome, on whose monuments and ruins, every conceivable crime and every imaginable

2765
04:23:25.959 --> 04:23:32.520
virtue have set their stamp, where
the tragedies of antiquity cry out the sacrifice

2766
04:23:32.559 --> 04:23:37.239
on Calvary. They had stood together
a long time, looking down on it.

2767
04:23:37.639 --> 04:23:41.639
Then she had lost a little bunch
of violets which she had been wearing,

2768
04:23:41.680 --> 04:23:45.760
and as she turned around to seek
them, she had perceived that he

2769
04:23:45.799 --> 04:23:51.200
had picked them up and was holding
them to his lips. Their eyes had

2770
04:23:51.280 --> 04:23:56.239
met. Yes, he had loved
her. He loved her still he must,

2771
04:23:56.719 --> 04:24:00.600
she knew it. She told herself
that, in pulsive and excitable as

2772
04:24:00.639 --> 04:24:06.000
he was, the merest trifle would
suffice to bring him back to her.

2773
04:24:06.479 --> 04:24:11.040
But whether it was worth while to
long so desperately for a man who could

2774
04:24:11.079 --> 04:24:17.040
be turned by the slightest breath,
that she did not ask herself. And

2775
04:24:17.319 --> 04:24:22.760
through all the torturing whirl of these
memories, above the clatter of the horse's

2776
04:24:22.879 --> 04:24:26.440
hoofs and the rattle of the wheels
over the wretched pavement, she heard the

2777
04:24:26.559 --> 04:24:33.120
cry miserere de may, But her
thoughts turned no more to the gods sacrificed

2778
04:24:33.200 --> 04:24:38.200
for a man. The strongest angel's
wings cannot bear us quite to heaven,

2779
04:24:38.360 --> 04:24:45.719
so long as our heart dwells on
earth. Good Night, she said,

2780
04:24:45.840 --> 04:24:49.000
kissing Gabrielle, as the carriage drew
up at the door of the palacetto.

2781
04:24:51.159 --> 04:24:55.719
Will you let me have Mimi's scarf? For Gabrielle said, Tryne, I'm

2782
04:24:55.760 --> 04:25:00.079
afraid my little companion may catch cold. Oh, of course, cried Zinka,

2783
04:25:00.440 --> 04:25:04.159
and she wrapped the child carefully in
the shawl and kissed her again.

2784
04:25:06.040 --> 04:25:08.440
When shall I learn to think of
any one but myself, she added,

2785
04:25:08.520 --> 04:25:15.760
vexed with herself Easter Monday, all
the bells in the chatches of Roma once

2786
04:25:15.840 --> 04:25:22.760
more wagging their brazen tongs after their
week of dumb mourning, and images of

2787
04:25:22.799 --> 04:25:30.479
the Resurrection in every conceivable form,
sugar wax soap decorate all the shop windows.

2788
04:25:30.319 --> 04:25:36.840
Baroness Volnitzka had returned fresher, gayer, and more enterprising than ever from

2789
04:25:36.879 --> 04:25:41.360
her visit to Naples, where she
not only had had her self photographed in

2790
04:25:41.399 --> 04:25:45.360
a lyric attitude leaning on a pillar
in the ruins of Pompeii, but in

2791
04:25:45.479 --> 04:25:51.440
spite of her huge size, which
was very much against her taking such excursions,

2792
04:25:52.040 --> 04:25:56.440
she had, with the help of
two guides and a remarkably vigorous mule,

2793
04:25:56.040 --> 04:26:03.319
reached the top of Vesuvius. Thanks
too to a cardinal's nephew with whom

2794
04:26:03.360 --> 04:26:07.600
she had scraped acquaintance on her journey
with a view to making him useful,

2795
04:26:08.000 --> 04:26:12.840
she had succeeded in obtaining not indeed
a private audience of the Pope, but

2796
04:26:14.159 --> 04:26:19.319
leave to attend the private Mass and
receive the communion in company with three hundred

2797
04:26:19.360 --> 04:26:26.239
other Orthodox souls from his sacred hand. This morning she had been to the

2798
04:26:26.280 --> 04:26:30.920
Palacetto to take leave of her sister, to ask once more after Sampali,

2799
04:26:32.399 --> 04:26:36.719
to give a full and particular account
of the service at the Vatican, and

2800
04:26:36.920 --> 04:26:42.559
to deliver a discourse on the philosophical
value of the mass. Slava, whose

2801
04:26:42.719 --> 04:26:48.959
orthodox he had been found to bigotry, and who Anista Eve had duly climbed

2802
04:26:48.120 --> 04:26:55.159
the Santaskala on her knees, had
supplemented her mother's narrative with a variety of

2803
04:26:55.280 --> 04:27:00.120
interesting details. It was most exclusive, quite our own set, and few

2804
04:27:00.159 --> 04:27:04.600
families of the Polish colony. I
wore my black satin dress beaded with a

2805
04:27:04.680 --> 04:27:08.920
jet and I heard a gentleman behind
me say, that is the only woman

2806
04:27:08.959 --> 04:27:15.120
whose veil is put on with any
taste. Stetzel had kept out of the

2807
04:27:15.200 --> 04:27:18.360
way during their visit. Zinca had
smiled amiably, but had not attended.

2808
04:27:19.120 --> 04:27:26.120
Baroness Clotilde had plied her sister with
questions. Then the Volidskas had left to

2809
04:27:26.159 --> 04:27:30.239
go to the consecration of a bishop, also by invitation from the cardinal's nephew.

2810
04:27:30.760 --> 04:27:36.239
The ladies were to be admitted to
the sacristy and be presented with flowers

2811
04:27:36.239 --> 04:27:41.680
and refreshments. It was about six
o'clock in the evening when Generelfon Klinger was

2812
04:27:41.760 --> 04:27:47.319
shown into the drawing room of the
Palacetto. The room was not so pretty

2813
04:27:47.360 --> 04:27:51.559
as it used to be. The
furniture was all set out squarely against the

2814
04:27:51.639 --> 04:27:56.079
walls by the symmetrical taste of the
servants, and the flower vases that were

2815
04:27:56.120 --> 04:28:03.879
always so gracefully arranged now never held
anything but bunches of magnolias or violets.

2816
04:28:03.520 --> 04:28:10.079
Zinka no longer cared to arrange them. I am so glad you happened to

2817
04:28:10.079 --> 04:28:14.120
have come today, she cried as
he came in. The brilliancy of her

2818
04:28:14.120 --> 04:28:18.719
eyes and the redness of her lips
showed that she was already suffering from that

2819
04:28:18.040 --> 04:28:23.280
terrible spring fever which makes harvoc with
young creatures. In the warm days of

2820
04:28:23.399 --> 04:28:29.879
April and May. She was sitting
by her brother on a low red sofa,

2821
04:28:30.000 --> 04:28:33.600
as she had so often sat with
Simplely, the Baroness was lounging in

2822
04:28:33.639 --> 04:28:38.799
an armchair, fanning herself. There
was a sort of triumphant solemnity in her

2823
04:28:38.879 --> 04:28:45.319
manner. Even Cecil too was evidently
in some excitement, though his air was

2824
04:28:45.559 --> 04:28:51.799
just as frank and natural as ever
good evening, General, what hot,

2825
04:28:52.159 --> 04:28:57.600
trying weather, drawled the baroness.
It is an extraordinary event to find us

2826
04:28:57.600 --> 04:29:03.000
all at home together at this hour. But we all have a sacred horror

2827
04:29:03.040 --> 04:29:07.559
of the mob in the streets on
a holiday afternoon. Oh, Mamma,

2828
04:29:07.799 --> 04:29:11.959
interrupted Zinka. It is not only
the crowd. We wanted to enjoy our

2829
04:29:11.040 --> 04:29:17.559
good fortune together, did not weigh
Cecil. He nodded and stroked her hair.

2830
04:29:18.239 --> 04:29:22.319
Yes, little Zini, only think
Uncle Kilinga. You knew, of

2831
04:29:22.440 --> 04:29:27.639
course that Cecil's book on Persia had
attracted a great deal of attention. But

2832
04:29:27.719 --> 04:29:34.040
that is not all. He has
been appointed charges d'affaires at Constantinople. The

2833
04:29:34.120 --> 04:29:41.040
General offered his congratulations and shook hands
warmly with the young man. I could

2834
04:29:41.079 --> 04:29:45.959
wish for nothing more exactly to my
mind, said Cecil. There is always

2835
04:29:45.079 --> 04:29:49.120
something to do there. A man
always has a chance of making his market.

2836
04:29:49.319 --> 04:29:56.479
Getting on. He was sincerely and
frankly satisfied, and affected no indifference

2837
04:29:56.559 --> 04:30:00.840
to the distinction he had earned.
Five We shall see you, ambassador,

2838
04:30:02.120 --> 04:30:07.840
exclaimed the General, with the happy
exaggeration that is irresistible on such occasions.

2839
04:30:07.559 --> 04:30:12.079
We do not go quite so fast
as that, laughed Sdetzel. However,

2840
04:30:12.120 --> 04:30:17.040
I hope to rise in due time. Will not you be proud of me,

2841
04:30:17.159 --> 04:30:22.760
Butterfly, when I am your excellency, I am proud of you already,

2842
04:30:22.000 --> 04:30:26.639
said Zinka. And you know how
vain I am and how much I

2843
04:30:26.760 --> 04:30:32.680
value such things. It was the
first time for some weeks that the general

2844
04:30:32.719 --> 04:30:37.200
had seen the two so happy together, and it rejoiced his heart. And

2845
04:30:37.360 --> 04:30:41.239
the climate is good, Schatzer went
on, one of the best in Europe.

2846
04:30:41.360 --> 04:30:47.399
The foreign colony is friendly and pleasant. You will enjoy studying Oriental manners

2847
04:30:47.479 --> 04:30:49.879
from a bird's eye of Euzini,
and the change of air will do you

2848
04:30:51.040 --> 04:30:56.680
good. You will take me too, she said, turning pale. Why,

2849
04:30:56.760 --> 04:31:00.520
of course, the Bay of Constantinople
is lovely, and we can often

2850
04:31:00.559 --> 04:31:03.959
sail out on it. Then in
the autumn, if I have time,

2851
04:31:04.200 --> 04:31:08.600
we will make an excursion in grease. You will be quite a traveled person.

2852
04:31:10.760 --> 04:31:15.319
He put his finger under her chin
and looked with tender anxiety into her

2853
04:31:15.360 --> 04:31:19.239
thin face. Every trace of color
had suddenly faded from it, and the

2854
04:31:19.360 --> 04:31:26.920
light that her brother's success had kindled
in her eyes had died out. It

2855
04:31:26.040 --> 04:31:30.559
will be very nice, she said, wearily, delightful. Thank you,

2856
04:31:30.639 --> 04:31:37.360
cecil, You're always so kind.
When are we to start? You might

2857
04:31:37.440 --> 04:31:41.639
get often about a week. The
sea voyage will not overtire you, and

2858
04:31:41.719 --> 04:31:45.559
you can stop to rest at Athens. In the hot season, we can

2859
04:31:45.600 --> 04:31:49.280
go up to the hills. Then
suddenly he glanced sharply in her face,

2860
04:31:49.639 --> 04:31:55.000
and his whole expression changed. He
added, roughly, with a scowl,

2861
04:31:55.920 --> 04:31:59.440
but you need not come unless you
like. Stay here if you choose,

2862
04:31:59.479 --> 04:32:03.920
I do not want to force you. At this instant, the maid appeared

2863
04:32:04.000 --> 04:32:11.040
to announce the arrival of a case
from the railway. The new ball dresses,

2864
04:32:11.479 --> 04:32:15.040
cried the Baroness in great excitement.
I am thankful they have come in

2865
04:32:15.159 --> 04:32:19.319
time. I was quite in despair
for fear I should not have my new

2866
04:32:19.399 --> 04:32:25.120
gown in time for the ball at
the Barancoliones. It would have seemed so

2867
04:32:25.319 --> 04:32:30.040
uncourteous to the princess. Now let
us see what funny has hit upon that

2868
04:32:30.200 --> 04:32:36.000
is new, and she rustled out
of the room. Zinca sat still with

2869
04:32:36.079 --> 04:32:40.920
a frozen smile, looking like a
criminal to whom the day of execution had

2870
04:32:41.000 --> 04:32:45.959
just been announced, and uneasily twisting
her fingers. Of course, I like

2871
04:32:47.000 --> 04:32:51.040
it Cecil, how can you think? And on Wednesday week we can start.

2872
04:32:51.559 --> 04:32:55.159
Wednesday will be best. Now I
must go and see what my new

2873
04:32:55.239 --> 04:32:57.399
dress is like. Do not laugh
at me, uncle. I must make

2874
04:32:57.440 --> 04:33:02.959
myself look as nice as I can
for my last appearance. And she hurried

2875
04:33:03.000 --> 04:33:06.360
off, but on her way she
stumbled against the table, and the book

2876
04:33:06.400 --> 04:33:11.159
fell to the ground. She stopped, picked the book up, turned over

2877
04:33:11.200 --> 04:33:14.439
the leaves, and laid it down. Then, as if she wished to

2878
04:33:14.479 --> 04:33:18.720
make up to her brother for some
unkindness, she went back to Cecil and

2879
04:33:18.840 --> 04:33:23.159
put her hand on his shoulder.
I do really thank you very much,

2880
04:33:23.479 --> 04:33:29.479
she said, And I am glad, really and truly glad, and very

2881
04:33:29.520 --> 04:33:33.119
proud of you. He looked up
in her face and their eyes met.

2882
04:33:33.720 --> 04:33:40.080
His lips quivered with rage, the
rage of a lofty, generous and masterful

2883
04:33:40.159 --> 04:33:45.919
nature at finding itself incapable of making
a woman dear to it happy. Zinca

2884
04:33:47.000 --> 04:33:52.200
shrank into herself my ball dress,
she faintly exclaimed, and she slipped out

2885
04:33:52.240 --> 04:33:59.119
of the room. For a few
minutes, the two men were silent presently.

2886
04:33:59.200 --> 04:34:06.880
The General's Zinca is going to the
Broncoliones tomorrow, yes, replied Stetzer.

2887
04:34:07.439 --> 04:34:11.560
At least she has promised to go. Whether she will change her mind

2888
04:34:11.599 --> 04:34:14.840
at the last moment and stay at
home, of course I cannot foresee,

2889
04:34:15.279 --> 04:34:18.560
but she really seems to care about
it this time, said the general.

2890
04:34:19.119 --> 04:34:25.360
At least she took an interest in
her dress. Her dress. She did

2891
04:34:25.400 --> 04:34:27.919
not even know what she was talking
about. She fled that we might not

2892
04:34:29.040 --> 04:34:33.080
see her tears. Schatzl broke out, losing all his self control. Then

2893
04:34:33.119 --> 04:34:37.560
he looked sternly at his friend,
as though he thought he had betrayed a

2894
04:34:37.639 --> 04:34:42.240
secret. But the old man's sad
face reassured him. It is of no

2895
04:34:42.400 --> 04:34:45.799
use to try to act before you, he went on. You are not

2896
04:34:45.919 --> 04:34:51.080
blind. You must see how wretched
she is. It is all over,

2897
04:34:51.200 --> 04:34:56.040
General, she is utterly broken.
He started to his feet, and,

2898
04:34:56.159 --> 04:34:59.840
after pacing the room two or three
times, stood still, and, with

2899
04:35:00.200 --> 04:35:04.080
helpless wave of the hands and a
desperate shrug, he exclaimed, there is

2900
04:35:04.119 --> 04:35:08.520
nothing to be done. Nothing,
And he sat down again and buried his

2901
04:35:08.639 --> 04:35:15.439
face in his hands. Von Klinger
cleared his throat, paused for a word,

2902
04:35:15.479 --> 04:35:19.080
and could find nothing better to say
than in time things will mend.

2903
04:35:19.520 --> 04:35:27.319
You must have patience. Patience,
echoed Steltzel with an indescribable accent patience.

2904
04:35:27.400 --> 04:35:32.279
Yes, if I could only hope
that things would mend. At first it

2905
04:35:32.439 --> 04:35:37.319
provoked me that she should let everybody
see No. I thought she might have

2906
04:35:37.400 --> 04:35:41.159
more spirit and self command. But
now, good heavens, she does all

2907
04:35:41.279 --> 04:35:45.919
she can, and it is killing
her. That is not her fault.

2908
04:35:45.279 --> 04:35:51.159
If only she were resentful. But
she never complains. She is always content

2909
04:35:51.279 --> 04:35:56.040
with everything. She never even contradicts
my mother. Now, and then what

2910
04:35:56.159 --> 04:35:59.919
is worst of all? I hear
her at night? Her room is so

2911
04:36:00.080 --> 04:36:03.360
over a mine, walking up and
down, very softly, as if she

2912
04:36:03.439 --> 04:36:08.720
were afraid of waking any one,
Up and down for hours, and often

2913
04:36:08.840 --> 04:36:14.479
I hear her sobbing. She never
sheds a tear by day, he sighed.

2914
04:36:15.319 --> 04:36:18.880
And then if it were for a
man who was worth at all,

2915
04:36:18.360 --> 04:36:23.360
he went on. But that blue
eyed, boneless good for nothing, simpleton.

2916
04:36:23.880 --> 04:36:27.479
I ought never to have allowed her
to step out of her own sphere.

2917
04:36:29.000 --> 04:36:32.680
I ought never to have allowed them
to become intimate. I knew he

2918
04:36:32.759 --> 04:36:36.599
was not worthy of her, even
when, as I believed. But you

2919
04:36:36.639 --> 04:36:41.880
will laugh at my simplicity. Perhaps
he condescended to be in earnest. You

2920
04:36:41.959 --> 04:36:45.400
cannot imagine what it is now to
have to meet him every day, to

2921
04:36:45.479 --> 04:36:48.639
hear him ask every day, how
are you all at home? I feel

2922
04:36:48.680 --> 04:36:53.400
ready to choke. I could crush
him under foot like a warm and I

2923
04:36:53.439 --> 04:36:56.919
am bound to be civil. I
may not even tell him that he has

2924
04:36:56.959 --> 04:37:04.000
insulted me. The baroness here came
back lovely, she exclaimed, with her

2925
04:37:04.040 --> 04:37:10.479
affected giggle. Quite perfect. Zinca
has never had a dress that suited her

2926
04:37:10.639 --> 04:37:17.720
so well. That is well,
said Dedzel vaguely. Where is she?

2927
04:37:17.720 --> 04:37:21.560
She has gone to lie down.
She has a bad headache, minced the

2928
04:37:21.599 --> 04:37:26.400
Baroness. The young girls of the
present day have no stamina? Why at

2929
04:37:26.400 --> 04:37:30.720
her age? I the General was
not in the mood to listen to her

2930
04:37:30.759 --> 04:37:34.919
sentimental reminiscences, and he took his
leave in the hall. He once more

2931
04:37:36.040 --> 04:37:41.000
wrung Cecil's hand. Fortune has favored
you, he said, you have a

2932
04:37:41.040 --> 04:37:45.360
splendid career before you, and in
her new and pleasant home, Zinca will

2933
04:37:45.439 --> 04:37:51.639
forget. I congratulate you on your
new start in life. Aye, his

2934
04:37:52.080 --> 04:38:03.360
new start in life. End of
Part three, Chapter one, Part three,

2935
04:38:03.479 --> 04:38:07.880
Chapter two of Our Own set by
Ossip Shubin, translated by Clarabelle.

2936
04:38:08.319 --> 04:38:15.479
This Libovoxycuiding is in the public domain
recording by Carolyn Part three, chapter two.

2937
04:38:17.959 --> 04:38:22.799
The Branco Leone Palace, on the
slope of the Quirinal is one of

2938
04:38:22.840 --> 04:38:27.560
the finest in Rome, and particularly
famous for its gardens, laid out in

2939
04:38:27.680 --> 04:38:33.639
terraces down the side of the hill, with the lower rooms of the palazzo

2940
04:38:33.880 --> 04:38:40.799
opening onto the uppermost level. The
dancing was in a large, almost square

2941
04:38:41.000 --> 04:38:47.680
room adjoining a long vaulted corridor full
of old pictures, relieved here and there

2942
04:38:47.720 --> 04:38:53.319
by the cold severity of an antique
marble statue. It was lighted by marvelous

2943
04:38:53.400 --> 04:39:00.360
chandeliers of Venetian glass that hung from
the ceiling. At the end of the

2944
04:39:00.400 --> 04:39:04.240
corridor, two steps led down into
an ante room, dividing it from a

2945
04:39:04.279 --> 04:39:11.639
smaller sanctuary, where the gems of
the Bronco Leone collections were displayed, mixed

2946
04:39:11.720 --> 04:39:18.799
up unfortunately with several modern monstrosities,
and from this room a door opened into

2947
04:39:18.840 --> 04:39:26.119
the garden. Zinca arrived late.
A transient and feverish expectancy lent her pinched

2948
04:39:26.240 --> 04:39:30.880
features the brilliancy they had lost,
while her timid reserve gave her even more

2949
04:39:32.000 --> 04:39:37.959
charm than her former innocent self.
Confidence, and her dress was certainly wonderfully

2950
04:39:37.000 --> 04:39:42.680
becoming. Nor had she lost all
her old popularity, for she was soon

2951
04:39:42.759 --> 04:39:48.720
surrounded by a little crowd of Roman
swells, one or two even of the

2952
04:39:48.799 --> 04:39:56.439
Jatinskas admirers deserted for Zinca Trine was
not present. The cold histe little girl

2953
04:39:56.479 --> 04:40:00.319
had court at Saint Peter's had developed
into a serious ill, and he could

2954
04:40:00.319 --> 04:40:07.439
not leave her. Zinka with her
gliding grace, her small head held a

2955
04:40:07.479 --> 04:40:12.240
little high, and her softened glance
was still pretty to watch as she danced

2956
04:40:12.560 --> 04:40:18.639
and attracted general attention. The music, the splendor of the entertainment, the

2957
04:40:18.720 --> 04:40:26.119
consciousness of looking well put her into
unwonted spirits. She sent a searching glance

2958
04:40:26.200 --> 04:40:30.520
around the room. No, he
was not there. She Danzel stood talking

2959
04:40:30.599 --> 04:40:36.919
with the general, delighted with her
little, triumphant, charming appearance. Then

2960
04:40:36.959 --> 04:40:42.240
he was congratulated by several men of
distinction on his recent promotion. He thanked

2961
04:40:42.279 --> 04:40:48.040
them with characteristic simplicity and sincerity.
The evening was a success for him too.

2962
04:40:48.959 --> 04:40:55.279
Not long after midnight he left to
attend to pressing business. Matters were

2963
04:40:55.319 --> 04:41:00.840
in a very unsettled state, and
went to the embassy Within a short time,

2964
04:41:00.919 --> 04:41:06.680
Sempaly came in. He had spent
the previous night, as was very

2965
04:41:06.799 --> 04:41:11.119
generally known at Card's. This was
a new form of dissipation for him.

2966
04:41:12.159 --> 04:41:17.479
He had lost a great deal of
money, and he looked worn and out

2967
04:41:17.479 --> 04:41:22.240
of spirits. He did not care
for dancing, and came so late to

2968
04:41:22.319 --> 04:41:26.919
ask his handsome cousins for the courtiller
that they were both engaged, a result

2969
04:41:27.000 --> 04:41:33.880
to which he was so manifestly indifferent
that Nenia actually wiped away a secret tear.

2970
04:41:33.759 --> 04:41:40.119
He was now standing with his fingers
in his waistcoat pockets and his glass

2971
04:41:40.159 --> 04:41:45.720
in his eye, exchanging impertinent comments
with a number of other young men on

2972
04:41:45.840 --> 04:41:49.479
the figure of this woman or that
girl, and trying to imagine himself in

2973
04:41:49.520 --> 04:41:55.560
the position of the fabulous savage who
found himself for the first time in a

2974
04:41:55.599 --> 04:42:02.639
civilized ball room. Suddenly he was
silent, and something had arrested his attention.

2975
04:42:03.119 --> 04:42:07.959
The band was playing a waltz at
that time very popular, stirring Gimi

2976
04:42:08.520 --> 04:42:14.000
by Tosti. The room was very
hot. It was the moment when the

2977
04:42:14.040 --> 04:42:18.720
curls of the young ladies begin to
straighten, and their movements, at first

2978
04:42:18.720 --> 04:42:22.840
little prim begin to gain in freedom. When there is an electrical tension in

2979
04:42:22.880 --> 04:42:30.200
the air suggestive of possible storms,
and the most indifferent locron is aware of

2980
04:42:30.240 --> 04:42:37.319
an obscure excitement. Crespignee and Sinker
spun past him. Zinca pale and cool

2981
04:42:37.360 --> 04:42:41.720
in the midst of the emotional stir
around her. She was not living in

2982
04:42:41.720 --> 04:42:45.479
the present. She was in a
dream. Suddenly, Krispigny, who was

2983
04:42:45.560 --> 04:42:51.240
not a good dancer, stumbled against
another couple, caught his foot in a

2984
04:42:51.319 --> 04:42:56.319
lady's train, and fell with his
partner. Simply pushed his way through the

2985
04:42:56.400 --> 04:43:00.119
dancers with blind force, and was
the first to help Zinka to her feet,

2986
04:43:00.840 --> 04:43:04.799
without thinking for a moment of the
hundred eyes that were fixed upon him.

2987
04:43:06.200 --> 04:43:10.200
He leaned over the young girl.
Her power over him had risen from

2988
04:43:10.200 --> 04:43:15.040
the dead. She bewildered by her
fall, did not, perhaps at first,

2989
04:43:15.200 --> 04:43:18.159
see who it was that had helped
her to rise. She clung to

2990
04:43:18.200 --> 04:43:25.040
his arm with half shut eyes.
Then as he whispered a few sympathizing words,

2991
04:43:25.439 --> 04:43:32.040
she looked up, started colored,
and shrank from him. A very

2992
04:43:32.159 --> 04:43:37.520
unpleasant accident, said some of the
ladies. Sempaly had taken possession of Zinka's

2993
04:43:37.680 --> 04:43:42.959
slunder hand and drew it with gentle
insistence through his arm. Then he let

2994
04:43:44.000 --> 04:43:48.759
her out of the heated ball room
into the adjoining gallery. The accident for

2995
04:43:48.880 --> 04:43:55.319
which she had besieged heaven with prayers
had happened, the accident which threw him

2996
04:43:55.360 --> 04:44:00.599
once more in her way. His
old passion was awake again. Saw it,

2997
04:44:00.000 --> 04:44:03.959
she could read it in his eyes. She summoned up all her self

2998
04:44:04.080 --> 04:44:10.639
command to conceal her happiness, not
so much out of deliberate calculation as from

2999
04:44:10.759 --> 04:44:17.159
genuine timidity and womanly pride. He
talked, saying all sorts of eager,

3000
04:44:17.520 --> 04:44:23.560
sympathetic things. She asked only the
coldest and simplest questions. He had fetched

3001
04:44:23.560 --> 04:44:27.560
her a wrap, and with the
white shawl thrown around her, he led

3002
04:44:27.599 --> 04:44:33.560
her from one room to another,
among the fan palms and creamy yellow statues.

3003
04:44:34.599 --> 04:44:40.159
Now and then she spoke to some
acquaintance whom they met wandering like themselves,

3004
04:44:40.560 --> 04:44:45.720
But these were fewer and fewer.
This supper room was thrown open,

3005
04:44:45.040 --> 04:44:52.400
and everyone was gone to the buffet. Zinka's coldness, for which he was

3006
04:44:52.439 --> 04:44:57.919
not at all prepared, provoked simply
greatly. He felt with sudden conviction that

3007
04:44:57.959 --> 04:45:03.319
there could be no joy on earth
to compare with that of once holding her

3008
04:45:03.360 --> 04:45:08.599
in his arms and kissing her,
devouring her with kisses. This image took

3009
04:45:08.759 --> 04:45:14.200
entire possession of him, and beyond
the possible fulfillment of that dream, he

3010
04:45:14.360 --> 04:45:18.880
did not look. That joy must
be his at any cost, if the

3011
04:45:18.000 --> 04:45:25.360
whole world were to crumble at his
feet. Zinka, he said, in

3012
04:45:25.360 --> 04:45:32.119
a low tone, Zinka, lent
is over, Easter is come. Yes,

3013
04:45:32.319 --> 04:45:37.840
what do you mean, she said, coldly, almost sternly. I

3014
04:45:37.959 --> 04:45:41.880
mean, he said, and he
looked her straight in the face, that

3015
04:45:41.959 --> 04:45:47.520
I have fasted, and that now
I will feast and be happy. They

3016
04:45:47.560 --> 04:45:51.680
were in a small room, a
sort of raised recess, divided from the

3017
04:45:51.720 --> 04:45:56.479
ballroom by a row of pillars.
They were alone. A joy so acute

3018
04:45:56.520 --> 04:46:02.520
as to be almost pain came over
as a It blinded and stunned her.

3019
04:46:02.799 --> 04:46:06.560
She did not speak, She did
not smile. She did not even look

3020
04:46:06.639 --> 04:46:10.279
up at him. She could not
have stirred even if she had wished it.

3021
04:46:10.639 --> 04:46:15.880
She was paralyzed. He thought she
would not hear him. Zinca,

3022
04:46:17.240 --> 04:46:21.959
he urged, can you not forgive
me for having jingled the fool's cap for

3023
04:46:22.040 --> 04:46:26.799
six weeks till I could not hear
the music of the spheres. Can you

3024
04:46:26.840 --> 04:46:30.560
not forgive me for the sake of
the misery I have endured? I can

3025
04:46:30.639 --> 04:46:37.799
bear it no longer. I confess
and yield unconditionally. I cannot live without

3026
04:46:37.880 --> 04:46:44.759
you. Zinka was not strong enough
to bear such emotion. The terrible tangent

3027
04:46:44.880 --> 04:46:48.799
to which for the last quarter of
an hour her pride had compelled her,

3028
04:46:48.240 --> 04:46:53.360
gave way. She tottered, put
out her hands and was falling. He

3029
04:46:53.439 --> 04:46:57.240
put his arm around her, and
with the other hand pushed open a glass

3030
04:46:57.279 --> 04:47:03.080
door that led into the godden Come
out the air will do you good,

3031
04:47:03.599 --> 04:47:08.080
he said, scarcely audibly, and
they went out on to the deserted terrace.

3032
04:47:10.080 --> 04:47:15.799
His arm clasped her more closely and
drew her to him involuntarily. He

3033
04:47:15.880 --> 04:47:21.599
waited till she could make some effort
to free herself from his hold, but

3034
04:47:21.720 --> 04:47:26.119
she was quite passive. She only
raised a tear bedued face with a blissful

3035
04:47:26.240 --> 04:47:33.479
gaze into his eyes and whispered,
I ought not to forgive you so easily.

3036
04:47:33.639 --> 04:47:38.200
And then, with no more distrust
or fear than a child clinging to

3037
04:47:38.240 --> 04:47:44.400
its mother, she let her head
fall on his shoulder and sobbed for happiness.

3038
04:47:45.560 --> 04:47:49.319
His strange reverence came over him.
The sound of some chatch bell came

3039
04:47:49.439 --> 04:47:55.840
up from the city. He kissed
her with solemn tenderness on the forehead and

3040
04:47:55.959 --> 04:48:04.080
only said, my darling, my
sake, treasure. She was safe.

3041
04:48:04.439 --> 04:48:07.759
When the General came out of the
card room to look once more at the

3042
04:48:07.880 --> 04:48:15.400
dances before he withdrew the contillon,
with its fanciful figures and lavish distribution of

3043
04:48:15.520 --> 04:48:22.919
ribbons and flowers, was nearly over. What a cruel idea he heard in

3044
04:48:22.919 --> 04:48:26.959
a lamentable voice from one of the
row of chaprins, to give a ball

3045
04:48:27.080 --> 04:48:33.360
in such a heat as this.
It was the baroness who was searching all

3046
04:48:33.360 --> 04:48:37.639
around the room with her eye glass
and a very sour and pocket expression of

3047
04:48:37.840 --> 04:48:44.639
face. Zigburg, who, as
the General knew, was to have danced

3048
04:48:44.759 --> 04:48:48.720
the courtillon with Zinca, was sitting
out. When from Klinger asked him the

3049
04:48:48.759 --> 04:48:55.080
reason, He answered very calmly that
he believed Zinka had felt tired and had

3050
04:48:55.119 --> 04:48:59.919
gone home. But the way in
which she said it roused the old man's

3051
04:49:00.159 --> 04:49:06.439
suspicions. That he put forward this
hypothesis to prevent any further sach being made

3052
04:49:06.439 --> 04:49:11.240
for Zinca. He had seen her
last in the corridor with Sempali, and

3053
04:49:11.360 --> 04:49:15.919
he hurried off to find her.
He sought in Vain and all the nooks

3054
04:49:17.000 --> 04:49:21.639
hidden by the plants in Vain,
in the recesses behind the pillars, but

3055
04:49:22.040 --> 04:49:26.720
the door to the garden was open. This filled him with apprehension. He

3056
04:49:26.799 --> 04:49:33.720
went out, sure that he must
be following them. The air was suppressively

3057
04:49:33.840 --> 04:49:38.639
sultry and damp. It crushed him
with a sense of hopeless anxiety. This

3058
04:49:38.759 --> 04:49:47.200
Sciroco had cast its baleful spell over
Rome. Northern US who have never been

3059
04:49:47.240 --> 04:49:52.040
in Rome have no idea of the
nature of the Sciroco. They supposed to

3060
04:49:52.080 --> 04:49:56.200
be a storm of hot wind.
No, it is when the air is

3061
04:49:56.400 --> 04:50:00.560
still and damp, when it distills, but does not after heavy perfume,

3062
04:50:00.959 --> 04:50:07.040
that the Sciroco diffuses its poison,
a subtle influence compounded of the scent of

3063
04:50:07.319 --> 04:50:12.520
flowers that it forces into life,
only to destroy them. Of the mists

3064
04:50:12.560 --> 04:50:18.520
from the Tiber, whose yellow flood
like mud mixed with gold, which rolls

3065
04:50:18.599 --> 04:50:25.360
over the corpses and treasure that lie
buried in its depth, of the exhalations

3066
04:50:25.400 --> 04:50:30.599
from the grave, and the perennial
incense from all the churches of Rome.

3067
04:50:30.479 --> 04:50:37.720
The Scirocho cheats the soul with delusive
fancies and fills the heart with a gloom

3068
04:50:37.720 --> 04:50:45.240
and oppression. It inspires the imagination
with dreams of splendid achievement, and stretches

3069
04:50:45.479 --> 04:50:51.080
the limbs on a couch in languor
and exhaustion. It penetrates even the cool

3070
04:50:51.200 --> 04:50:56.360
seclusion of the cloister, and breathes
on the pale cheek of the young nun

3071
04:50:56.639 --> 04:51:03.759
who is struggling for devout aspiration,
reminding her of long forgotten dreams. All

3072
04:51:03.840 --> 04:51:08.720
that is melancholy, all that is
cruel and wicked in Rome, much too,

3073
04:51:08.799 --> 04:51:15.240
that is beautiful, is engendered by
the Sciroco. It is creative of

3074
04:51:15.439 --> 04:51:22.159
glorious conceptions and of hideous deeds.
One feels inclined to fancy that on the

3075
04:51:22.240 --> 04:51:29.479
day when Caesar fell under the dag
of Brutus, Sciroco and Tramontane fought their

3076
04:51:29.560 --> 04:51:33.880
last fight for the mastery of Rome, and Sciroko won. The day,

3077
04:51:36.639 --> 04:51:41.840
a dense gray cloud hung over the
city and veiled the sinking Moon, a

3078
04:51:41.880 --> 04:51:48.479
cascade that tumbled from basin to basin
down the terraced slope of the quirinal plashed

3079
04:51:48.639 --> 04:51:53.560
weirdly in the deep twilight of the
earliest dawn, which was just beginning shyly

3080
04:51:53.680 --> 04:52:00.000
to vie with the dying moon light
and shade had ceased to exist. The

3081
04:52:00.080 --> 04:52:07.080
whole scene presented the dim smutch defect
of a rubbed charcoal drawing. The General

3082
04:52:07.240 --> 04:52:12.520
sent a peering glance through the laurel
hedged alleys that let down the hill.

3083
04:52:14.319 --> 04:52:21.119
Above the clipped evergreens rose huge ilexes, wreathed to the very top with ivy

3084
04:52:21.200 --> 04:52:26.080
and climbing roses. Here and there, something white gleamed dimly in the gray.

3085
04:52:26.680 --> 04:52:30.159
He rushed to meet it. It
was a statute, or a white

3086
04:52:30.279 --> 04:52:37.360
blossomed shrub. Roses and magnolias opened
their blossoms to the solitude, and the

3087
04:52:37.439 --> 04:52:41.759
scent of orange flowers filled the heavy
air, stronger than all the other perfumes

3088
04:52:41.759 --> 04:52:47.720
of the morning. Now and then, like a faint sigh, a shiver

3089
04:52:47.919 --> 04:52:52.959
ran through the leaves, the fall
of a dying flower. The old man

3090
04:52:53.000 --> 04:53:02.479
held his breath to listen. He
called zinca sampalis. No answer. Suddenly

3091
04:53:02.560 --> 04:53:07.279
he heard low voices in a path
known as the alley of the Sarcophagus,

3092
04:53:07.799 --> 04:53:12.840
and thither he bent his steps.
The sullen light fell through a gap in

3093
04:53:12.880 --> 04:53:18.959
the leafy wall on simply and Zinka
seated on a bench, hand in hand

3094
04:53:18.040 --> 04:53:25.479
and talking familiarly, forgetful of all
the world. Besides, Zinka was the

3095
04:53:25.599 --> 04:53:30.959
first to see him, she was
not in the least disconcerted. Oh,

3096
04:53:30.080 --> 04:53:34.520
Uncle Kilinga, she exclaimed, Mamma
is waiting for me. I dare say,

3097
04:53:34.919 --> 04:53:41.279
but do not scold me. I
entreat you. Thank God for those

3098
04:53:41.360 --> 04:53:47.360
happy, innocent eyes that looked so
frankly into his on purity like hers.

3099
04:53:47.479 --> 04:53:52.799
Skiroko could have no power. No, he could not be angry with her,

3100
04:53:52.400 --> 04:54:00.200
but he SAMPLI cried the old man, indignantly. What possesses you?

3101
04:54:00.680 --> 04:54:04.240
I have at length made up my
mind to be happy, said simply,

3102
04:54:04.319 --> 04:54:10.040
with feeling, and he raised Zinka's
hand to his lips. That is all.

3103
04:54:11.680 --> 04:54:15.439
And I ought not to have forgiven
him so easily all te murmured Zinka,

3104
04:54:15.759 --> 04:54:22.880
quailing at the general's stern frown,
and her head drooped. Zinka has

3105
04:54:22.919 --> 04:54:26.680
been missed. You know how spiteful
people are, exclaimed Vanklinga, angrily,

3106
04:54:27.040 --> 04:54:34.720
ignoring the sentimentality of the situation,
simply interrupted him with vehement irritation. What

3107
04:54:34.799 --> 04:54:38.279
I should like to do, he
said, half to himself, is to

3108
04:54:38.319 --> 04:54:44.240
go straight back to the ball room
and tell my most intimate friends at once

3109
04:54:44.319 --> 04:54:48.959
of our engagement. But even as
he spoke, he reconsidered the matter.

3110
04:54:49.000 --> 04:54:53.000
But I cannot, he went on. Unfortunately I cannot. I must,

3111
04:54:53.040 --> 04:54:56.240
even in trade you, Zinka,
to keep it a secret, even from

3112
04:54:56.279 --> 04:55:03.560
your own household. Come at once
with me, said the General dryly.

3113
04:55:03.040 --> 04:55:07.319
My carriage is waiting in the piazza. If I am not mistaken, there

3114
04:55:07.360 --> 04:55:11.479
is a little gate here which leads
on to it. A yes, here

3115
04:55:11.479 --> 04:55:15.240
it is. I will tell your
mother, so that others shall hear it,

3116
04:55:15.560 --> 04:55:18.919
that you felt ill and left before
the contien began, and that lady

3117
04:55:19.040 --> 04:55:25.520
Julia took you home. When Zinka
was safely on her way to the palacetto

3118
04:55:25.599 --> 04:55:30.360
in charge of the General's trusty old
coachman, the two men looked each other

3119
04:55:30.400 --> 04:55:37.360
in the face. Outrageous growled the
General furiously simply turned upon him. Quickly,

3120
04:55:38.439 --> 04:55:41.720
think what you will of me,
he said, But do not let

3121
04:55:41.759 --> 04:55:47.040
the shadow of a suspicion rest on
Zinca. You know that if you hold

3122
04:55:47.119 --> 04:55:53.000
up across to the devil himself,
his power is quelled without answering a word.

3123
04:55:53.200 --> 04:55:59.240
The general hurried past Sempalis and straight
into the ball room, but he

3124
04:55:59.360 --> 04:56:03.319
found time to look behind him the
alcove door leading into the garden. In

3125
04:56:03.360 --> 04:56:07.200
the ball room, he was met
by the Baroness, who anxiously asked him,

3126
04:56:08.040 --> 04:56:14.919
where Zinca have you seen Zinka.
Zinka felt shaken and upset by her

3127
04:56:14.959 --> 04:56:18.360
fall. She went away a long
time since with Lady Julia, who took

3128
04:56:18.360 --> 04:56:23.520
her home. He spoke very distinctly
and in French, so that several persons

3129
04:56:23.520 --> 04:56:27.919
who were standing near might hear him. She might have let me know,

3130
04:56:29.639 --> 04:56:34.119
exclaimed the Baroness. Peevishly. We
looked for you, but could nowhere find

3131
04:56:34.159 --> 04:56:38.959
you, said the general. Never
in his life before had he told a

3132
04:56:40.040 --> 04:56:47.360
lie at some unearthly hour. The
next morning, he called on Lady Julia

3133
04:56:47.439 --> 04:56:52.000
to confide to her the whole mystery
of the night's adventure. That she might

3134
04:56:52.040 --> 04:56:56.119
not contradict his story. As he
had actually put Zinka into her carriage,

3135
04:56:56.240 --> 04:57:02.599
there seemed to be no other danger. Though she disliked the falsehood as much

3136
04:57:02.639 --> 04:57:06.799
as he did, she was quite
ready to confirm the fiction. At the

3137
04:57:06.840 --> 04:57:11.680
same time, she could not help
saying again and again, poor little thing.

3138
04:57:11.279 --> 04:57:17.680
I hope it may all come right. And of Part three, Chapter

3139
04:57:17.799 --> 04:57:27.680
two, Part three, Chapter three
of Our Own set by Osipshubin, translated

3140
04:57:27.720 --> 04:57:33.639
by Clara Belle. This Libervox recording
is in the public domain. Recording by

3141
04:57:33.720 --> 04:57:41.720
Caroline. Part three, Chapter three, Dearest Zinka, my own sweet love.

3142
04:57:41.319 --> 04:57:45.360
My brother arrived in Rome last night. He is on his way to

3143
04:57:45.439 --> 04:57:51.880
Australia, and I am thankful to
say stays only a few days. So

3144
04:57:52.080 --> 04:57:56.279
long as he is here, I
must make every sacrifice and hardly see you

3145
04:57:56.360 --> 04:58:00.400
at all, for he must know
nothing of our engagement. Now shall I

3146
04:58:00.520 --> 04:58:04.959
tell you the real, sordid reason
why I cannot speak to him of my

3147
04:58:06.080 --> 04:58:11.840
happiness during these last few miserable weeks, simply and solely to kill the time.

3148
04:58:12.200 --> 04:58:17.439
I have gambled and have always been
unlucky, and I have got deeply

3149
04:58:17.520 --> 04:58:22.279
into debt. My brother will pay, as he always has done, so

3150
04:58:22.479 --> 04:58:27.720
long as the conditions remain unchanged.
But however, it is not a matter

3151
04:58:27.759 --> 04:58:33.439
to write about believe this much,
only that his narrow views can never affect

3152
04:58:33.520 --> 04:58:38.200
my feelings towards you, though I
may seem to yield, for I think

3153
04:58:38.240 --> 04:58:45.159
it useless to provoke his antagonism.
As soon as he has sailed, there

3154
04:58:45.240 --> 04:58:48.680
will be nothing in the way of
our engagement, and we will be married

3155
04:58:48.720 --> 04:58:53.959
immediately. To an accomplished fact,
he must surrender if I possibly can.

3156
04:58:55.159 --> 04:58:59.599
I will see you this evening at
the palacett door, just to have one

3157
04:58:59.720 --> 04:59:03.400
kid sent a loving word, till
then I can only implore you to keep

3158
04:59:03.400 --> 04:59:14.000
this absolutely secret. You're perfectly devoted
NS. This was the note that Zinka

3159
04:59:14.119 --> 04:59:18.959
received the morning after the ball,
as she was breakfasting alone in her own

3160
04:59:18.080 --> 04:59:25.319
room rather than usual, but with
a convalescent appetite. The color mounted to

3161
04:59:25.400 --> 04:59:30.479
her cheeks and her eyes flushed indignantly. Coldness and neglect she had borne,

3162
04:59:30.720 --> 04:59:37.119
But the meanness and weakness, the
moral cowardice that his note betrayed, degraded

3163
04:59:37.200 --> 04:59:42.400
him in her eyes till she almost
scorned him. She felt as though a

3164
04:59:42.479 --> 04:59:48.639
sudden glare had shown her the real
sempaly, as though the man she loved

3165
04:59:48.799 --> 04:59:52.759
was not he but someone else.
The man she had loved was a lofty,

3166
04:59:52.840 --> 04:59:57.840
young god who had chosen to descend
from his high estate to break the

3167
04:59:57.880 --> 05:00:03.919
heart of an insignific vant girl who
ought to have thought herself happy, only

3168
05:00:03.000 --> 05:00:08.360
to have gazed upon him. But
this was a boneless, nerveless mortal who

3169
05:00:08.439 --> 05:00:14.560
could stoop to pity subterfuge for fear
of having to face the wrath of his

3170
05:00:14.759 --> 05:00:19.680
brother. She was furious. All
the pride that had been crushed into silence

3171
05:00:19.720 --> 05:00:25.720
by her dejection was roused to arms. She went to her desk and Rhodes

3172
05:00:25.720 --> 05:00:30.479
as follows. I am prepared to
marry you in defiance of your brother's will,

3173
05:00:30.720 --> 05:00:36.040
but I could never think of becoming
your wife behind his back. I

3174
05:00:36.080 --> 05:00:38.919
am ready to defy him, but
I do not choose to cheat him.

3175
05:00:40.200 --> 05:00:42.799
It is of no use to come
to the house this evening unless you are

3176
05:00:42.880 --> 05:00:48.360
quite clear on this point. I
could not think of marrying you unless I

3177
05:00:48.400 --> 05:00:53.639
were perfectly sure that I was more
indispensable to your happiness than your brother's good

3178
05:00:53.759 --> 05:01:00.240
will. You must therefore consider yourself
released from every tie, and regard out

3179
05:01:00.279 --> 05:01:03.560
the words you spoke yesterday in a
moment of excitement, as if faced from

3180
05:01:03.560 --> 05:01:11.919
my memory. Ever, yours,
Zinkastiatzo Zinca enclosed this peremptory note in an

3181
05:01:12.040 --> 05:01:17.119
envelope, addressed it rang for her
maid, and desired her to have it

3182
05:01:17.240 --> 05:01:22.319
sent immediately to the Palazzo di Vinizia. And shall I say there's an answer,

3183
05:01:22.720 --> 05:01:29.479
asked the girl. No, said
Zinka shortly. No. Sooner had

3184
05:01:29.479 --> 05:01:33.919
the maid gone on her errand than
the helpless Zinka felt utterly wretched, and

3185
05:01:33.040 --> 05:01:38.439
almost repented of having written so indignantly. She might have said all that was

3186
05:01:38.479 --> 05:01:45.319
in the note without expressing herself so
bitterly she thought the words over knit.

3187
05:01:45.400 --> 05:01:48.439
Her brows, shook her head,
and at that moment her eye fell on

3188
05:01:48.520 --> 05:01:52.520
another letter, which had been brought
to her with some palice, and which

3189
05:01:52.560 --> 05:01:57.479
she had forgotten to open. She
saw that the writing was Trains. She

3190
05:01:57.599 --> 05:02:03.400
hastily read the note, which which
was a short one. Dear Zinca,

3191
05:02:03.080 --> 05:02:07.040
my poor little girl has been much
worse, and the doctor gives me very

3192
05:02:07.040 --> 05:02:12.520
little hope. She constantly asks for
you, both when she is conscious and

3193
05:02:12.639 --> 05:02:18.080
in her delirium, Come to her, if you can, your old friend

3194
05:02:18.680 --> 05:02:26.599
train p s. It is nothing
catching inflammation of the lungs. Zinca started

3195
05:02:26.680 --> 05:02:32.200
up. She forgot everything, her
happiness, her grave, simply himself,

3196
05:02:32.639 --> 05:02:40.840
remembering only Trene's indefatigable kindness and the
sorrow that threatened him. Nothing catching,

3197
05:02:41.159 --> 05:02:45.720
she repeated to herself, Poor man, he thinks of others even now,

3198
05:02:45.080 --> 05:02:52.119
it is just like him. While
I I She colored deeply, for she

3199
05:02:52.200 --> 05:02:56.000
recollected how that evening the child had
sat shivering by her side, and she

3200
05:02:56.040 --> 05:03:02.880
had not noticed it. I had
my head turned by a kind word from

3201
05:03:03.000 --> 05:03:08.240
him, she thought, vexed with
her own folly. In a very few

3202
05:03:08.279 --> 05:03:14.680
minutes, she was hurrying across the
corso towards the Piazza d' spanna. Her

3203
05:03:14.720 --> 05:03:18.959
mate had some difficulty in keeping up
with her. Zinca almost flew, heeding

3204
05:03:19.000 --> 05:03:23.959
nothing and looking at no one,
till in the Piazza d' spanna she came

3205
05:03:25.040 --> 05:03:29.279
upon a group of persons coming out
of the Hotel de Landre and felt a

3206
05:03:29.360 --> 05:03:34.080
light hand on her arm. Looking
around, she saw Nimi. Good morning.

3207
05:03:34.479 --> 05:03:38.520
Where are you off to in such
a hurry? Asked the young countess

3208
05:03:38.639 --> 05:03:45.040
pleasantly. Good morning, said Zinca
hastily. I am in a great hurry.

3209
05:03:45.159 --> 05:03:48.520
I am going to the Hotel de
la Robe. Gabriel tren is very

3210
05:03:48.560 --> 05:03:52.400
ill. She wants to see me. But at this moment Zinca perceived a

3211
05:03:52.560 --> 05:03:59.560
tall, broad shouldered man with a
very handsome face and haughty expression, standing

3212
05:03:59.599 --> 05:04:03.680
close to Nini. He was gazing
at her with perfectly well bred admiration,

3213
05:04:04.200 --> 05:04:11.200
and Nini introduced him as Prince Sempaali. Then she saw that Nicholas Sempali was

3214
05:04:11.400 --> 05:04:17.119
just behind with Polisenna. His eyes
met hers with a passionate flash, but

3215
05:04:17.240 --> 05:04:22.680
he only bowed with distant formality.
Zinca had no time to think about his

3216
05:04:22.880 --> 05:04:27.159
manner. She was hardly conscious of
his presence. All she felt was that

3217
05:04:27.279 --> 05:04:33.080
she was being detained. You must
excuse me, she said, smiling an

3218
05:04:33.080 --> 05:04:37.840
apology to Nmi and shaking hands warmly
with her, without stopping to think of

3219
05:04:37.919 --> 05:04:44.919
the formalities of caste. Poor Count
Trine is expecting me, and she hurried

3220
05:04:44.959 --> 05:04:51.439
on again. Who is that sweet
looking girl, Nini asked the prince,

3221
05:04:52.000 --> 05:04:59.119
For of course you omitted to mention
her name. Freulanche d'atz, replied Nemi,

3222
05:04:59.439 --> 05:05:04.919
the sister of one of the secretaries
to the embassy. Schtatzer repeated the

3223
05:05:04.959 --> 05:05:14.880
prince somewhat flatly. Ze Naidatze said
Polissenna over her shoulder, But the ironical

3224
05:05:14.959 --> 05:05:19.520
accent emphasis she laid on the odd
mixture of the romantic and the commonplace was

3225
05:05:19.799 --> 05:05:25.959
thrown away upon Prince Sempali, who
was much too fine a gentleman to laugh

3226
05:05:26.000 --> 05:05:30.959
at his inferiors. All he said
was Schtatzer. I seem to know the

3227
05:05:32.040 --> 05:05:37.240
name Schtatzer. I served for a
time under a Colonel Schdatzel of the Uhlans.

3228
05:05:37.720 --> 05:05:44.240
He was a very superior man.
Zinka, meanwhile, was flying onto

3229
05:05:44.279 --> 05:05:48.880
the Hotel de la Rope. In
the sun flooded courtyard stood two rose trays,

3230
05:05:48.919 --> 05:05:53.279
a white and a red. Two
brown, curly headed little boys were

3231
05:05:53.360 --> 05:05:59.400
fighting a duel with walking sticks.
In a shady corner. Two English families

3232
05:05:59.400 --> 05:06:03.919
were a packing themselves into rum Milandorus
for an excursion, and sending the servants

3233
05:06:03.959 --> 05:06:10.119
in and out to fetch things that
they had forgotten. The air was full

3234
05:06:10.159 --> 05:06:15.240
of the scent of roses and sunshine
and laughter. But one of the English

3235
05:06:15.240 --> 05:06:19.560
women hushed her companion, who had
laughed rather loudly, and pointing up to

3236
05:06:19.680 --> 05:06:26.400
one of the windows, said,
remember the sick child. A cold chill

3237
05:06:26.560 --> 05:06:33.799
phelon Zinka's hart. She ran up
the familiar stairs in Troyne's drawing rooms at

3238
05:06:33.880 --> 05:06:41.720
Gabriel's English governess, anxious but helpless, may I go in? Asked Zinka.

3239
05:06:42.200 --> 05:06:47.479
No, wait a minute, the
doctor's there. At this moment Troyne

3240
05:06:47.560 --> 05:06:52.680
came out of the child's room with
doctor e the German physician, and conducted

3241
05:06:52.759 --> 05:06:57.840
him downstairs. Train had the fixed
carom white face of a man who is

3242
05:06:57.880 --> 05:07:04.520
accustomed to his sorrows alone. When
he returned, he went up to zinc

3243
05:07:04.639 --> 05:07:11.400
and took her hand. She asks
for you constantly, he said, But

3244
05:07:11.720 --> 05:07:15.040
do you think you can prevent her, seeing that you are unhappy and alarmed.

3245
05:07:17.919 --> 05:07:22.479
Yes, indeed you may trust me, said Zinca, bravely, wiping

3246
05:07:22.520 --> 05:07:26.759
away her tears, and she went
into the child's room as silent and bright

3247
05:07:26.919 --> 05:07:40.159
as a sunbeam. And of Part
three, chapter three, Part three,

3248
05:07:40.319 --> 05:07:45.040
chapter four of our Own set by
of Subshubin, translated by Clara Belle.

3249
05:07:45.400 --> 05:07:52.200
This LibriVox recording is in the public
domain recording by Carolyn Part three, chapter

3250
05:07:52.319 --> 05:07:57.840
four. Someone must have seen zinc
And simply in the course of their moonlight

3251
05:07:57.959 --> 05:08:03.799
walk, or else have found out
something about it in spite of the general's

3252
05:08:03.919 --> 05:08:10.080
precautions. This was made evident by
an article which came out on the Friday

3253
05:08:10.159 --> 05:08:17.400
after the ball in a French society
paper published weekly in Rome. The title

3254
05:08:17.439 --> 05:08:23.560
of the article was a Moonlight Contillore. It began with an exact description of

3255
05:08:23.680 --> 05:08:32.319
Zinca, of whom it spoke as
Freulein z A s dash L, the

3256
05:08:32.479 --> 05:08:37.439
sister of a secretary in the Austrian
Embassy, referred to the sensation produced by

3257
05:08:37.439 --> 05:08:42.639
her appearance as Lady Jane Gray,
spoke of her as an elegant adventuress,

3258
05:08:44.119 --> 05:08:51.040
a professional beauty, and hinted at
her various unsuccessful schemes for winning a princely

3259
05:08:51.240 --> 05:08:56.680
coronet, schemes which had culminated in
a moonlight walk a few nights since during

3260
05:08:56.720 --> 05:09:02.959
a ball at the house of a
distinguished member of Roman society, and which

3261
05:09:03.000 --> 05:09:07.720
had outdone in audacity all that had
ever been known to the Coronique Scandalus of

3262
05:09:07.959 --> 05:09:12.599
Rome. Will she earn her reward
in the form of a cornet? And

3263
05:09:12.759 --> 05:09:19.240
will the pages of High Life ere
long announce a fashionable marriage in which this

3264
05:09:19.360 --> 05:09:26.639
young lady will fill a part that
is the question? So the article ended

3265
05:09:27.360 --> 05:09:32.840
High Life. This was the name
of the paper graced by this effusion,

3266
05:09:33.479 --> 05:09:40.080
was scouted, abused, and condemned
by everybody, covidly maintained by several,

3267
05:09:40.479 --> 05:09:45.959
and read by most with disgust and
indignation. It is true, but still

3268
05:09:45.159 --> 05:09:51.599
read on this fateful Friday, every
copy of High Life was sold in no

3269
05:09:51.759 --> 05:09:56.759
time, and before the sun had
said, Zinca's name was in every mouth.

3270
05:09:57.200 --> 05:10:03.520
What said the world of Rome?
Lady Julia cried, had some tea,

3271
05:10:03.599 --> 05:10:07.919
and went to bid. Mister Ellis
said shocking, assured his wife that

3272
05:10:08.000 --> 05:10:14.439
he was convinced of Zinka's innocence and
that it would certainly triumph over a calumny,

3273
05:10:15.080 --> 05:10:18.560
after which she quietly went about his
business and spent two whole hours in

3274
05:10:18.680 --> 05:10:26.159
practicing a difficult passage on the concertina. It was the Brawers, the Setzel's

3275
05:10:26.240 --> 05:10:32.959
old neighbors before mentioned, who contributed
chiefly to the diffusion of the article,

3276
05:10:33.479 --> 05:10:38.439
supplementing it with their own comments.
They had some acquaintance among the cream of

3277
05:10:38.720 --> 05:10:42.720
Rome, though they had not been
invited to the ball at the Braco Leone

3278
05:10:42.840 --> 05:10:49.840
Palace. Frau Brauers assumed a tone
of perfidious compassion. It was a terrible

3279
05:10:49.880 --> 05:10:55.400
affair for a young girl's reputation,
though for her part, she could see

3280
05:10:55.439 --> 05:11:00.520
nothing extraordinary in the moonlight wandering with
an intimate friend her husband, to whom

3281
05:11:00.520 --> 05:11:07.080
the Scheedzel family had paid very little
attention. The baroness out of conceit and

3282
05:11:07.200 --> 05:11:12.599
sesilent Zinca, because he was in
fact intolerably affected, pompuous, and patronizing,

3283
05:11:14.119 --> 05:11:18.680
said with a sneering smile that he
had never seen anything to admire in

3284
05:11:18.759 --> 05:11:25.119
that little adventuress, with her free
and easy innocence, pushing herself into society.

3285
05:11:25.200 --> 05:11:30.159
She was not born too. She
had always thought it most unbecoming,

3286
05:11:30.439 --> 05:11:33.520
and it must be a pleasant thing. Indeed, for the Duchess of Bracolione

3287
05:11:33.919 --> 05:11:38.799
to have such a scandalous business take
place in her house. She would be

3288
05:11:38.880 --> 05:11:45.400
more careful for the future whom she
invited. Madame de Gondri and Missus Ferguson

3289
05:11:45.520 --> 05:11:51.599
thought the article very amusingly written,
not that they would ever have said a

3290
05:11:51.639 --> 05:11:56.520
word about such a piece of imprudence, for really, no one was safe

3291
05:11:56.200 --> 05:12:00.080
to be sure. Any evil that
might be written again them would be a

3292
05:12:00.119 --> 05:12:06.119
lie, a pure invention, which, in Zinca's case was quite unnecessary.

3293
05:12:06.840 --> 05:12:10.840
So they sent the paper round to
all their friends as a warning against a

3294
05:12:10.919 --> 05:12:18.919
rushing into acquaintance with strangers. One
cannot be too careful. Zinc had seemed

3295
05:12:18.959 --> 05:12:22.159
to them suspicious from the first,
for after all, she was not the

3296
05:12:22.360 --> 05:12:30.360
real thing. All these spiteful and
cruel insinuations. They even ventured to utter

3297
05:12:30.400 --> 05:12:37.240
in the presence of Princess Vulpini in
the General's atlier, the spot where all

3298
05:12:37.319 --> 05:12:42.319
that circle concentrated whenever anything had occurred
to excite or startle it, and they

3299
05:12:42.400 --> 05:12:48.759
made the princess furious. I am
an Austrian myself, she said, and

3300
05:12:49.000 --> 05:12:53.959
was brought up with ideas of exclusiveness, which are as much above suspicion as

3301
05:12:55.119 --> 05:13:00.560
they are beyond your comprehension. I
am strictly conservative in all mine views.

3302
05:13:00.959 --> 05:13:06.799
But Zinca is elect by nature,
an exceptional creature before whom all such laws

3303
05:13:06.880 --> 05:13:11.439
give way. I should have regarded
it as pure folly to sacrifice the pleasure

3304
05:13:11.439 --> 05:13:18.759
of her acquaintance for the sake of
a social dogma. Exceptions always fair badly,

3305
05:13:19.520 --> 05:13:26.560
murmured the General. Contesse Ilsenberg,
who was as strict on points of

3306
05:13:26.639 --> 05:13:30.919
honor as she was on matters of
etiquette, was deeply aggraved by the article.

3307
05:13:32.560 --> 05:13:37.279
She expressed herself briefly but strongly on
the subject of the freedom of the

3308
05:13:37.360 --> 05:13:42.680
press, and confessed that whether Zinca
were innocent or guilty, things looked very

3309
05:13:42.759 --> 05:13:49.200
ugly for Sempalis. The Count rushed
into eloquence, giving an exhaustive discourse on

3310
05:13:49.279 --> 05:13:56.000
the whole social question. Princess Vulpini
is quite right, he said, for

3311
05:13:56.159 --> 05:14:03.520
lanchdeat'sl is a bewitching creature, quite
a and if any departure from traditional law

3312
05:14:03.639 --> 05:14:07.240
is ever permissible, it would be
so in her case. But the general

3313
05:14:07.360 --> 05:14:12.360
is too right. Exceptions must always
fare badly in the world, and we

3314
05:14:12.400 --> 05:14:18.240
cannot endanger the very essence and being
of social stability in order to improve the

3315
05:14:18.319 --> 05:14:25.919
position of any single individual. Above
all, we must never create a precedent,

3316
05:14:26.000 --> 05:14:32.119
and he proceeded to enlarge on the
horrible consequences which must result from such

3317
05:14:32.159 --> 05:14:37.680
a mixture of classes, referred to
the example of France, and proposed the

3318
05:14:37.720 --> 05:14:44.159
introduction of the Hindu system of caste
in its strictest application, as a further

3319
05:14:44.279 --> 05:14:49.360
bulwark for the protection of society in
Europe and the coercion of ambitious spirits.

3320
05:14:51.200 --> 05:14:56.759
His wife, at this juncture objected
that European society had not yet reached such

3321
05:14:56.840 --> 05:15:03.040
a summit of absolute exclusiveness as he
would assume, and that consequently, what

3322
05:15:03.319 --> 05:15:08.200
was immediately needed was not any such
far reaching scheme for its protection, but

3323
05:15:08.319 --> 05:15:15.520
some plan for dealing with the disagreeable
circumstances in which its imperfection had at this

3324
05:15:15.680 --> 05:15:21.439
time placed them. He replied that
the matter lay in a nutshell. Either

3325
05:15:21.599 --> 05:15:26.439
the story in High Life was a
lie, in which case Sempaly had nothing

3326
05:15:26.479 --> 05:15:30.959
to do but to deny it categorically, to prove an alibi at the hour

3327
05:15:30.119 --> 05:15:37.080
mentioned, and to horsewhip the editor
or the facts stated were true. And

3328
05:15:37.279 --> 05:15:42.400
then, under the circumstances there was
nothing for it. But the lady's previous

3329
05:15:42.479 --> 05:15:49.000
character was quite above suspicion. There
was nothing for it but and he shrugged

3330
05:15:49.000 --> 05:15:56.279
his shoulders. But to make free
Lanche d'azzel contesse, Sempaly, cried Madame

3331
05:15:56.319 --> 05:16:00.919
de Gondri. Well, I must
say, I do think it rather too

3332
05:16:00.000 --> 05:16:04.799
much to give an adventurous little chit
a coronet as a reward for sheer imprudence.

3333
05:16:06.439 --> 05:16:08.319
But I beg your pardon. General, I had forgotten that you are

3334
05:16:08.360 --> 05:16:15.279
a friend of the family, and
I exclaimed the General, beside himself and

3335
05:16:15.400 --> 05:16:21.200
quite pale with rage. I,
Madame, was within an ace of forgetting

3336
05:16:21.240 --> 05:16:27.479
that I was listening to a lady
princess. Wilpini interposed you yourself, said

3337
05:16:27.560 --> 05:16:33.400
Madame, that he had always avoided
any acquaintance with Zinca. Now I have

3338
05:16:33.639 --> 05:16:37.880
known her intimately and seen her almost
every day. I have observed her demeanor

3339
05:16:37.959 --> 05:16:42.520
with Min, with young Min,
and heard her conversation with other girls.

3340
05:16:42.799 --> 05:16:48.200
And I can assure you that the
word imprudence is no more applicable to her

3341
05:16:48.319 --> 05:16:52.959
conduct than to that of my little
girl of three. And if she did,

3342
05:16:52.000 --> 05:16:56.599
in fact go into the garden with
my cousin the knight of the ball,

3343
05:16:56.959 --> 05:17:02.720
it is a proof simply of romantic
thoughtlessness, of such perfect, unsuspicious

3344
05:17:02.759 --> 05:17:07.520
innocence that it ought of itself to
protect her against slander. I spent last

3345
05:17:07.599 --> 05:17:11.119
night with Zinka by the bedside of
my little niece, who is ill,

3346
05:17:11.400 --> 05:17:17.040
And no girl with a stain on
her conscience could look so sweetly pure,

3347
05:17:17.560 --> 05:17:22.479
or a smile with such childlike sincerity. I would put my hand in the

3348
05:17:22.560 --> 05:17:30.119
fire for her spotless innocence. The
princess spoke with such dignity and warmth,

3349
05:17:30.360 --> 05:17:34.919
and while she spoke, she fixed
such a scathing eye on Madame de Gondriy

3350
05:17:36.360 --> 05:17:40.959
that the frenchwoman abashed, and in
spite of herself, could only mutter some

3351
05:17:41.119 --> 05:17:45.959
incoherent answer, and with a drew
with missus Ferguson in her awake. The

3352
05:17:47.040 --> 05:17:52.560
four Austrians were alone. The person
who puzzles me in this business, said

3353
05:17:52.560 --> 05:17:59.520
the princess is Nicki Sampali. As
soon as this wretched paper came into my

3354
05:17:59.680 --> 05:18:03.360
hands, I sent it to his
rooms. There I heard that he had

3355
05:18:03.400 --> 05:18:07.119
just gone out with the Jatinskis.
I went to the Hotel Delorope to talk

3356
05:18:07.159 --> 05:18:11.599
it over with my brother, but
he had gone to lie down, and

3357
05:18:11.639 --> 05:18:15.599
I had not the heart to wake
him. Besides, he could have done

3358
05:18:15.639 --> 05:18:19.240
no good, and I could not
bear to disturb his happiness over his child's

3359
05:18:19.240 --> 05:18:26.119
amendment. So I came to unburden
my heart to you. General. Simply

3360
05:18:26.200 --> 05:18:32.360
cannot have seen it yet, suggested
Elzenburg. The princess shrugged her shoulders.

3361
05:18:32.840 --> 05:18:37.919
Comtesse Ilzenburg once more expressed her opinion
that it was a very unpleasant affair and

3362
05:18:37.959 --> 05:18:42.200
that she had foreseen it all from
the first, after which, finding that

3363
05:18:42.240 --> 05:18:48.479
it would be difficult to prevent her
husband from delivering another lecture, she arose

3364
05:18:48.639 --> 05:18:53.639
to go. Had this instant Prince
Vulpini came into the studio with a beaming

3365
05:18:53.799 --> 05:18:59.439
countenance. Ah, here you are. I saw the carriage at the door

3366
05:18:59.439 --> 05:19:04.360
as I was passing. Have you
heard the latest news. Simply is engaged

3367
05:19:04.439 --> 05:19:11.279
to Zinca, cried his wife.
No, cried the Prince. The wind

3368
05:19:11.360 --> 05:19:18.000
last night tore down the national flag
on the coirinal. Hurrah for the Tramontana.

3369
05:19:18.479 --> 05:19:23.000
A few minutes later, the General
was alone. After a moment's hesitation,

3370
05:19:23.200 --> 05:19:27.240
he took up his hat and hurried
off to the palacetto to see how

3371
05:19:27.319 --> 05:19:33.119
madters stood there. He was one
of those who had been the latest to

3372
05:19:33.200 --> 05:19:37.360
hear of the slenderer's article, and
at the same time to be the most

3373
05:19:37.520 --> 05:19:42.119
deeply wounded by it. But perhaps
by this time simply had engaged himself to

3374
05:19:42.200 --> 05:19:48.799
Zinca, he said to himself,
and he hastened his pace. It was

3375
05:19:48.959 --> 05:19:55.119
the baroness's day at home. This
silly woman was sitting dressed and displayed a

3376
05:19:55.119 --> 05:19:59.840
gray glove on one hand, while
with the other she pretended to arrange it

3377
05:20:00.080 --> 05:20:06.319
dish of bombones. How kind of
you, she exclaimed. As the General

3378
05:20:06.439 --> 05:20:11.639
entered the room, the stereotyped formula
came piping out of her thin lips without

3379
05:20:11.680 --> 05:20:18.319
the smallest variation to every fresh visitor, as chilling and as colorless as snow.

3380
05:20:21.119 --> 05:20:25.959
He had hardly greeted the baroness when
he looked around for Zinka at first,

3381
05:20:26.040 --> 05:20:30.479
without seeing her. It was not
till a bright voice exclaimed, here,

3382
05:20:30.520 --> 05:20:34.479
I am uncle, Come and give
me a kiss that he discovered her

3383
05:20:34.759 --> 05:20:40.240
in the darkest corner of the room, leaning back in a deep armchair and

3384
05:20:40.360 --> 05:20:47.720
looking rather tired and sleepy, but
wonderfully pretty and unwontedly happy. I am

3385
05:20:47.799 --> 05:20:52.400
so tired, so tired, you
cannot think how tired I am, she

3386
05:20:52.560 --> 05:20:57.560
said, laying his hand coaxingly against
her cheek. And Mamma, is so

3387
05:20:57.799 --> 05:21:02.439
cruel as to insist on my staying
in the drawing room, because it is

3388
05:21:02.479 --> 05:21:06.159
her day at home. And I
was sound asleep when you came in.

3389
05:21:06.439 --> 05:21:11.400
For Thank Heaven, we have had
no visitors yet. I sat with Gabriel

3390
05:21:11.520 --> 05:21:15.959
all last night and the night before
without closing my eyes. But then I

3391
05:21:15.080 --> 05:21:19.240
was so glad to think that the
little pet would not take her medicine from

3392
05:21:19.279 --> 05:21:22.919
any one but me, And last
night, at length, in the middle

3393
05:21:22.919 --> 05:21:27.720
of one of my stories, she
fell asleep on my shoulder. But then,

3394
05:21:27.759 --> 05:21:32.240
in order not to disturb her,
I sat quite still for six hours.

3395
05:21:32.799 --> 05:21:36.159
I felt as if I had been
nailed to a cross and to day.

3396
05:21:36.200 --> 05:21:40.319
I am so stiff, I can
hardly move. And she stretched her

3397
05:21:40.439 --> 05:21:45.840
arms and curled herself into her chair
again with the pretty caressing action of her

3398
05:21:45.880 --> 05:21:51.639
shoulders. You ought to have stayed
in bed, said the general paternally.

3399
05:21:52.520 --> 05:21:56.119
Oh, dear, no, why
I slept on till quite late in the

3400
05:21:56.159 --> 05:22:00.200
morning. Besides my being tired is
of no real import. Utens the great

3401
05:22:00.279 --> 05:22:04.959
pointers that Gabriel is out of danger. Oh if anything had happened to her,

3402
05:22:06.599 --> 05:22:10.919
and she shuddered, I cannot bear
to think of it. Count Trayne

3403
05:22:11.040 --> 05:22:15.799
is firmly convinced that I have contributed
in some mysterious way to the child's amendment.

3404
05:22:15.240 --> 05:22:19.119
And when I came away this morning, he kissed my hands in gratitude,

3405
05:22:19.360 --> 05:22:23.759
as if I had been the Holy
Bambino himself. I laughed and cried

3406
05:22:23.840 --> 05:22:29.319
both at once. And now I
am so happy. My heart feels as

3407
05:22:29.400 --> 05:22:33.880
light as one of those air balls
the children carried tight by a string,

3408
05:22:33.360 --> 05:22:37.680
that they may not fly off up
to the clouds. But why do you

3409
05:22:37.720 --> 05:22:40.639
look so grave? Are you not
as glad as I am? Uncle?

3410
05:22:40.720 --> 05:22:45.479
That the baroness, who had been
looking at her watch here, expressed her

3411
05:22:45.560 --> 05:22:51.959
surprise that not a living soul had
come near them to day. You are

3412
05:22:52.040 --> 05:22:56.439
evidently not a living soul. Uncle, nothing but my dear grumpy old friend,

3413
05:22:56.959 --> 05:23:02.840
said Zinca, with her pathetic little
laugh. There was something peculiarly caressing

3414
05:23:02.880 --> 05:23:07.799
and touching about her to day.
The old man's eyes were moist and his

3415
05:23:07.040 --> 05:23:12.880
heart bled for the sweet child.
Outside the door, they heard a heavy

3416
05:23:12.919 --> 05:23:18.439
swift step, the step of a
man impressing but crushing trouble. The door

3417
05:23:18.560 --> 05:23:26.200
was torn open, and stazzled breathless
green rather than pale, foaming with rage,

3418
05:23:26.639 --> 05:23:30.880
stomped in a newspaper in his hand. What is the matter, What

3419
05:23:30.959 --> 05:23:36.759
has happened? Cried Zinca, dismayed. He came straight up to her and

3420
05:23:36.840 --> 05:23:42.040
stared at her with dreadful eyes.
Were you really in the garden with sempaly

3421
05:23:42.200 --> 05:23:48.080
during the courtillon? He said hoarsely, Yes, she said, trembling.

3422
05:23:49.439 --> 05:23:55.319
He gave a little start and shuddered, tottered, then pulled himself up and

3423
05:23:55.400 --> 05:24:02.279
flung the newspaper at her feet.
At hers his butterfly. His darling read

3424
05:24:02.360 --> 05:24:07.119
that, he said. Van Klinger
tried to seize the paper, but Shedtzel

3425
05:24:07.200 --> 05:24:12.360
held him with a fan hand.
Eurliniency is out of place, he said,

3426
05:24:12.439 --> 05:24:19.319
dully, she may read anything,
Zinka red. Suddenly she sprang up

3427
05:24:19.360 --> 05:24:23.240
with a cry of horror, and
the paper fell out of her hand.

3428
05:24:25.000 --> 05:24:29.479
Even now she did not understand the
matter. Exactly what was she accused of,

3429
05:24:29.840 --> 05:24:33.439
she did not know, only that
it was something unwomanly and disgraceful,

3430
05:24:34.759 --> 05:24:41.159
Cecil. She began looking into his
face, Cecil, and then she covered

3431
05:24:41.159 --> 05:24:47.040
her face, which from white had
turned crimson, with her hands. He

3432
05:24:47.240 --> 05:24:51.759
meanwhile, had felt the absolute innocence
of the girl, and was repenting of

3433
05:24:51.840 --> 05:24:56.880
his rash and cruel wrath. Zini. He cried, forgive me. I

3434
05:24:57.000 --> 05:25:02.880
was mad with rage, mad,
and he tried to put his arm around

3435
05:25:02.919 --> 05:25:07.599
her, but she held him off. Leave me, Leave me, she

3436
05:25:07.720 --> 05:25:11.000
said, no, I cannot forgive
you, oh Cecil. If all the

3437
05:25:11.040 --> 05:25:15.959
newspapers in the world had said you
had cheated, for instance, do you

3438
05:25:15.080 --> 05:25:21.240
think I should have believed them?
He bent his head before her with certain

3439
05:25:21.319 --> 05:25:26.599
reverence. But this is different,
Zini, he said, very gently.

3440
05:25:26.439 --> 05:25:30.360
I do not say it is an
excuse for myself, but it is different.

3441
05:25:32.080 --> 05:25:34.479
You do not see how different,
because you are a child, an

3442
05:25:34.560 --> 05:25:41.639
angel, poor sweet little butterfly.
And he drew her strongly to his breast

3443
05:25:41.680 --> 05:25:45.240
and laid his lips on the golden
head. She, however, would not

3444
05:25:45.360 --> 05:25:51.599
surrender, and insisted on freeing herself. What on earth is going on?

3445
05:25:52.200 --> 05:25:56.639
The baroness asked again for the twentieth
time, getting even now no reply,

3446
05:25:57.080 --> 05:26:02.000
She picked up the newspaper that was
lying on the floor, caught sight of

3447
05:26:02.080 --> 05:26:06.040
the article, read a few lines
of it, and broke out into railing

3448
05:26:06.159 --> 05:26:11.680
complaints of Zinca, enumerting all the
sins of which Zinca had been guilty from

3449
05:26:11.680 --> 05:26:17.560
her earliest years, and particularly within
her recent memory, and ending with the

3450
05:26:17.639 --> 05:26:22.959
words, and you will ruin,
Cecil, Yet in his career, be

3451
05:26:22.159 --> 05:26:27.360
quiet, mother said Cecil sternly.
My career is not the present question.

3452
05:26:27.919 --> 05:26:33.000
We must think of our honor and
of her happiness. And, leaning over

3453
05:26:33.080 --> 05:26:40.520
the fragile and trembling form of his
sister, he said, imploringly, tell

3454
05:26:40.560 --> 05:26:47.119
me Zeni exactly what happened. She
had freed herself from his clasp and was

3455
05:26:47.319 --> 05:26:52.279
standing before him with her arms folded
across rigid though tremulous, and her voice

3456
05:26:52.400 --> 05:26:57.919
was cold and monotonous as she obeyed
him and gave with naive exactitude her short

3457
05:26:57.959 --> 05:27:03.799
and simple report, blushing as she
spoke. When she had ended cecil drew

3458
05:27:03.959 --> 05:27:10.919
a deep breath, and since that
you have heard nothing of simply, he

3459
05:27:11.000 --> 05:27:15.560
asked. The next morning he sent
me a note, Zinka, do not

3460
05:27:15.720 --> 05:27:21.880
be angry with me. Show me
that note. She left the room and

3461
05:27:21.959 --> 05:27:26.959
soon returned with the letter, which
she handed to Stetze. He read it

3462
05:27:26.080 --> 05:27:32.439
through with great gravity and marked attention. Then, knitting his brows, he

3463
05:27:32.560 --> 05:27:37.840
slowly folded it up and turned it
over. And you, answered him,

3464
05:27:37.119 --> 05:27:44.959
he asked, yes, And what
did you say? Very little that I

3465
05:27:45.000 --> 05:27:49.080
was quite prepared to marry him without
his brother's consent, but behind his brother's

3466
05:27:49.159 --> 05:27:56.159
back. No, in the midst
of his trouble. A flush of pride

3467
05:27:56.319 --> 05:28:02.520
lighted up Stetzel's weary eyes. Bravo, he murmured, and he took his

3468
05:28:02.599 --> 05:28:08.919
answer in silence. Zinca paused to
think, yes, she said, but

3469
05:28:10.159 --> 05:28:14.040
no, he sent me a note
to the Hotel de la Robe. And

3470
05:28:14.119 --> 05:28:18.400
what does he say in that?
I have not read it yet. It

3471
05:28:18.520 --> 05:28:21.880
came just at the moment when Gabriel
was at the worst, and then I

3472
05:28:21.919 --> 05:28:23.959
forgot it. But here it is, and she drew it out of the

3473
05:28:25.040 --> 05:28:30.360
pocket of her blue serge dress.
Sderzel shook his head and glanced with a

3474
05:28:30.400 --> 05:28:33.759
puzzled air at his sister. Then
he opened the note. It was as

3475
05:28:33.799 --> 05:28:41.479
follows, my darling little treasure,
my haughty, indignant little sweetheart. Immediately

3476
05:28:41.520 --> 05:28:45.439
on the receipt of your note,
I rushed to see you. The porter

3477
05:28:45.680 --> 05:28:49.200
told me that you were not at
home, but with your poor little friend

3478
05:28:49.279 --> 05:28:55.080
Gabrielle. Of course, I cannot
think of intruding on you there, though

3479
05:28:55.119 --> 05:28:57.639
I would this day give a few
years of my life for sight of you,

3480
05:28:59.200 --> 05:29:03.279
for one sooner than lose you.
I am ready to throw up everything

3481
05:29:03.799 --> 05:29:08.599
command and I obey, but no, I must be wise for us both.

3482
05:29:08.880 --> 05:29:14.200
I must wait till my affairs are
somewhat in order. There is no

3483
05:29:14.360 --> 05:29:18.560
help for it. I can only
ask your forgiveness. I kiss your hands

3484
05:29:18.599 --> 05:29:22.759
and the hem of your garment.
I am utterly unworthy of you, but

3485
05:29:22.880 --> 05:29:30.599
I love you beyond words, simply. When Sheetzel had read this highly characteristic

3486
05:29:30.720 --> 05:29:37.159
letter, he slowly paced the room
two or three times, and finally stood

3487
05:29:37.200 --> 05:29:41.479
in front of his sister. Then, taking her hand and kissing it fondly,

3488
05:29:41.880 --> 05:29:47.639
he said, forgive me, Zini. I am really proud of you.

3489
05:29:48.119 --> 05:29:52.400
You have behaved like an angel,
but he he is a contemptible sneak.

3490
05:29:55.159 --> 05:29:59.520
But this she could not stand.
I do not defend him, she

3491
05:29:59.599 --> 05:30:03.319
exclaim, vehemently. But at any
rate, he loves me, and he

3492
05:30:03.439 --> 05:30:07.000
understands me. He at any rate, would never have suspected me. And

3493
05:30:07.000 --> 05:30:11.680
and but it was in vain that
she paused for a word. She could

3494
05:30:11.759 --> 05:30:15.880
say nothing more in his favor,
but she called up all her pride,

3495
05:30:15.919 --> 05:30:21.599
and, holding her head very high, she left the room. As soon

3496
05:30:21.639 --> 05:30:27.119
as she was outside, they could
hear her sob convulsively. The Baroness rose

3497
05:30:27.200 --> 05:30:32.880
to follow her, but Cecil stood
in her way. Where are you going,

3498
05:30:33.319 --> 05:30:38.240
he asked sternly to Zinka. I
really must make her see what mischief

3499
05:30:38.319 --> 05:30:42.840
she has done. It is outrageous. Why at thirteen I should have known

3500
05:30:42.919 --> 05:30:48.639
better? She had slid, smiled
bitterly. Very likely, he said,

3501
05:30:49.080 --> 05:30:53.560
But I must beg you to leave
Zinca to herself. She is miserable enough

3502
05:30:53.639 --> 05:31:00.119
without that. And are we to
submit to her heedlessness without even reproving her

3503
05:31:00.200 --> 05:31:06.880
for it? Said the Baroness indignantly. Yes, mother, he said decidedly.

3504
05:31:07.599 --> 05:31:11.200
Our business now is not to reprove
her, but to protect and comfort

3505
05:31:11.240 --> 05:31:18.720
her. Had this junctured dinner was
announced, she yet sell bigged the General

3506
05:31:18.799 --> 05:31:22.560
to remain and dine with them,
for he had he said, several things

3507
05:31:22.599 --> 05:31:29.279
to talk over with him. He
evidently wished above everything to avoid being alone

3508
05:31:29.279 --> 05:31:33.799
with his mother. Before sitting down, he went to Zinka's room to see

3509
05:31:33.799 --> 05:31:37.599
whether she would not eat at least
a little soup. But he came back

3510
05:31:37.720 --> 05:31:42.400
much distressed. She would hardly speak
to me, he said, she is

3511
05:31:42.479 --> 05:31:48.400
quite beside herself, and he himself
sat in silence, eating nothing, drinking

3512
05:31:48.479 --> 05:31:53.919
little, crumbling his bread, and
playing with his napkin. Each time the

3513
05:31:55.000 --> 05:32:00.360
door opened, he looked anxiously around. The meal was short and uncomfortable.

3514
05:32:00.880 --> 05:32:06.200
When they had returned to the drawing
room and were drinking their coffee, the

3515
05:32:06.360 --> 05:32:11.880
servant brought Schatzel a letter cecil.
Took it hastily, looked at the address,

3516
05:32:11.919 --> 05:32:15.880
and, not recognizing the writing,
at last opened it. It contained

3517
05:32:15.959 --> 05:32:23.240
only a half sheet of notepaper with
a cleverly sketched caricature Schedzel himself as auctioneer,

3518
05:32:23.720 --> 05:32:27.439
the hammer in one hand, a
doll in the other, and before

3519
05:32:27.520 --> 05:32:33.680
him the coroneted heads of Rome.
Schedzel at once recognize the likeness, though

3520
05:32:33.720 --> 05:32:40.759
his lank figure was absurdly exaggerated,
and his whole appearance made as grotesque as

3521
05:32:40.799 --> 05:32:45.919
possible. He only shrugged his shoulders
and said, indifferently, does anyone really

3522
05:32:45.959 --> 05:32:49.080
think that such a thing as this
can hurt or vex me? Now,

3523
05:32:49.599 --> 05:32:55.720
look, General, simply no doubt
as the ingenuous artist of this masterpiece.

3524
05:32:56.319 --> 05:33:02.720
The General took the paper and would
have torn across to prevent Sdeazza from examining

3525
05:33:02.720 --> 05:33:07.200
it any further. But before he
could do so, Cecil, looking over

3526
05:33:07.240 --> 05:33:12.119
his shoulder, had snatched it out
of his hand. There's something written on

3527
05:33:12.200 --> 05:33:18.240
it, he said, deciphering the
scribble in one corner in Simplice's weak,

3528
05:33:18.560 --> 05:33:29.840
illegible handwriting. Mademoiselle schdatz going going
gone, Ah, I understand. His

3529
05:33:30.000 --> 05:33:36.720
face grew purple, and he breathed
with difficulty to send you this is contemptible,

3530
05:33:37.080 --> 05:33:41.840
cried the General simply drew this before
he had ever seen Zinca. I

3531
05:33:41.880 --> 05:33:47.240
know it. I was present at
the time. What difference does that make,

3532
05:33:47.599 --> 05:33:51.639
said Schatzl. If this is the
view people took off me and my

3533
05:33:51.759 --> 05:33:55.680
proceedings, Oh well, and after
all they were right. I should have

3534
05:33:55.880 --> 05:34:00.159
liked to see my sister brilliantly married. I meant it well, and I

3535
05:34:00.200 --> 05:34:04.959
have made myself ridiculous and have been
the ruin of the poor child. His

3536
05:34:06.159 --> 05:34:11.360
rage and misery were beyond control.
He walked up and down, then suddenly

3537
05:34:11.439 --> 05:34:15.959
stood still, looking out of the
open window. Then again he paced the

3538
05:34:15.080 --> 05:34:23.639
room simplice incomprehensible. He began quite
incomprehensible. I had no very high opinion

3539
05:34:23.680 --> 05:34:29.520
of his character, particularly lately,
but I could not have supposed him capable

3540
05:34:29.520 --> 05:34:34.319
of such baseness and cruelty. What
do you gather from his not coming here

3541
05:34:34.319 --> 05:34:41.119
to day? He simply has not
happened to see the paper. The General

3542
05:34:41.159 --> 05:34:48.000
suggested he has gone on some expedition
with his brother and his cousins. Well,

3543
05:34:48.040 --> 05:34:51.840
But even supposing that he has not
read this article, Saich debts a,

3544
05:34:52.599 --> 05:34:56.319
it still is very strange that,
as matters stand between him and Zinker,

3545
05:34:56.759 --> 05:35:00.560
he should have let two days go
by with without making any attempt to

3546
05:35:00.639 --> 05:35:07.319
see her. The General was silent. You know him better than I do.

3547
05:35:07.759 --> 05:35:12.759
Cecil began again presently, And as
Zinka tells me, you are present

3548
05:35:12.959 --> 05:35:18.520
during some part of this romantic moonlight
promenade, do you think he seriously intends

3549
05:35:18.639 --> 05:35:23.439
to marry her? I know that
he is madly in love with her,

3550
05:35:23.720 --> 05:35:27.959
and even the Ilsenburgs, who were
discussing the matter at my house with the

3551
05:35:29.080 --> 05:35:34.880
princess Volpini saw no alternative for him, irrespective of his attachment to her,

3552
05:35:36.319 --> 05:35:42.040
but to make her an offer.
We shall see murmured Dabzir. He looked

3553
05:35:42.040 --> 05:35:48.040
at the clock half past nine.
He exclaimed, this is becoming quite mysterious.

3554
05:35:48.520 --> 05:35:52.479
I will try once more to see
him at his rooms. His chasseur

3555
05:35:52.599 --> 05:35:57.279
will perhaps know one he is expected
to return home. Would you mind remaining

3556
05:35:57.360 --> 05:36:02.680
here, he added, in alone
voice, keep my mother from going to

3557
05:36:02.799 --> 05:36:07.919
Zinka. The poor child cannot bear
it, and he hurried off. In

3558
05:36:08.000 --> 05:36:15.840
about half an hour he returned well, asked the General. He set out

3559
05:36:15.919 --> 05:36:21.720
at one o'clock for Frascati with the
Prince the Jatinskis, and Zigbourg said she

3560
05:36:21.720 --> 05:36:26.720
deadzel gloomily. When I asked whether
he was to be back this evening,

3561
05:36:26.119 --> 05:36:30.159
the man said certainly, for he
was to set off tomorrow morning with his

3562
05:36:30.279 --> 05:36:36.840
excellency the Ambassador. He has been
afraid to declare his engagement for fear of

3563
05:36:36.880 --> 05:36:40.799
a scene with his brother. He
has gone out of Rome for fear of

3564
05:36:40.880 --> 05:36:45.799
a scene with me. High life
was lying open on his writing table.

3565
05:36:47.240 --> 05:36:52.439
They heard the light rustle of address. Chad looked around. Behind him stood

3566
05:36:52.520 --> 05:36:59.880
Zinka, with tumbled hair and anxious, eager, tear dimmed eyes. Zinka,

3567
05:37:00.439 --> 05:37:03.880
he cried, stepping forward to catch
her, for her gaze was fixed.

3568
05:37:04.200 --> 05:37:08.560
She staggered, put out her hands
with a helpless gesture, and fell

3569
05:37:08.599 --> 05:37:15.319
into his arms. He laid her
head tenderly on his shoulder and carried her

3570
05:37:15.479 --> 05:37:27.119
away. And of Part three,
Chapter four, Part three, chapter five

3571
05:37:27.240 --> 05:37:33.360
of Our Own set by a Subshubin, translated by Clara Belle. This librivoxycording

3572
05:37:33.400 --> 05:37:41.439
is in the public domain recording by
Caroline Part three, Chapter five. Sampali's

3573
05:37:41.479 --> 05:37:47.639
nervous system was very sensitive, and
his ear remarkably delicate. He had,

3574
05:37:47.680 --> 05:37:53.479
in consequence a horror a perfect mania
of aversion for any scene which might involve

3575
05:37:53.599 --> 05:38:00.240
excitement and loud talking. Besides this, he had the peculiarity, common enough

3576
05:38:00.360 --> 05:38:07.360
with the spoilt children of fortune,
of always ignoring, as far as possible,

3577
05:38:07.520 --> 05:38:12.080
the inevitable difficulties of life, in
the hope that some deus ex machina

3578
05:38:12.159 --> 05:38:19.439
would interfere to set matters straight for
him. His passion for Zinca was perfectly

3579
05:38:19.560 --> 05:38:26.240
genuine at once vehement and tender,
far from diminishing, it had, if

3580
05:38:26.319 --> 05:38:33.959
possible, increased during these last three
days. Though that hour of sentimental and

3581
05:38:33.119 --> 05:38:40.799
guileless's talk with Zinca under the midnight
moon had for sometimes satisfied her, it

3582
05:38:40.840 --> 05:38:45.439
had only fevered him. And while
his cowardly double dealing had lowered him in

3583
05:38:45.479 --> 05:38:52.439
her esteem, her straightforward pride had
raised her infinitely in his. He was

3584
05:38:52.520 --> 05:38:57.919
utterly miserable, but this did not
prevent him from allowing his good natured senior

3585
05:38:59.080 --> 05:39:04.840
to pay his ans debts, nor
in order to propitiate him from paying specious

3586
05:39:04.959 --> 05:39:11.319
attentions to his cousins. It must, however, be said, in extenuation,

3587
05:39:11.919 --> 05:39:15.959
that his flirtation was not so much
deliberate as instinctive. For he was

3588
05:39:17.000 --> 05:39:22.520
a man whose untutored and unbounded impulse
to make himself agreeable led him irresistibly to

3589
05:39:22.560 --> 05:39:27.880
do his utmost to produce a pleasant
impression, even at the sacrifice of his

3590
05:39:29.040 --> 05:39:34.240
honor. If only once during these
three days he had had an opportunity of

3591
05:39:34.319 --> 05:39:41.240
speaking to Zinca, all might perhaps
have turned out differently. He would perhaps

3592
05:39:41.240 --> 05:39:47.479
have found it easy, with his
wonderful fascination of person to recover the ground

3593
05:39:47.520 --> 05:39:52.759
he had lost, and her proud
rectitude might possibly have influenced him to take

3594
05:39:52.840 --> 05:39:57.400
a bolder course of action. But
in the first instance he could not intrude

3595
05:39:57.439 --> 05:40:03.319
on Zinca while she was sitting by
her little friend Gabrielle, and the idea

3596
05:40:03.400 --> 05:40:10.159
of rushing into an explanation with Schtezzo
did not smile on his fancy. Thus

3597
05:40:10.200 --> 05:40:15.799
he let the hours slip by till
on the Friday morning, the luckless copy

3598
05:40:15.840 --> 05:40:19.000
of High Life was brought in to
him, addressed in a faint hand.

3599
05:40:21.119 --> 05:40:23.680
This made him furious, and he
was on the point of rushing off to

3600
05:40:23.720 --> 05:40:29.439
the Palacetto when he remembered that he
had promised to be ready to join the

3601
05:40:29.479 --> 05:40:34.880
party to Frascati at one o'clock.
He had dipped his pen and prepared the

3602
05:40:36.000 --> 05:40:40.479
paper to send an excuse to the
Hotel de Landre when there was a knook

3603
05:40:40.840 --> 05:40:45.680
and Prince Sempaly with his two cousins, walked in half an hour before the

3604
05:40:45.720 --> 05:40:53.240
appointed time. What a surprise,
an unexpected donna, he exclaimed, somewhat

3605
05:40:53.319 --> 05:41:00.799
disconcerted. That is what we intended, said Pulisena, laughing, hum there's

3606
05:41:00.880 --> 05:41:06.720
a rather pronounced perfume of Latakia in
your room. But the whole effect is

3607
05:41:06.799 --> 05:41:11.959
pretty, very pretty. While Nini
looked timidly about her with her fawn like

3608
05:41:12.159 --> 05:41:18.319
eyes. A bachelor's quarters are as
is well known one of the most interesting

3609
05:41:18.439 --> 05:41:26.000
mysteries that ever exercised the curious imagination
of a young lady. The girls insisted

3610
05:41:26.080 --> 05:41:30.759
on seeing your den, the prince
explained, so I had to bring them

3611
05:41:32.040 --> 05:41:37.200
whether or no, while zik book
amuses their mamma, Oh why you yourself

3612
05:41:37.240 --> 05:41:44.799
proposed at Oscar, cried Nini simply
bowed. From this time, henceforth this

3613
05:41:45.080 --> 05:41:49.599
room is consecrated ground, he said
gallantly. And high Life was lying on

3614
05:41:49.680 --> 05:41:55.880
his desk all the time, and
an iron fist seemed clenched upon his heart.

3615
05:41:56.880 --> 05:42:02.159
If his brother had but come alone, but with these two girls it

3616
05:42:02.400 --> 05:42:07.520
was crucial. Sena began to touch
and examine all his odds and ends,

3617
05:42:07.840 --> 05:42:12.159
to open his books, and at
last to hover around his writing table,

3618
05:42:12.680 --> 05:42:18.040
where, with graceful impertinence, she
was about to take up the fatal sheet.

3619
05:42:19.000 --> 05:42:22.959
Stop, stop, cried Nikki,
that is not for your eyes.

3620
05:42:23.159 --> 05:42:30.119
Sooner, look but touch not,
said the prince with a good natured laugh.

3621
05:42:30.759 --> 05:42:34.279
Young maidens like you are not permitted
to inspect the secrets of a bachelor's

3622
05:42:34.360 --> 05:42:41.040
rooms too closely, you might see
the scorpion before we could interfere. Besides,

3623
05:42:41.080 --> 05:42:44.840
we must not keep your mother waiting
any longer. Children, make haste

3624
05:42:44.840 --> 05:42:48.919
and get ready. Nikki, for
a moment simply tried to think of an

3625
05:42:48.919 --> 05:42:53.599
excuse. Then he reflected that it
really was not worth while to spoil the

3626
05:42:53.639 --> 05:43:00.279
pleasure of Oscar's last day. All
might be set right afterwards. So he

3627
05:43:00.400 --> 05:43:03.279
only asked for a time to write
a note, and scribbled a few lines

3628
05:43:03.319 --> 05:43:08.720
to Schiazze, in which he formerly
proposed for a zinca. This note,

3629
05:43:08.720 --> 05:43:12.400
he confided to a porter, desiring
him to carry it at once to the

3630
05:43:12.439 --> 05:43:18.360
Secretary's office. After this he was
for a time very much pleased with himself.

3631
05:43:18.759 --> 05:43:22.799
But as the afternoon wore on,
the more uneasy he became, and

3632
05:43:22.880 --> 05:43:27.680
it was to his unrest that most
of the tender glances were due that the

3633
05:43:27.720 --> 05:43:33.799
Prince cast alternately on him and on
Niini. He felt more and more as

3634
05:43:33.799 --> 05:43:37.400
if he were being driven into a
trap. In the Villa Aldobrandini, he

3635
05:43:37.439 --> 05:43:42.959
found an issue from some of his
difficulties. Suddenly, as they were standing

3636
05:43:44.000 --> 05:43:48.360
by the great fountain, Nei and
he found themselves tet a tete, a

3637
05:43:48.400 --> 05:43:52.680
circumstance arising from the constantaneous willingness of
the rest of the party to give them

3638
05:43:52.720 --> 05:44:00.319
such an opportunity. He seized the
propitious moment to disburden his soul. He

3639
05:44:00.360 --> 05:44:06.439
addressed her as his sister, confessed
his secret betrothal, and implored her kind

3640
05:44:06.520 --> 05:44:11.799
interest. For Zinca Nini, who
felt as though she had been stabbed to

3641
05:44:11.919 --> 05:44:15.840
the heart, was brave as became
her, and for sheer dread of betraying

3642
05:44:15.880 --> 05:44:21.880
her own feelings, she tried to
take a pleasure she was far from feeling

3643
05:44:22.279 --> 05:44:26.040
in the success of his love affair. He kissed her hand and kept near

3644
05:44:26.080 --> 05:44:30.159
her for the rest of the day. His brother, who perceived that the

3645
05:44:30.200 --> 05:44:37.159
young couple had come to an understanding, communicated his observations to contesse Jhatinska with

3646
05:44:37.319 --> 05:44:42.159
extreme satisfaction. He was himself a
man of strong and lofty feeling, free

3647
05:44:42.200 --> 05:44:47.040
from all duplicity, and he could
not conceive that a young man could have

3648
05:44:47.119 --> 05:44:51.080
anything to say to a very handsome
girl in private, but to make love

3649
05:44:51.159 --> 05:44:56.560
to her. The day was at
an end, with that want of precaution

3650
05:44:56.720 --> 05:45:00.319
of which only foreign us in Rome
can be guilty. They set out homewards

3651
05:45:00.439 --> 05:45:07.119
much too late, and did not
reach the hotel before ten. Here Nemesis

3652
05:45:07.240 --> 05:45:11.759
overtook Sempali at the end of supper
which the little party had served to them

3653
05:45:11.799 --> 05:45:17.479
in the Contess's private sitting room,
and at which the confidential footing on which

3654
05:45:17.560 --> 05:45:22.319
Simpally stood with regard to his cousin
was thrown into greater relief. The Prince,

3655
05:45:22.639 --> 05:45:27.759
with a frank smile of self satisfaction
at his powers of divination, raised

3656
05:45:27.799 --> 05:45:33.439
his glass and said, to the
health of the happy couple. Nimi turned

3657
05:45:33.560 --> 05:45:40.840
crimson, Niki turned pale. He
was in the shrap, now brought to

3658
05:45:40.959 --> 05:45:44.599
bay. He could do nothing but
turn upon the foe, whom he could

3659
05:45:44.639 --> 05:45:49.360
not evade. He was possessed by
a wild impulse to snatch the odious mask

3660
05:45:49.479 --> 05:45:56.080
from his own face. And who
are the happy couple? He asked?

3661
05:45:56.279 --> 05:46:02.279
You need not be so mysterious about
it. Niki cried his brother warmly of

3662
05:46:02.439 --> 05:46:08.040
you, and but a glance at
Niini reduced him to silence. Of me

3663
05:46:08.279 --> 05:46:17.119
and freulein Zincosh dancer said simply,
with vehement emphasis. The blood flew to

3664
05:46:17.200 --> 05:46:22.159
the Prince's head, rage and horror. Fairly deprived him of speech. Comtesse

3665
05:46:22.279 --> 05:46:29.880
Jatinska laughed awkwardly, Policina pursed her
lips disdainfully, while Nini gave her cousin

3666
05:46:29.959 --> 05:46:34.439
her hand and said loyally, your
bride shall always find a friend in me.

3667
05:46:37.439 --> 05:46:41.959
But now the princess Wrath broke loose. He was furious. He swore

3668
05:46:42.080 --> 05:46:48.240
that this insane marriage should never take
place, and could not conceive how his

3669
05:46:48.439 --> 05:46:52.560
brother, a man old enough to
know better, could have allowed such a

3670
05:46:52.639 --> 05:46:59.080
piece of mad cap folly to enter
his head. The ladies rose and withdrew

3671
05:47:00.000 --> 05:47:03.479
Impali, who till within a few
minutes had been so weak and vaccillating,

3672
05:47:03.880 --> 05:47:10.040
had suddenly become rigid in obstinacy,
and he desired the waiter to bring him

3673
05:47:10.080 --> 05:47:15.040
the fateful number of high life.
The Prince read it, but his first

3674
05:47:15.119 --> 05:47:19.520
observation was well, and a pretty
state the world would soon come to if

3675
05:47:19.560 --> 05:47:25.400
every man who lets a charming adventuress
and trap him into an indiscretion were to

3676
05:47:25.479 --> 05:47:32.279
pay for it by marrying her.
At this insulting epithet applied to Zinca,

3677
05:47:32.639 --> 05:47:37.520
simply fired up, he did not
attempt to screen himself. He defended Zinca

3678
05:47:37.560 --> 05:47:45.680
as against himself with the most unsparing
self accusation. Egoistical, sensitive, and

3679
05:47:45.919 --> 05:47:49.919
morally effet as he was, he
was still a gentleman, and he now

3680
05:47:51.040 --> 05:47:55.840
said no limits to his self indictment. It seemed as though he thought that

3681
05:47:55.959 --> 05:48:00.560
by heaping invective on his own head, he could expiate the baseness into which

3682
05:48:00.599 --> 05:48:06.439
he had been betrayed during the last
few days. He told the whole story

3683
05:48:07.000 --> 05:48:11.319
that he had loved Zinca from the
first time of seeing her, that he

3684
05:48:11.400 --> 05:48:15.439
had been on the point of making
her an offer when an accidental interruption had

3685
05:48:15.479 --> 05:48:18.720
suddenly snatched him from the heaven of
hope and bliss, that he had neglected

3686
05:48:18.720 --> 05:48:23.639
and forsaken her, That his constant
intimacy with his handsome cousins had raised a

3687
05:48:23.639 --> 05:48:29.599
barrier between him and Zinca. Then
how he had met her that night at

3688
05:48:29.599 --> 05:48:33.159
the Brancoliones, and how as he
helped her to rise after her tumble,

3689
05:48:33.599 --> 05:48:38.959
his passion had taken entire possession of
him. And this he told, down

3690
05:48:40.000 --> 05:48:44.439
to the moment when she had laid
her head on his shoulder. And before

3691
05:48:44.639 --> 05:48:49.159
such guileless trust, what man is
there that would not bow in reverence?

3692
05:48:49.759 --> 05:48:56.279
He ended all Rome can bear witness
to her sweetness and goodness. Ask whom

3693
05:48:56.279 --> 05:49:00.680
you will, Marie Vulpini, Trene, even the Illenberg's or Zigburg. Here,

3694
05:49:03.159 --> 05:49:07.959
the Prince turned to Zigburg. I
can make neither hid nor tail of

3695
05:49:07.040 --> 05:49:11.520
the matter, he said, Is
all he says of this girl true or

3696
05:49:11.680 --> 05:49:18.040
mere raving? Zik Book's answer was
simple, eager, and plain. It

3697
05:49:18.080 --> 05:49:22.880
is at all times a difficult thing
for a young man to praise a girl

3698
05:49:22.919 --> 05:49:27.159
without reflecting on her in any way. But zik Book's testimony in Zinka's favor

3699
05:49:27.639 --> 05:49:36.319
was a little masterpiece of genuine and
respectful enthusiasm. Prince Sempali's face grew darker

3700
05:49:36.360 --> 05:49:41.639
as he spoke. And the young
lady in question is the girl we met

3701
05:49:41.680 --> 05:49:47.880
the other day in the piazza,
he said, Yes, the sister of

3702
05:49:48.000 --> 05:49:52.720
the Secretary of Legation, whom the
Ambassador introduced to me yesterday, and the

3703
05:49:52.840 --> 05:49:57.880
niece of my old colonel. Yes. And from what you tell me,

3704
05:49:57.959 --> 05:50:06.919
not only an absolute blameless creature,
but universally beloved. Yes. For a

3705
05:50:07.000 --> 05:50:11.880
minute, the Prince was silent.
Every fiber of his being had its wrote

3706
05:50:11.880 --> 05:50:15.560
in the traditions of the cast into
which he had been born, and a

3707
05:50:15.599 --> 05:50:21.919
connection between Zincashtezzel, and as sympathy
was to him simply monstrous. He had

3708
05:50:21.959 --> 05:50:26.680
in the highest degree a respect for
his past, the respect de run.

3709
05:50:26.279 --> 05:50:30.840
But they must be grand ruins of
a noble past or. They did not

3710
05:50:32.000 --> 05:50:36.520
touch him at all. With his
head resting on his hand, he sat

3711
05:50:36.560 --> 05:50:40.360
silently by the supper table, which
was not yet cleared, and where the

3712
05:50:40.439 --> 05:50:45.360
lights sparkled in the half empty champagne
glasses, and the flowers placed for the

3713
05:50:45.439 --> 05:50:52.119
ladies still lay by their plates.
Suddenly he looked up, and, pointing

3714
05:50:52.159 --> 05:50:56.680
to the newspaper, he asked,
had you seen that article when we came

3715
05:50:56.720 --> 05:51:03.319
to fetch you from your rooms this
morning? Yes, the Prince sat bolt

3716
05:51:03.520 --> 05:51:07.799
upright, and you did not stay
in Rome to defend the girl. His

3717
05:51:08.040 --> 05:51:14.400
black eyes looked straight into his brother's
blue ones. You came with us.

3718
05:51:14.639 --> 05:51:18.880
You left this young lady to be
for the whole day, though victim of

3719
05:51:18.000 --> 05:51:23.000
the slander of all the evil tongues
of Rome, for fear of an unpleasant

3720
05:51:23.040 --> 05:51:29.560
explanation, for fear of a few
high words with me. You have behaved

3721
05:51:29.560 --> 05:51:33.880
an a base and unmanly way throughout
this affair, both to this young lady

3722
05:51:33.919 --> 05:51:37.080
and to the poor sweet creature in
there, and he pointed to the door

3723
05:51:37.119 --> 05:51:44.479
behind which the two young countesses disappeared
with their mother. Of course, I

3724
05:51:44.479 --> 05:51:48.919
shall not let you starve. Your
allowance shall be paid to your regularly,

3725
05:51:48.000 --> 05:51:52.799
as heretofore. But beyond that we
have no further connection. We have nothing

3726
05:51:52.799 --> 05:52:00.439
in common. You and I go
the dio sx Markina had failed to appear.

3727
05:52:00.240 --> 05:52:04.400
The dreaded scene with his brother had
been postponed for a few hours,

3728
05:52:04.840 --> 05:52:08.639
but it had come at last,
and simply had gained nothing. By his

3729
05:52:08.799 --> 05:52:15.479
procrastination and duplicity. He had provoked
not merely his brother's anger, but his

3730
05:52:15.840 --> 05:52:21.599
scorn as well, while his marriage
with Zinka, when he had at last

3731
05:52:21.680 --> 05:52:26.599
found himself compelled to announce it to
his brother, had altogether lost its startling

3732
05:52:26.680 --> 05:52:32.840
and interesting aspect as a chivalrous romance, and had come down to a mere

3733
05:52:32.919 --> 05:52:40.759
act of reparation to satisfy his conscience. Simply rose rather earlier than usual next

3734
05:52:40.880 --> 05:52:47.919
morning, his nerves still conscious of
the remembrance of this unsatisfactory scene and of

3735
05:52:48.040 --> 05:52:53.919
the sleepless night that had been the
consequence. Vexed with himself had once surprised

3736
05:52:53.959 --> 05:53:00.400
and touched by his brother's lofty indignation, ashamed to think of the case calumny

3737
05:53:00.560 --> 05:53:06.400
to which his irresolution and his absence
must have exposed Zinca. He was in

3738
05:53:06.439 --> 05:53:11.000
that state of sensitive irritability, in
which a man holds all the world in

3739
05:53:11.040 --> 05:53:15.840
some degree responsible for his own short
comings, and is ready to revenge himself

3740
05:53:15.880 --> 05:53:22.040
on the first man he meets for
the misery he is enduring. While he

3741
05:53:22.200 --> 05:53:26.200
was waiting for his breakfast, walking
up and down the sitting room half drawing

3742
05:53:26.279 --> 05:53:32.759
room, half smoking room, the
General came in for the first time in

3743
05:53:32.799 --> 05:53:37.040
his life, simply grated the old
man as an intruder. Good morning,

3744
05:53:37.319 --> 05:53:44.520
He cried, What procures me the
honor of such an early visit? Well,

3745
05:53:44.840 --> 05:53:48.080
said von Klinger hotly, it can
scarcely surprise you that I, as

3746
05:53:48.200 --> 05:53:52.319
Zinca's godfather and oldest friend, should
come to ask you what you mean by

3747
05:53:52.319 --> 05:53:59.319
you extraordinary conduct, that, it
seems to me is her brother's business,

3748
05:53:59.680 --> 05:54:03.919
said simply roughly, It is on
purpose to prevent a collision between you and

3749
05:54:03.959 --> 05:54:08.279
Schetzel that I have come so early, replied the general, who has cut

3750
05:54:08.319 --> 05:54:15.040
out for an officer of dragoons rather
than for a diplomatist. Chedel is beside

3751
05:54:15.119 --> 05:54:18.560
himself with fury. And I know
that your intentions with regard to Zinka are

3752
05:54:18.599 --> 05:54:25.840
perfectly honorable and so. But at
this moment the General's eye fell on a

3753
05:54:25.959 --> 05:54:30.479
traveling bag that the luxurious young attache
was wont to carry with him on short

3754
05:54:30.560 --> 05:54:37.000
journeys, and which lay packed on
the divan. You're going away, asked

3755
05:54:37.040 --> 05:54:42.639
the old man, surprised. I
had intended to accompany my brother as far

3756
05:54:42.680 --> 05:54:48.759
as Austia today and return early tomorrow. But that is at an end.

3757
05:54:48.119 --> 05:54:55.040
The Prince and I have quarreled.
Yes, I have quarreled past all possibility

3758
05:54:55.080 --> 05:55:00.720
of a reconciliation with my noble and
generous brother. Are you satisfied? And

3759
05:55:00.840 --> 05:55:06.319
he stamped with rage. And is
the want of judgment that has led to

3760
05:55:06.360 --> 05:55:11.279
your parting any fold of mind?
Prey, exclaimed the general angrily. There

3761
05:55:11.319 --> 05:55:17.200
was a hasty rap at the door, on Simplyi's answering come in. Statzel

3762
05:55:17.240 --> 05:55:21.799
walked in. He did not take
Simpley's offered hand, but he drew a

3763
05:55:21.880 --> 05:55:25.639
newspaper out of his pocket, held
it out in front of simply, and

3764
05:55:25.759 --> 05:55:32.240
asked, abruptly, have you read
this article? Yes, said Simply,

3765
05:55:32.279 --> 05:55:38.520
from between his teeth. Yesterday before
you went out. Schetzel went on this

3766
05:55:38.840 --> 05:55:45.840
word for word repetition of the Prince's
question touched all Simplyi's most painful and shameful

3767
05:55:45.919 --> 05:55:52.200
recollections of the scene to the quick. His eyes flashed, but he said

3768
05:55:52.319 --> 05:55:57.400
nothing. Schtetzel could contain himself no
longer. All the bitter feelings of the

3769
05:55:57.479 --> 05:56:03.080
last six weeks seethed in his blood, and the luckless traveling bag caught his

3770
05:56:03.279 --> 05:56:11.479
eye. This was too much.
What happened next, the General saw it

3771
05:56:11.520 --> 05:56:18.599
all in a flash of time,
unexpected and inevitable. Schetzel took one stride

3772
05:56:18.680 --> 05:56:25.799
forward and struck simply in the face
with the newspaper. At the same moment,

3773
05:56:25.880 --> 05:56:30.159
Simpolic's servant came in with the breakfast
tray. A few minutes later,

3774
05:56:30.560 --> 05:56:36.479
Steedzel and the General went down the
stairs of the embassy in silence, not

3775
05:56:36.639 --> 05:56:41.200
even looking at each other. When
they were outside, the young man stopped

3776
05:56:41.240 --> 05:56:47.159
and drew a deep breath. Simply, will send you his seconds in the

3777
05:56:47.200 --> 05:56:51.599
course of the morning, he said, I must ask you to act for

3778
05:56:51.799 --> 05:56:57.639
me. The General nodded but did
not speak. I will send words to

3779
05:56:57.720 --> 05:57:03.680
Crespine too, and then you can
do whatever you think proper. Still,

3780
05:57:03.840 --> 05:57:11.319
the general said nothing, and his
silence irritated Schatzer. I could bear it

3781
05:57:11.439 --> 05:57:17.360
no longer, he muttered, as
if in delirium, what do you suppose

3782
05:57:17.959 --> 05:57:25.080
too much? By this time they
were in the corso towards them came Zigburg,

3783
05:57:25.200 --> 05:57:29.840
as bright and gay as ever,
his hat pushed back on his head.

3784
05:57:30.919 --> 05:57:34.119
I am happy to be the first
to congratulate Gushtetzer, he cried.

3785
05:57:36.000 --> 05:57:41.639
On what pray, said Stetzel,
fiercely, on your sister's engagement to Sampali.

3786
05:57:42.040 --> 05:57:47.720
Oh what then? You really did
know nothing about it? Schezer was

3787
05:57:47.759 --> 05:57:51.759
bewildered. What is it? What
are you talking about? I do not

3788
05:57:51.919 --> 05:57:57.240
understand, he stammered, What have
you not heard? Zig book began the

3789
05:57:57.319 --> 05:58:03.159
boom fell. Last evening, Nikki
declared his engagement Oscar, to whom the

3790
05:58:03.200 --> 05:58:07.360
whole business was news. Come to
this cafe and I will tell you exactly

3791
05:58:07.400 --> 05:58:11.279
all about it. It does not
do to discuss such things in the strait.

3792
05:58:12.799 --> 05:58:18.560
I I have not time, muttered
Deadza with a fixed, vacant stare.

3793
05:58:18.040 --> 05:58:23.360
And as he spoke he shot past
Zikbourg. But his gait was unsteady,

3794
05:58:23.599 --> 05:58:29.880
and he ran up against a passer
by what on earth ails him,

3795
05:58:30.360 --> 05:58:33.200
said Zikbug, looking after him.
I thought he would be pleased, and

3796
05:58:33.880 --> 05:58:38.000
oh well, the ways of man
are past. Finding out this marriage will

3797
05:58:38.040 --> 05:58:42.720
create a sensation in Vienna, Eir
General. But I approve, I entirely

3798
05:58:42.759 --> 05:58:48.119
approve. We are on the threshold
of a new area, as Schiller or

3799
05:58:48.279 --> 05:58:52.560
some one has said, Bismarck.
Very likely, and we shall live to

3800
05:58:52.599 --> 05:58:56.919
tell our children how we stood by
and looked on. But what is the

3801
05:58:56.959 --> 05:59:00.360
matter with you? Both you and
Schezzo to be sure you were coming from

3802
05:59:00.360 --> 05:59:06.639
the Palazza di Vinizia. Have Nicki
and Schtetzel quarreled, had challenge? The

3803
05:59:06.799 --> 05:59:12.439
General nodded. But it can be
amicably arranged now, said zig Book consolingly.

3804
05:59:15.479 --> 05:59:26.080
And of Part three, chapter five, Part three, chapter six of

3805
05:59:26.240 --> 05:59:30.880
Our Own set by Ossip Shubin,
translated by Clara Belle. This libovox recording

3806
05:59:30.959 --> 05:59:38.720
is in the public domain recording by
Carolyn put three, chapter six. On

3807
05:59:38.840 --> 05:59:44.799
his return home, Schtetzel found some
police's note of the day before. The

3808
05:59:44.880 --> 05:59:48.880
porter had taken it as he was
ordered to the secretary's office, but as

3809
05:59:49.000 --> 05:59:55.759
Schetzel had not gone there all day, it had lain unopened till this morning.

3810
05:59:56.159 --> 05:59:59.919
One of the messengers had thought it
well to bring it to the palacetto

3811
06:00:00.119 --> 06:00:06.959
or Schetzel read it and hid his
face in his hands. Within a short

3812
06:00:06.959 --> 06:00:12.279
time, simpolice seconds were announced.
Ziegburg and a military attache from the Russian

3813
06:00:12.279 --> 06:00:19.479
emberssay, now it could not be
amicably arranged under the circumstances. There was

3814
06:00:19.599 --> 06:00:25.479
but one way of satisfying the point
of honor. This point of honor,

3815
06:00:25.880 --> 06:00:30.560
what is it, his social dogma
of the man of the world and the

3816
06:00:30.599 --> 06:00:36.560
whole creed of the Southern aristocrat.
Schetze was to start that night by the

3817
06:00:36.599 --> 06:00:41.680
eleven o'clock train for Vienna on matters
of business, before setting out for Constantinople.

3818
06:00:42.959 --> 06:00:48.520
The affair must therefore be settled at
once. Beyond fixing the hour,

3819
06:00:48.639 --> 06:00:56.479
Schtetz left everything to his seconds sorts. At seven that evening, among the

3820
06:00:56.639 --> 06:01:03.240
ruins opposite the tomb of the Mettellas
was fire finally agreed on. Soon after

3821
06:01:03.400 --> 06:01:08.680
six, Stettel and his seconds set
out. The carriage bore them swiftly along

3822
06:01:10.119 --> 06:01:15.520
through the gloomy, stuffy straits,
which led to the forest along the foot

3823
06:01:15.599 --> 06:01:21.840
of the Palatine, and passed the
Colosseum, through the arch of Constantine into

3824
06:01:21.880 --> 06:01:27.279
the via uppia, on and on
between the gray moss grown walls, over

3825
06:01:27.319 --> 06:01:36.240
which they caught glimpses of ruins and
tall dark cypresses. Then the walls disappeared,

3826
06:01:36.279 --> 06:01:42.040
and bushy green hedge rows covered with
creepers boarded the road, and presently

3827
06:01:42.080 --> 06:01:48.680
the campania lay before them, an
endless, rolling green carpet, with its

3828
06:01:48.759 --> 06:01:56.240
attractive melancholy and the poisonous beauty of
orchids and asphodels, with which each returning

3829
06:01:56.360 --> 06:02:04.159
spring decks its waste monotony, like
a wilderness in a fevered dream. Stetzel

3830
06:02:04.319 --> 06:02:10.520
sat in silence on the back seat, facing his two friends. He did

3831
06:02:10.560 --> 06:02:15.439
not even pretend to be cheerful.
A brave man may sometimes face death with

3832
06:02:15.560 --> 06:02:22.119
indifference, but hardly with a light
heart. Death is a great king to

3833
06:02:22.200 --> 06:02:27.279
whom we must need do homage.
His soul was heavy, but his two

3834
06:02:27.360 --> 06:02:33.520
companions, who knew not only his
staunch nature but all the circumstances of the

3835
06:02:33.639 --> 06:02:38.040
duo, knew that it was not
from anxiety as to his own fate.

3836
06:02:40.200 --> 06:02:47.159
He could not forget that this catastrophe
was at last do solely and entirely to

3837
06:02:47.240 --> 06:02:53.159
his own violence and loss of self
command. He never once reflected that this

3838
06:02:53.279 --> 06:03:00.360
engagement, brought about by a series
of migshifts and accidents, could hardly have

3839
06:03:00.479 --> 06:03:04.919
resulted in a happy marriage. He
had forgotten some police since and remembered one

3840
06:03:06.000 --> 06:03:10.840
thing, only that his sister might
have had the moon she had longed for,

3841
06:03:11.439 --> 06:03:17.840
and that he alone had snatched it
from her grasp. Her powerful fragrance

3842
06:03:17.919 --> 06:03:22.479
filled the air, coming up from
the orchids, from the blossoming hedges,

3843
06:03:22.880 --> 06:03:26.680
from the fresh greenery of the gardens, like the very soul of the spring,

3844
06:03:27.200 --> 06:03:33.720
bringing a thousand memories to his brooding
brain and aching heart. It reminded

3845
06:03:33.799 --> 06:03:38.360
him of the great untended orchard at
home, and of one morning in the

3846
06:03:38.439 --> 06:03:45.159
last May he had spent there before
going to school. The apple treys were

3847
06:03:45.240 --> 06:03:49.840
clothed with rosy blossom. Butterflies were
flitting through the air, and to the

3848
06:03:49.919 --> 06:03:55.959
first Forget Me Not speeped bluely among
the trailing brambles, on the brink of

3849
06:03:56.000 --> 06:04:02.880
the brook that danced across the garden, murmury sleepily to the shadowy, whispering

3850
06:04:03.040 --> 06:04:07.439
alders. There was a fragrance of
the soil, of the trace of the

3851
06:04:07.560 --> 06:04:14.360
flowers, just as there was now, and Zinka, then a mere baby

3852
06:04:14.720 --> 06:04:18.759
had come tripping to meet him,
and had sat with her little confidential and

3853
06:04:18.880 --> 06:04:23.599
important air. I do believe that
God must have set the gates of heaven

3854
06:04:23.680 --> 06:04:30.360
open, for once there is such
a good smell. He could see her

3855
06:04:30.439 --> 06:04:36.959
now, in her white pinafore and
long golden hair, clinging to her big

3856
06:04:37.000 --> 06:04:41.040
brother with her soft, weak little
hands. And he had lifted her up

3857
06:04:41.119 --> 06:04:45.720
and said, yes, God left
the door open, and you slipped out,

3858
06:04:45.959 --> 06:04:53.040
my little carib With what large wondering
eyes she had looked into his face.

3859
06:04:55.119 --> 06:04:59.240
She had always been his particular pet. His father had given her into

3860
06:04:59.279 --> 06:05:06.080
his special charge. And now,
poor sweet butterfly, He said to himself,

3861
06:05:06.360 --> 06:05:11.959
half audibly, do not be too
strict in your fence, said deep

3862
06:05:11.040 --> 06:05:17.560
voice close to him. It was
Caspigni who thus startled him from his dream

3863
06:05:17.599 --> 06:05:22.439
of the past. Do not be
too scientific. You have everything in your

3864
06:05:22.479 --> 06:05:29.159
favor practice, skill and strength.
But simply I know his swort play well

3865
06:05:29.639 --> 06:05:36.279
has one dangerous peculiarity. You never
know what he will be at Seeds looked

3866
06:05:36.279 --> 06:05:44.400
over his shoulder. The tomb of
Cecilia Mettella was standing before them. Opposite.

3867
06:05:44.439 --> 06:05:49.319
The tomb of Cecilia Mettella is a
deserted and half ruined early Gothic structure,

3868
06:05:51.000 --> 06:05:56.040
a singular mixed character of heathen grander
and of medieval strength, lonely and

3869
06:05:56.240 --> 06:06:03.799
ruthless under the blue sky, a
weather beaten cross let into the crumbling stone

3870
06:06:03.840 --> 06:06:10.520
work above the doorway betokens at the
sanctuary of the primitive Christian times. On

3871
06:06:10.799 --> 06:06:15.479
entering we see a still uninjured apse
where the altar table once stood. No

3872
06:06:15.720 --> 06:06:21.720
ornament of any kind, not even
a scrap of basrelief is to be seen.

3873
06:06:22.279 --> 06:06:26.680
Nothing but frail fans, light plumes
of maidenhair that deck the old walls

3874
06:06:26.680 --> 06:06:34.240
with their emerald fronts. The floor
is smooth and covered with fine taff,

3875
06:06:34.720 --> 06:06:41.759
from which in springtime white and red
daisies smile up at the sky, and

3876
06:06:41.040 --> 06:06:48.479
dead nettles grow from every chink and
along the foot of the walls. The

3877
06:06:48.599 --> 06:06:53.040
other party were already on the spot. Sempaly was talking unconcernedly, but with

3878
06:06:53.200 --> 06:06:59.560
no affectation of levity to the Russian, and bowed politely to the three men

3879
06:06:59.599 --> 06:07:04.799
as came in. His manner and
conduct were admirable in spite of his irritable

3880
06:07:04.840 --> 06:07:11.840
nervousness. There were moments when he
had and in the highest degree that unshaken

3881
06:07:11.919 --> 06:07:15.840
steadfastness, which is part of the
discipline of a man of the world,

3882
06:07:15.279 --> 06:07:19.880
to whom it is a matter of
course that under certain circumstances he must fight,

3883
06:07:21.639 --> 06:07:27.040
just as under certain others he must
take off his hat. Zigbok changed

3884
06:07:27.159 --> 06:07:33.159
color a good deal. The others
were quite cool. They made a careful

3885
06:07:33.279 --> 06:07:37.759
survey lest some intruding listeners should be
within hearing. But all was still as

3886
06:07:37.919 --> 06:07:45.240
death. The vineyard behind the little
chapel was deserted. The formalities were soon

3887
06:07:45.279 --> 06:07:51.520
got through. Sempaly and Schetzel took
off their coats and waistcoats and took the

3888
06:07:51.560 --> 06:07:57.080
places assigned to them by their seconds. The signal was given. The word

3889
06:07:57.119 --> 06:08:03.799
of command was heard in the silent
and immediately after the first click of the

3890
06:08:03.919 --> 06:08:11.119
swords as they engaged. Anyone who
has lived through the prolonged anticipation of a

3891
06:08:11.159 --> 06:08:17.959
known peril ordeal knows that when the
decisive moment has arrived, the tension of

3892
06:08:18.000 --> 06:08:23.919
the nerves suddenly relaxes, anxiety seems
lifted from the soul, fear vanishes,

3893
06:08:25.040 --> 06:08:30.439
and all that remains is a sort
of breathless curiosity. This was the case

3894
06:08:30.479 --> 06:08:37.400
with the General and zig Work.
They watched the sword play attentively but almost

3895
06:08:37.520 --> 06:08:45.319
calmly. Sempaly was the first to
attack and was extraordinarily nimble. Stetzel stood

3896
06:08:45.360 --> 06:08:49.720
strictly on the defensive. He fenced
in the German fashion, giving force to

3897
06:08:49.759 --> 06:08:55.000
his lunch with the whole weight of
his body, and this, with his

3898
06:08:55.240 --> 06:09:00.319
skill and care, gave him a
marked advantage over his lighter adversary. The

3899
06:09:00.439 --> 06:09:06.880
sense of superior strength seemed at first
to hinder his freedom. In fact,

3900
06:09:07.159 --> 06:09:14.560
the contest from a mere technical point
of view was remarkably interesting. Simply displayed

3901
06:09:14.560 --> 06:09:19.639
a marvelous and, as Crespinnie had
said, quite irresponsible subtleness, which had

3902
06:09:19.680 --> 06:09:27.080
no effect against Stetziel's imperturbable coolness.
It was evident that he hoped to weary

3903
06:09:27.119 --> 06:09:33.919
out his antagonist and then to end
the duel by wounding him slightly. He

3904
06:09:33.040 --> 06:09:38.080
had pricked simply just under the arm, but simply would not be satisfied.

3905
06:09:38.680 --> 06:09:42.840
It was nothing, he said,
and after a short pause they began again.

3906
06:09:45.360 --> 06:09:49.200
Simply was beginning to look pale and
exhausted. His faints were short,

3907
06:09:49.639 --> 06:09:56.200
straight and violent. Steedzel, on
the contrary, looked fresher, like every

3908
06:09:56.240 --> 06:10:00.479
accomplished swordsman in the course of a
long fight. He had warmed to his

3909
06:10:00.639 --> 06:10:04.599
work and was fighting as he would
have done with the foils, without duly

3910
06:10:04.639 --> 06:10:11.639
calculating the strength of his play.
Things looked ill, for simply. Suddenly,

3911
06:10:12.080 --> 06:10:17.319
through the silence, a song was
heard in the distance, in a

3912
06:10:17.360 --> 06:10:25.400
boy's thin piping soprano. Bright,
May, the sweetest month of spring,

3913
06:10:26.000 --> 06:10:32.599
The trees and fields with flowers are
strown. He had sent a thrill through

3914
06:10:32.680 --> 06:10:37.720
Stetzel's veins, reminding him of the
evening when Zinka had sung those words.

3915
06:10:37.759 --> 06:10:42.560
To simply, the romantic element that
was so strong in him searched to his

3916
06:10:42.720 --> 06:10:48.639
brain. He lost his head,
fearing to wound simply mortally, he thoced

3917
06:10:48.680 --> 06:10:53.319
to cover himself, and for a
second he suddenly stood as awkward and exposed,

3918
06:10:53.360 --> 06:10:59.159
as though he had never had a
sword in his hand. The seconds

3919
06:10:59.200 --> 06:11:07.479
rushed forward too late, with this
scarcely audible sound that a sharp steel makes

3920
06:11:07.520 --> 06:11:15.360
as it pierces the flesh, Simplice's
sword ran into his adversary's side. Shiatzel's

3921
06:11:15.439 --> 06:11:21.680
flannel shirt was dyed with blood.
His eyes glazed, he staggered forward a

3922
06:11:21.759 --> 06:11:30.200
step or two. Then he felt
senseless. The duel was over a quarter

3923
06:11:30.279 --> 06:11:33.680
of an hour later, and the
wound would have been bound up as best

3924
06:11:33.680 --> 06:11:38.040
it might, and in the closed
to landau, which they had made as

3925
06:11:38.080 --> 06:11:42.400
comfortable as they could by arranging the
cushions so as to form a couch,

3926
06:11:44.000 --> 06:11:48.159
the General supporting the groaning man's head
on his arm, and opposite to him

3927
06:11:48.200 --> 06:11:56.799
the surgeon. They were driving homewards
slowly, slowly, dusk had fallen on

3928
06:11:56.840 --> 06:12:02.200
the Campania. From time to time
the General looked out anxiously to see how

3929
06:12:02.240 --> 06:12:07.240
far they were still from Rome.
The road was empty and more deserted.

3930
06:12:07.319 --> 06:12:12.040
Every minute a cart rattled past them, full of peasants, shouting and singing

3931
06:12:12.080 --> 06:12:17.840
at the top of their voices.
Then they met a few white robed monks

3932
06:12:18.319 --> 06:12:22.799
wending their way with flaring torches to
some church. And then the road was

3933
06:12:22.959 --> 06:12:30.560
perfectly empty. The cypresses stood up
tall and black against the dull hued sky,

3934
06:12:32.159 --> 06:12:37.279
and the white plain was one stretch
of gray. At last, the

3935
06:12:37.400 --> 06:12:44.040
arch of Constantine bents over them for
a minute, and the horses hoofs clatter

3936
06:12:44.080 --> 06:12:51.240
on the stones. Slowly, slowly, the lamps of Rome twinkle in the

3937
06:12:51.319 --> 06:12:56.200
distance. They have reached the Corso
at this hour, almost empty of vehicles,

3938
06:12:56.240 --> 06:13:02.319
but crowded with eye blers, and
the cafes are brilliantly lighted up.

3939
06:13:03.319 --> 06:13:08.639
This slowly moving landau excites attention.
The gaper's crowd into knots and stare and

3940
06:13:08.799 --> 06:13:15.799
whisper. At last they reach the
palacettor, turn into the courtyard and get

3941
06:13:15.840 --> 06:13:19.560
out. The porter comes out of
his den, his dog at his heel,

3942
06:13:19.680 --> 06:13:26.360
sparking loudly. Hush, silence,
says the General. The servants come

3943
06:13:26.439 --> 06:13:30.959
rushing down. The women begin to
sob and cry, and again the General

3944
06:13:32.040 --> 06:13:37.479
says, hush, hush, as
if it were worth while to keep zinc

3945
06:13:37.560 --> 06:13:42.319
and ignorance for a minute. More
or less, with some difficulty, the

3946
06:13:42.360 --> 06:13:48.840
heavy man is lifted out and carried
upstairs. The heavy shuffling steps sound loud

3947
06:13:48.880 --> 06:13:53.520
in the silence. Suddenly they hear
Zinka's voice loud in terror, and the

3948
06:13:53.560 --> 06:14:00.000
baronesses, in harsh reprove her door
is flung open, and Zinka rushes out

3949
06:14:00.159 --> 06:14:04.720
to meet them. A half smothered
cry of anguish breaks from her very heart,

3950
06:14:06.439 --> 06:14:11.799
the cry with which we wake from
a hideous dream. They carried him

3951
06:14:11.840 --> 06:14:15.520
into his room, and while they
carefully settled him in bed, the servant

3952
06:14:15.599 --> 06:14:22.279
announced doctor e, the famous German
physician, of whom mention has already been

3953
06:14:22.319 --> 06:14:27.279
made, SIMPLI, who had driven
back at full speed and had reached Rome

3954
06:14:27.439 --> 06:14:33.080
more than an hour sooner than the
general with the wounded man had sent him

3955
06:14:33.119 --> 06:14:38.560
at Once. Doctor E examined the
patient with the greatest care, adjusted the

3956
06:14:38.639 --> 06:14:45.479
bandage with admirable skill, wrote a
prescription, and ordered the application of ice.

3957
06:14:45.439 --> 06:14:51.360
He gave a sympathetic hand to each
of the ladies who were standing anxiously

3958
06:14:51.400 --> 06:14:55.759
at the door as he left the
room, and reassured them with an encouraging

3959
06:14:55.880 --> 06:15:02.080
smile, promising them with that kindly
hopefulness to which he owed half his fashionable

3960
06:15:02.119 --> 06:15:07.919
practice, that the wounded man would
pass a quiet night. But when he

3961
06:15:07.080 --> 06:15:14.000
was face to face with the general
who escorted him downstairs, the smile vanished.

3962
06:15:15.799 --> 06:15:19.119
They won't just dangerous, asked the
old man with a trembling heart.

3963
06:15:21.799 --> 06:15:26.959
The sergeant shook his head. Are
you a relation, he asked, No,

3964
06:15:27.240 --> 06:15:33.479
but a very old friend. It
is mortal, said doctor E.

3965
06:15:33.279 --> 06:15:38.080
I may be mistaken, of course
I may be wrong. Nature sometimes works

3966
06:15:38.119 --> 06:15:44.080
miracles, and the patient has a
splendid physique, what fine limbs. I

3967
06:15:44.080 --> 06:15:48.000
have rarely seen so powerful a man, but so far as human science can

3968
06:15:48.080 --> 06:15:55.639
foresee, and he left the death
warrant unspoken. It is always a comfort

3969
06:15:55.759 --> 06:16:00.040
to the survivors to know that all
that can be done has been done.

3970
06:16:00.159 --> 06:16:04.880
I will come early tomorrow morning to
inquire. Sent the prescription to the French

3971
06:16:06.000 --> 06:16:11.880
chemists. It is the best.
Good night, and he got into the

3972
06:16:11.919 --> 06:16:18.240
carriage that was waiting for him.
The General gave the prescription to the porter,

3973
06:16:18.799 --> 06:16:22.959
who, with the readiness and simplicity
that are so characteristic of the Italians,

3974
06:16:23.479 --> 06:16:29.599
rushed off at once without his hat, as if there were really any

3975
06:16:29.680 --> 06:16:36.520
hurry. The old soldier, composing
himself by an effort, returned to the

3976
06:16:36.560 --> 06:16:41.959
bedroom. Zinca was standing very humbly
at the foot of the bed, pale

3977
06:16:41.040 --> 06:16:48.279
and tearless, but trembling from head
to foot. The baroness was pacing the

3978
06:16:48.360 --> 06:16:52.240
room and sobbing, violently, wringing
her hands and pushing her hair back from

3979
06:16:52.240 --> 06:16:57.200
her temples. Of course, she
flew at the General with questions as to

3980
06:16:57.240 --> 06:17:04.520
the surgeon's prognosis. His evasive fences
were enough to fill her with unreasonable hope

3981
06:17:04.840 --> 06:17:10.959
and to revive the worldly instincts which
her terrors had for a moment cast into

3982
06:17:11.040 --> 06:17:17.159
the background. Yes, yes,
he will pass a quiet night, she

3983
06:17:17.200 --> 06:17:21.720
whimpered. He will get well again. It would have been too bad with

3984
06:17:21.959 --> 06:17:26.520
such a brilliant career before him,
But this is an end to Constantinople.

3985
06:17:29.400 --> 06:17:33.119
Zinca, on the contrary, had
turned still paler at the general's report,

3986
06:17:33.639 --> 06:17:38.520
but she said nothing that there had
been a duel. She and her mother

3987
06:17:38.560 --> 06:17:44.400
had, of course understood. What
did she infer from that? What did

3988
06:17:44.439 --> 06:17:48.520
she think? What did she feel? She herself never rightly knew. In

3989
06:17:48.639 --> 06:17:53.520
her soul all was dark, in
her heart, all was cold. Her

3990
06:17:53.560 --> 06:18:00.840
whole being was concentrated in horror.
After much and hodge and persuasion, the

3991
06:18:00.919 --> 06:18:06.360
General succeeded in inducing the baroness to
leave the room and to lie down for

3992
06:18:06.439 --> 06:18:11.799
a time, to spare herself for
her son's sake. She had hardly closed

3993
06:18:11.880 --> 06:18:18.119
the door when the servant came quietly
in and said that Count Tryne had come.

3994
06:18:18.080 --> 06:18:23.000
Zinca looked up. Shall I let
him come in? Asked the general.

3995
06:18:23.959 --> 06:18:30.279
Zinka nodded. Zigbuk had told him, and though it was now eleven

3996
06:18:30.439 --> 06:18:34.400
train had hurried off to the palacettor. He came into the room without speaking,

3997
06:18:34.439 --> 06:18:40.560
and straight up to Zinca the simple
feeling with which he took her hand

3998
06:18:40.639 --> 06:18:45.240
in both his. The deep and
tender sorrow at being unable to help,

3999
06:18:45.279 --> 06:18:48.880
but to reassure her that spoke in
his eyes comforted and warmed her heart.

4000
06:18:49.759 --> 06:18:56.319
The frozen horror that had held her
in his clasp seemed to thaw. Tears

4001
06:18:56.520 --> 06:19:00.799
started to her eyes. A tremulous
sob died on her lips. Then,

4002
06:19:02.240 --> 06:19:08.400
controlling herself with great difficulty, she
murmured intelligibly, there is no hope,

4003
06:19:08.919 --> 06:19:17.080
no hope. His mother's loud lamentations
had not roused the wounded man, but

4004
06:19:17.200 --> 06:19:22.439
the first sound from Zinca recalled him
to consciousness. He began to move uneasily

4005
06:19:22.479 --> 06:19:30.520
and opened his sunken eyes. The
whites shone dimly like polished silver as he

4006
06:19:30.599 --> 06:19:36.200
fixed them on his sister's face.
From thence they wandered to a blood stained

4007
06:19:36.240 --> 06:19:41.200
handkerchief that had been forgotten, and
then to the general. Slowly and painfully,

4008
06:19:41.240 --> 06:19:48.240
he seemed to comprehend the situation.
He struggled for breath with an impatient

4009
06:19:48.400 --> 06:19:52.040
movement of his hands and shoulders,
and then shivered as with a spasm.

4010
06:19:53.119 --> 06:20:00.439
He was conscious now and sighed deeply. The first thing that occurred to him

4011
06:20:00.520 --> 06:20:06.319
was his official duty? Have you
sent word to the ambassador, he asked

4012
06:20:06.400 --> 06:20:11.799
the general almost angrily. No,
not yet, then make haste pray they

4013
06:20:11.880 --> 06:20:18.520
must telegraph to Vienna. Yes,
yes, said Fontlinger, soothingly. I

4014
06:20:18.560 --> 06:20:22.159
will see to it at once.
Would he be good enough to stay till

4015
06:20:22.200 --> 06:20:29.040
I return, he added to Trayne, and he hurried away. For a

4016
06:20:29.080 --> 06:20:33.720
few minutes, not a word was
spoken. Then Scheatzel began. Do you

4017
06:20:33.799 --> 06:20:41.680
know how it all happened? Count
Trayne bowed and you, Zini asked Cecil,

4018
06:20:42.080 --> 06:20:48.000
looking sadly at the girl's white face. I know that you are suffering.

4019
06:20:48.400 --> 06:20:52.799
That is all I want to know, she replied, Oh, semi.

4020
06:20:53.560 --> 06:20:59.439
Schtetzel struggled for breath and held out
his hands to Zinka. Then they

4021
06:20:59.479 --> 06:21:03.880
went on, in a hoarse and
hardly audible voice. Zini, Butterfly,

4022
06:21:04.639 --> 06:21:10.279
it was all my doing. I
have spoilt your life. I did it.

4023
06:21:11.639 --> 06:21:15.720
She tried to stop him. You
must not excite yourself, she said,

4024
06:21:17.040 --> 06:21:22.119
leaning over him tenderly. Forget all
that till you are better. I

4025
06:21:22.200 --> 06:21:25.439
know that you have always loved me, and that you would have fetched the

4026
06:21:25.560 --> 06:21:32.439
stars from heaven for me if you
could have reached them. He shuddered convulsively.

4027
06:21:33.639 --> 06:21:37.360
No, Zini, no, you
might have had the stars, he

4028
06:21:37.479 --> 06:21:42.639
said, in a panting staccato.
The finest stars simply was not to blame

4029
06:21:44.080 --> 06:21:49.479
only I. The prince had agreed, But I I forgot myself, and

4030
06:21:49.560 --> 06:21:55.439
I spoilt it all. Oh,
a drink of water, Zini, please.

4031
06:21:56.520 --> 06:22:00.200
She gave him the water, and
he drank it great. But when

4032
06:22:00.240 --> 06:22:04.919
she gently tried to stop his mouth
with her hand, he pushed it away

4033
06:22:06.159 --> 06:22:11.720
and went on eagerly, though with
a fast failing voice. No, I

4034
06:22:11.919 --> 06:22:17.119
must tell you it is a weight
upon my soul. There in my desk

4035
06:22:17.680 --> 06:22:22.400
count in the little pocket on the
left, there is a letter for Zinca.

4036
06:22:22.959 --> 06:22:29.720
Give it her train did his bidding. The letter was sealed and addressed

4037
06:22:29.759 --> 06:22:34.279
to Zinka. In Cecil's fine,
firm hand. She opened it. It

4038
06:22:34.400 --> 06:22:41.400
contained the note that Sempali had written
before starting for Frascati, and Schetel had

4039
06:22:41.439 --> 06:22:45.639
added a few words of explanation in
case it should not fall into Zinca's hands

4040
06:22:45.680 --> 06:22:52.240
till after his death. She read
it all while the dying man anxiously watched

4041
06:22:52.279 --> 06:22:57.880
her face, but her expression did
not alter by a shade. Sampali's words

4042
06:22:57.919 --> 06:23:03.000
glided over her heart without touching it. Even when she had read both notes,

4043
06:23:03.159 --> 06:23:08.919
she did not speak. Two red
flames burned in her pale cheeks.

4044
06:23:11.599 --> 06:23:19.520
I got the note too late,
said she deadseel sadly. The General can

4045
06:23:19.599 --> 06:23:26.919
tell you how it all happened.
I lost my head, but he he

4046
06:23:27.119 --> 06:23:33.360
is safe. So you must forgive
me and do act as if I had

4047
06:23:33.479 --> 06:23:41.959
never existed. Then I shall rest
in peace and be happy in my grave,

4048
06:23:42.919 --> 06:23:51.919
if I know that you are happy. Still, she did not speak.

4049
06:23:52.240 --> 06:23:56.279
Her eyes were strangely overcast, but
it was not with grief for her

4050
06:23:56.360 --> 06:24:02.959
lost happiness. Suddenly she tore the
note across and dropped the pieces on the

4051
06:24:03.040 --> 06:24:07.959
floor. If he had written ten
letters, she cried, it would have

4052
06:24:08.000 --> 06:24:11.159
made no difference. Now do not
let that worry you, Cecil. It

4053
06:24:11.240 --> 06:24:15.840
is all at an end. Even
if there were no gulf between us.

4054
06:24:15.159 --> 06:24:19.400
I could never be his wife.
I have ceased to love him. How

4055
06:24:19.520 --> 06:24:26.479
mean he is in my eyes compared
with you. And so the brother and

4056
06:24:26.560 --> 06:24:32.919
sister were at one again. The
discord was solved. For more than four

4057
06:24:32.959 --> 06:24:37.799
and twenty hours, Cecil wrestled with
death, and Zinca never left his side.

4058
06:24:38.720 --> 06:24:45.560
The certainty of their mutual and complete
devotion was a melancholy consolation. In

4059
06:24:45.599 --> 06:24:52.360
the midst of this cruel parting.
The pain he suffered was agonizing, particularly

4060
06:24:52.479 --> 06:24:56.680
during the night and the early morning, but he bore it with superb fortitude.

4061
06:24:57.000 --> 06:25:02.799
And it was only by the nervous
killer off his hands and the involuntary

4062
06:25:02.880 --> 06:25:07.959
distortion of his features that he betrayed
his suffering. He hardly for a moment

4063
06:25:08.040 --> 06:25:14.279
slept. He refused the opiate sent
by the surgeon. He wished to keep

4064
06:25:14.319 --> 06:25:22.439
his head as long as possible.
When Zinka, with a thousand tender circumlocutions,

4065
06:25:22.959 --> 06:25:26.159
suggested to him that he should receive
the last sacraments of the church,

4066
06:25:26.680 --> 06:25:33.200
he agreed. If it will be
any comfort to you, Butterfly, he

4067
06:25:33.400 --> 06:25:40.560
sighed, and she received the priest
with reverent composure. In the afternoon,

4068
06:25:40.599 --> 06:25:45.959
he was easier. Zincer began to
hope you are better, she whispered,

4069
06:25:47.000 --> 06:25:52.279
imploringly. You are better, are
you not? I am in less pain,

4070
06:25:53.000 --> 06:25:57.880
he said, and then she began
making plans for the future. He

4071
06:25:59.080 --> 06:26:04.959
smiled, sadly. No man could
die with a better grace, And yet

4072
06:26:06.159 --> 06:26:12.680
it was hard to die. The
catastrophe had roused universal sympathy. The terrible

4073
06:26:12.759 --> 06:26:18.400
news had spread like wildfire through the
city, and a sort of panic fell

4074
06:26:18.439 --> 06:26:22.319
on the rank and fashion of Rome. No one that day who had ever

4075
06:26:22.400 --> 06:26:29.240
spoken a spiteful or flippant word against
Stetzel or his sister failed to feel a

4076
06:26:29.279 --> 06:26:33.720
prick of ramose. Every one came
or sent to the palacetto to inquire for

4077
06:26:33.799 --> 06:26:40.279
them. Now once again the baroness
would come and triumphantly in her hand that

4078
06:26:40.400 --> 06:26:45.319
particularly distinguished a visiting card with its
corner turned down, and Russell up to

4079
06:26:45.400 --> 06:26:52.959
the bedside. Hinzenberg came himself to
the door to ask after you. Late

4080
06:26:53.000 --> 06:26:57.680
in the day he fell into an
uneasy sleep. Zinca and the General did

4081
06:26:57.720 --> 06:27:03.439
not quit the room. The window
was open, but the air that blew

4082
06:27:03.479 --> 06:27:08.319
in through the Venetian blinds was damp
and sultray. The strait was strewn with

4083
06:27:08.599 --> 06:27:15.799
straw. The roll of the carriages
in the corso came dulled by distance up

4084
06:27:15.919 --> 06:27:21.360
to the chamber of death. Then
twilight fell, and the rumbling echoes were

4085
06:27:21.479 --> 06:27:27.400
still presently. The slow, irregular
tramp of a crowd broke the silence with

4086
06:27:27.639 --> 06:27:34.479
the accompaniment of a solemn, but
dismal chant Zinka sprang up to close the

4087
06:27:34.560 --> 06:27:40.479
window, but she was not quick
enough. The sleeper had opened his weary

4088
06:27:40.560 --> 06:27:48.119
eyes and was listening a funeral,
he muttered. After this, he could

4089
06:27:48.119 --> 06:27:52.919
not rest, and his sufferings began
once more. He tossed on his pillow,

4090
06:27:53.400 --> 06:27:57.759
talked of his will, begging the
general to make a note of certain

4091
06:27:57.919 --> 06:28:03.599
trifling altars. And when Zinca entreated
him not to torment himself, but to

4092
06:28:03.680 --> 06:28:08.360
think of that by and by,
he shook his head and murmured, in

4093
06:28:08.400 --> 06:28:15.439
a voice that was hoarse and tremulous
with pain. No I am in a

4094
06:28:15.560 --> 06:28:25.639
hurry time presses. Railway fever,
railway fever. When Zinka, unable to

4095
06:28:25.720 --> 06:28:30.080
control herself, was leaving the room
to hide her tears, he desired her

4096
06:28:30.159 --> 06:28:37.040
to remain. Only stop by me. Do not leave me, Zini,

4097
06:28:37.680 --> 06:28:41.520
he said, cry, if it
is a relief to you, but stay

4098
06:28:41.639 --> 06:28:51.759
here, poor little butterfly. Yes
you will miss me. Once only did

4099
06:28:51.799 --> 06:28:56.639
he lose his self command. It
was late in the evening. He had

4100
06:28:56.759 --> 06:29:00.040
begged them to send to the embassy
for an English newspaper which would give some

4101
06:29:00.159 --> 06:29:07.000
information as to a certain political matter
in which he was particularly interested. The

4102
06:29:07.080 --> 06:29:12.560
ambassador himself brought it to his bedside. How are you, How are you

4103
06:29:12.720 --> 06:29:18.880
now, he asked, with sincere
emotion. You are quite right dead,

4104
06:29:18.959 --> 06:29:22.680
sir Ignazi. If as done exactly
as you said, you have a wonderful

4105
06:29:22.799 --> 06:29:29.080
power of divination. I shall miss
you desperately when you go to Constantinople.

4106
06:29:30.119 --> 06:29:37.080
And his excellency fairly broke down.
There was a painful pause. I am

4107
06:29:37.279 --> 06:29:45.159
going further than Constantinople, Schatzel murmured
at length. I should like to know

4108
06:29:45.240 --> 06:29:49.959
who will get my place. His
voice failed him, and he ground as

4109
06:29:51.000 --> 06:29:57.040
he hid his face in the pillow. The end came at midnight. Doctor

4110
06:29:57.159 --> 06:30:02.599
e had warned the general that it
would be terrible, but it was in

4111
06:30:02.680 --> 06:30:07.080
vain that they tried to persuade Zinca
to leave the room. The whole night

4112
06:30:07.279 --> 06:30:12.439
through, she knelt by the dying
man's bed in her tumbled white dressing gown,

4113
06:30:14.119 --> 06:30:21.360
praying. At about five in the
morning, his moaning ceased. Was

4114
06:30:21.479 --> 06:30:26.599
all over? No, he spoke
again. A strange, far away look,

4115
06:30:27.119 --> 06:30:33.400
peculiar to the dying came into his
eyes. Do not cry, little

4116
06:30:33.400 --> 06:30:38.720
one, it will all come right. And then he felt about with his

4117
06:30:38.880 --> 06:30:44.840
hands as if he were seeking for
something, for some idea that had escaped

4118
06:30:44.919 --> 06:30:51.240
him. He gazed at his sister
go to bed. SEINNI, I am

4119
06:30:51.319 --> 06:31:00.319
better, sleepy Constante. He turned
his head to the wall and breathed deeply.

4120
06:31:00.439 --> 06:31:07.520
He had started on his journey.
The General closed his eyes and drew

4121
06:31:07.639 --> 06:31:14.959
Zinca away. Outside in the corridor
stood a crushed and miserable man. It

4122
06:31:15.159 --> 06:31:21.919
was simply pale, wretched and restless. He had stolen into the palacetto,

4123
06:31:22.439 --> 06:31:26.959
and as he stood aside, his
hands trembled. His eyes were haggard.

4124
06:31:26.959 --> 06:31:32.080
She did not shrink from him.
As she went by, she did not

4125
06:31:32.319 --> 06:31:38.080
see him. A glorious morning shone
on the little garden court. In a

4126
06:31:38.200 --> 06:31:45.200
darkly shady corner, A swarm of
blue butterflies were fluttering over the grass,

4127
06:31:45.799 --> 06:31:51.959
like atoms fallen from the sky.
It was the corner in which the Amazon

4128
06:31:52.119 --> 06:32:10.159
stood and of Pot three Chapter six, Part three, chapter seven of Our

4129
06:32:10.200 --> 06:32:15.319
Own set by Ossip Shubin, translated
by Clara Belle. This libovox recording is

4130
06:32:15.319 --> 06:32:22.159
in the public domain. Recording by
Carolyn Part three, chapter seven, thanks

4131
06:32:22.200 --> 06:32:29.560
to zik Books Always Judicious Indiscretion.
All Rome knew year long that Prince Simpali

4132
06:32:29.639 --> 06:32:34.319
had consented to Zinka's marriage with his
brother. The evening before the duel and

4133
06:32:34.400 --> 06:32:40.880
at the same time it heard of
Stetzel's burst of anger and its fearful expiation

4134
06:32:41.680 --> 06:32:48.040
Princess Volpini's unwavering friendship, which during
these few days she took every opportunity of

4135
06:32:48.080 --> 06:32:56.240
displaying silenced evil tongues and saved Zinca's
good name. Now, indeed, there

4136
06:32:56.319 --> 06:33:02.720
was a general and powerful revulsion of
feeling in Schtetzel's favor had suddenly became absurd,

4137
06:33:03.080 --> 06:33:07.080
pity in the very worst taste,
to doubt Zinca, Zinca and Cecil

4138
06:33:07.159 --> 06:33:14.560
had always been exceptional natures. Schtetzel
had expressed a wish to be buried at

4139
06:33:14.599 --> 06:33:19.240
home. The body was embalmed and
laid in a large empty room where once

4140
06:33:19.319 --> 06:33:25.840
upon a time the Baroness had wanted
to give a ball. There were flowers

4141
06:33:25.880 --> 06:33:30.840
against the wall and on the floor
the beer was covered with them. It

4142
06:33:30.040 --> 06:33:36.720
was a complete Roman in fiorata.
The windows were darkened with hangings, and

4143
06:33:36.959 --> 06:33:42.400
the dim ruddy light of dozens of
wax tapers filled the room. Contesse Ilsenberg

4144
06:33:42.520 --> 06:33:51.159
and the Jatinskys came to this lying
in state distinguished company and ceremonial black crowded

4145
06:33:51.240 --> 06:33:55.959
around the coffin. Never had the
baroness had so full a day, and

4146
06:33:56.080 --> 06:34:03.000
her sentimental graces showed that even under
these gold circumstances, she felt this as

4147
06:34:03.000 --> 06:34:07.639
a satisfaction. She stood by the
beer in flowing robes loaded with crape,

4148
06:34:08.040 --> 06:34:12.680
a black boarded handkerchief in her hand, and a tear on each cheek,

4149
06:34:14.119 --> 06:34:18.919
and received her visitors. They pressed
her hand and made sympathetic speeches, and

4150
06:34:19.040 --> 06:34:25.639
she murmured, feebly, you are
so good. It is so comforting.

4151
06:34:26.720 --> 06:34:32.479
Having spoken to the mother, they
turned to look for the sister. Everyone

4152
06:34:32.599 --> 06:34:37.799
longed to express, or at least
to show their sincere sympathy for her dreadful

4153
06:34:37.959 --> 06:34:42.279
sorrow. But she was not in
the crowd, not to be seen till

4154
06:34:42.319 --> 06:34:48.319
a lady whispered, there she is, And in a dark recess, Princess

4155
06:34:48.319 --> 06:34:55.319
Wilpini was discovered with a quivering,
sobbing creature as pale as death, and

4156
06:34:55.599 --> 06:35:00.759
drowned in tears. But no one
ventured to intrude on her grave, No

4157
06:35:00.799 --> 06:35:06.319
one but Nini, who looked almost
as miserable as Zinca herself, and who

4158
06:35:06.360 --> 06:35:11.279
went up to her and put her
arms around her and kissed her. Next

4159
06:35:11.360 --> 06:35:17.799
day, mass was performed in the
chapel of San Marco adjoining the embassy and

4160
06:35:17.919 --> 06:35:23.040
a quartette of voices saying the same
pathetic allegretto from the Seventh Symphony that had

4161
06:35:23.080 --> 06:35:30.479
been played hardly three months since for
the Lady Jane Gray tableau. A week

4162
06:35:30.599 --> 06:35:36.479
later, the Schetzels quitted Rome.
Up to the very last, the Baroness

4163
06:35:36.560 --> 06:35:41.159
was receiving visits of condolence, and
to the very last she repeated her monotonous

4164
06:35:41.200 --> 06:35:49.639
formula of lament. And on the
threshold of such a splendid career, Zinca

4165
06:35:49.759 --> 06:35:53.880
was never in the drawing room,
and very few ventured to go to her

4166
06:35:53.919 --> 06:36:00.919
little boudoir. Wasted to a shadow, with sunken, cry out eyes and

4167
06:36:00.119 --> 06:36:06.000
pinched features. It was heart rending
to see her, and after the first

4168
06:36:06.240 --> 06:36:11.360
violence of her grave was spent,
she seemed even more inconsolable. It is

4169
06:36:11.560 --> 06:36:18.319
so with deep natures. Our first
sorrow over the dead is always mixed with

4170
06:36:18.400 --> 06:36:22.959
a certain rebellion against fate. It
is a paroxysm in which we forget everything,

4171
06:36:23.400 --> 06:36:27.840
even the cause of our passionate tears. It is not till we have

4172
06:36:29.040 --> 06:36:33.200
dried our eyes and our heart has
raged itself into weariness, not till we

4173
06:36:33.279 --> 06:36:40.520
have at last said to ourselves,
submit that we can measure the awful gap

4174
06:36:40.599 --> 06:36:45.240
that death has torn into our life, or know how empty and cold and

4175
06:36:45.360 --> 06:36:49.959
silent the world has become. Every
day, Mate, Zinca feel more deeply

4176
06:36:51.000 --> 06:36:55.400
what it was that she had lost. She was always feeling for the strong

4177
06:36:55.639 --> 06:37:00.599
arm which had so tenderly supported her. The General and Volpini did everything in

4178
06:37:00.639 --> 06:37:04.959
their power to help her through this
trying face. But the person with whom

4179
06:37:06.000 --> 06:37:10.560
she felt most at her ease was
train, and very often, after seven

4180
06:37:10.599 --> 06:37:14.639
in the evening, when she was
sure of meeting no one, she stole

4181
06:37:14.720 --> 06:37:18.759
off to visit Gabrielle. It was
touching to see how the little girl understood

4182
06:37:18.799 --> 06:37:23.240
the trouble of her older friend,
and how sweetly she would caress and pet

4183
06:37:23.279 --> 06:37:29.880
her. On the morning of their
departure, Train and the General saw them

4184
06:37:29.919 --> 06:37:33.919
off from the station. After the
ladies were in the carriage, Trayne got

4185
06:37:33.959 --> 06:37:38.360
in too, to open or close
the windows and blinds. When he had

4186
06:37:38.400 --> 06:37:42.840
done this, Zinca put out her
hand, God, bless you for all

4187
06:37:42.919 --> 06:37:48.119
your kindness, she said, And
as she spoke, she put up her

4188
06:37:48.200 --> 06:37:52.360
face to give him a kiss.
For an instant he hesitated, Then he

4189
06:37:52.479 --> 06:37:56.840
signed her forehead with a cross,
and bending down, touched her hair with

4190
06:37:56.959 --> 06:38:03.360
his lips. Au revoir, he
murmured in a half choked voice. He

4191
06:38:03.479 --> 06:38:08.959
bowed to the Baroness and jumped out
as he watched the train leave the station.

4192
06:38:10.520 --> 06:38:15.040
His face was crimson, and his
eyes sparkled strangely, and he stood

4193
06:38:15.080 --> 06:38:19.560
bareheaded to catch the last glimpse of
a pale little face at the window.

4194
06:38:22.439 --> 06:38:26.000
If only I had the right to
care for her and protect her, he

4195
06:38:26.119 --> 06:38:38.040
muttered. And of Part three,
chapter seven, Part three, chapter eight

4196
06:38:38.080 --> 06:38:44.200
of Our Own set by Ossip Schubin, translated by Clara Belle. This libovox

4197
06:38:44.240 --> 06:38:49.240
according is in the public domain recording
by Caroline Part three, chapter eight.

4198
06:38:51.720 --> 06:38:57.599
And now to conclude, Baroness Schietzel
was one of those happily rare natures who

4199
06:38:57.639 --> 06:39:03.919
have not one redeemer point in her
Moravian estate, whither they now retired.

4200
06:39:04.360 --> 06:39:11.959
She was sick of her life and
treated Zinca with affectionate austerity. Bored and

4201
06:39:11.080 --> 06:39:17.680
embittered, she was always bewailing herself
and made everyone miserable by her sour,

4202
06:39:17.880 --> 06:39:23.200
mean and doleful appearance. When the
year of mourning was ended, she began

4203
06:39:23.279 --> 06:39:30.400
to crave for some excitement. She
made excursions to watering places and to Vienna,

4204
06:39:30.759 --> 06:39:34.959
where she gathered round her the fragmentary
remains of her old circle of acquaintance

4205
06:39:36.479 --> 06:39:42.360
and tried to astonish them by magnificent
reminiscences of her sojourn in Rome. At

4206
06:39:42.360 --> 06:39:48.599
the same time, she still wore
deep fur blows of crape and wrote her

4207
06:39:48.639 --> 06:39:53.959
invitations on black edged paper. She
talked incessantly of her broken mother's heart,

4208
06:39:55.439 --> 06:40:00.840
wearing as it were a sort of
niobe nimbus, while in in fact her

4209
06:40:00.880 --> 06:40:07.360
display of mourning was nothing more than
a last foothold of her vanity. General

4210
06:40:07.439 --> 06:40:11.680
Vonklinga always declared that at the bottom
of her heart she was very proud of

4211
06:40:11.720 --> 06:40:18.000
her son, having been run through
by a Simpali. She died about three

4212
06:40:18.080 --> 06:40:26.240
years after the catastrophe of Bronchides,
which only proved fatal because though she already

4213
06:40:26.319 --> 06:40:30.439
had a severe cold, nothing could
dissuade her from going on a keen April

4214
06:40:30.560 --> 06:40:36.959
morning to see the ceremony of washing
the beggar's feet at the berg with a

4215
06:40:37.080 --> 06:40:41.880
friend from the Convent of the Sacred
Heart. Zinca felt the loss of her

4216
06:40:41.919 --> 06:40:48.319
mother more deeply than could have been
expected. Year after years, she spent

4217
06:40:48.599 --> 06:40:52.759
summer and winter in her country house, where Gabrielle Treyne, with her English

4218
06:40:52.799 --> 06:41:00.639
governess, sometimes passed a few weeks
with her. Her only visitors, Trayne

4219
06:41:00.880 --> 06:41:04.799
very rarely went to see her and
never stayed more than a few hours,

4220
06:41:06.360 --> 06:41:11.200
and the sacrifice it was to him
to lend his little companion for those visits

4221
06:41:11.240 --> 06:41:15.720
can only be appreciated by those who
have understood how completely his life was bound

4222
06:41:15.799 --> 06:41:25.880
up in hers with Princess Vulpini.
Zinka kept up an affectionate correspondence. Very

4223
06:41:26.279 --> 06:41:30.599
very slowly did her grief fade into
the background, but as is always the

4224
06:41:30.680 --> 06:41:37.040
case with a noble nature, it
elevated and strengthened her. She gave up

4225
06:41:37.080 --> 06:41:41.319
her whole time to acts of kindness
and benevolence. The only pleasure in which

4226
06:41:41.639 --> 06:41:48.360
for years she could find any real
comfort was alleviating the woes of others.

4227
06:41:49.439 --> 06:41:55.400
Not long after the death of the
baroness, General von Klinger left Europe to

4228
06:41:55.520 --> 06:42:02.040
travel and did not return till the
following spring. Twelve months he disembarked at

4229
06:42:02.119 --> 06:42:07.040
Lavre and proceeded to Paris, where
he proposed spending a few days to see

4230
06:42:07.080 --> 06:42:11.520
the Salon before going home. By
the obliging intervention of a friend, he

4231
06:42:11.639 --> 06:42:18.119
was admitted to the Vernisage Vanishing Day, or more properly, the private view

4232
06:42:18.639 --> 06:42:23.400
the day before the galleries were opened
to the public. Among the little crowd

4233
06:42:23.479 --> 06:42:29.799
of fashionable ladies who had gained admittance
by the good offices of a drawing master

4234
06:42:30.040 --> 06:42:34.479
or an artist friend, he observed
a remarkably pretty young girl, who,

4235
06:42:34.520 --> 06:42:40.240
with her nose in the air,
was skipping from one picture to another with

4236
06:42:40.279 --> 06:42:45.240
a light and vigorous step, and
pronouncing judgment on the works exhibited with the

4237
06:42:45.279 --> 06:42:52.680
inexorable severity and innocent conceit of a
fanatical novice. This fair young critic was

4238
06:42:52.880 --> 06:43:00.000
so thoroughly aristocratic in her bearing.
There was something so engaging in her girlishas

4239
06:43:00.200 --> 06:43:04.439
arrogance, so like a spoilt child, in her confidential chat with her companion,

4240
06:43:04.840 --> 06:43:10.959
an elderly man and one of the
best known artists of Paris, that

4241
06:43:11.119 --> 06:43:17.880
the old soldier painter could not help
watching her with kindly interest. Presently,

4242
06:43:17.959 --> 06:43:22.720
she happened to see him, scarrutinized
him for a moment, and came back

4243
06:43:22.799 --> 06:43:27.759
to meet him with gay familiarity.
Why general, are you back at last?

4244
06:43:27.959 --> 06:43:32.279
How glad Papa will be, and
you have not altered in the very

4245
06:43:32.400 --> 06:43:37.080
least. I cannot say the same
of you, Comtesse Gabrielle, He replied,

4246
06:43:38.200 --> 06:43:41.720
Well, of course, we last
met four years ago at Zini's.

4247
06:43:41.799 --> 06:43:45.959
I think she chatted on. Then
I was a child, and now I

4248
06:43:47.000 --> 06:43:49.400
am grown up. And I will
tell you something, General. I have

4249
06:43:49.560 --> 06:43:55.439
exhibited a picture, quite a small
water color drawing, and she blushed,

4250
06:43:55.439 --> 06:43:59.119
which made her look like her father. You will come and look at it,

4251
06:43:59.159 --> 06:44:03.080
will you not, of course,
he declared, and then, glancing

4252
06:44:03.119 --> 06:44:08.759
at her dress, You are in
mourning, he said hesitatingly. Yes,

4253
06:44:10.200 --> 06:44:15.799
she replied, in half mourning now
for poor mamma. It is nearly a

4254
06:44:15.880 --> 06:44:19.840
year since she died, and a
shade crossed her face. Ah, there's

4255
06:44:19.959 --> 06:44:26.439
Papa, she exclaimed, suddenly brightening. We are always losing each other.

4256
06:44:26.799 --> 06:44:30.759
Our tastes are different. Papa is
old fashioned, you know, quite behind

4257
06:44:30.799 --> 06:44:37.840
the times. Tryne greeted the General
very heartily. Gabrielle stood looking from one

4258
06:44:37.880 --> 06:44:41.680
to the other. Little roguish dimples
played in her cheeks, and at last

4259
06:44:41.799 --> 06:44:48.080
she stood on tiptoe and whispered something
to her father. At first he seemed

4260
06:44:48.159 --> 06:44:52.080
doubtful, and it was not without
a shade of embarrassment that he said,

4261
06:44:52.159 --> 06:44:56.919
we are going on to the hotel
Bristol, where we are to breakfast with

4262
06:44:56.000 --> 06:45:00.799
my sister. It will I am
sure give her the great pleasure if you

4263
06:45:00.840 --> 06:45:07.520
will join her party. The General
made some excuses, it was an intrusion,

4264
06:45:07.599 --> 06:45:11.479
and so forth, but he allowed
himself to be persuaded and drove off

4265
06:45:11.479 --> 06:45:17.040
with them through the flowery and well
watered alleys of the Chanselyisee to the hotel

4266
06:45:17.119 --> 06:45:22.639
in the place Vendome and Marie,
said Gabrielle, as she danced into the

4267
06:45:22.759 --> 06:45:27.080
room. Guess who's here with us, Ah General, said the princess warmly.

4268
06:45:27.680 --> 06:45:33.360
You are the right man in the
right place. But another figure caught

4269
06:45:33.400 --> 06:45:38.919
his eye. A little way behind
his hostess stood Zinca. This sorrow she

4270
06:45:38.959 --> 06:45:45.200
had experienced had stamped its lines indelibly
on her face. Still there was in

4271
06:45:45.279 --> 06:45:52.080
her eyes a light of coom and
assured happiness that blended very sweetly with the

4272
06:45:52.240 --> 06:45:56.720
traces of past grave. The bright
may morning of her life had been brave,

4273
06:45:57.040 --> 06:46:02.000
and it was past. But there
there was so tender charm in her

4274
06:46:02.040 --> 06:46:07.880
face and manner that even Gabrielle,
with the radiance of eighteen could not vie

4275
06:46:07.919 --> 06:46:11.919
with her. Trayne went up to
her, and there was an awkward silence.

4276
06:46:12.560 --> 06:46:18.520
Then Gabrielle began to laugh heartily.
And cannot you guess, general,

4277
06:46:18.919 --> 06:46:25.880
she exclaimed, It is not yet
announced to the world. Tryne stammered out,

4278
06:46:26.680 --> 06:46:30.240
but you have always taken such a
kind interest, and he took Zinca's

4279
06:46:30.279 --> 06:46:37.439
hand. The old man's face beamed. He positively hugged Zinca and shook hands

4280
06:46:37.560 --> 06:46:45.080
vehemently with Train. But Zinca burst
into tears. Oh uncle, she said,

4281
06:46:45.479 --> 06:46:52.319
if only Cecil were here, And
simply after the catastrophe, he vanished

4282
06:46:52.360 --> 06:46:56.479
from the scene, went to the
east, and there again came to the

4283
06:46:56.599 --> 06:47:03.479
surface. His simply made anything.
He is now considered one of our most

4284
06:47:03.639 --> 06:47:10.520
brilliant diplomatists. But he has gone
through a singular change. From a dandified,

4285
06:47:10.599 --> 06:47:15.880
frivolous attache, he became a hard
and fast off a shell. He

4286
06:47:15.000 --> 06:47:19.959
looks, if possible, more distinguished
than ever, and his features are more

4287
06:47:21.040 --> 06:47:26.200
sharply cut. He is irritable,
arrogant, and ruthless, never sparing man

4288
06:47:26.319 --> 06:47:32.040
or woman, the biting sarcasms that
dwell on the tip of his tongue,

4289
06:47:32.319 --> 06:47:37.759
and yet still nay more than ever. He exercises an almost irresistible spell over

4290
06:47:37.840 --> 06:47:45.080
all who come in contact with him. One day, when the General was

4291
06:47:45.119 --> 06:47:49.240
waiting at some frontier station in Hungary
for a train to Vienna, he was

4292
06:47:49.520 --> 06:47:55.080
struck by the full, rich voice
of a traveler in a seal skin coat

4293
06:47:55.680 --> 06:48:00.279
with a fur cap pulled down over
his brows, who was giving remptory orders

4294
06:48:00.319 --> 06:48:06.400
to his servant. The old man
looked around, and his eyes met those

4295
06:48:06.439 --> 06:48:11.080
of the stranger. It was simply
also on his way to Vienna from the

4296
06:48:11.159 --> 06:48:18.240
east. They spoke, exchanging a
few commonplace remarks, but without any cordiality.

4297
06:48:19.400 --> 06:48:23.840
Presently, Sempaly began with the abruptness
for which his name was a by

4298
06:48:23.959 --> 06:48:30.279
word. You have just come from
Paris. You were present at the wedding.

4299
06:48:30.639 --> 06:48:34.319
What do you think of Trine's marriage? I am delighted at it,

4300
06:48:34.520 --> 06:48:41.080
said the General. Well everybody seemed
satisfied. Marie Volpini is enchanted, and

4301
06:48:41.200 --> 06:48:45.799
Gabrielle pleaded for her papa. So
I hear. So everything is for the

4302
06:48:45.840 --> 06:48:51.880
best in this best of all possible
worlds, he added, in his sharp,

4303
06:48:52.119 --> 06:48:56.080
hasty tones. And Zinka, how
is she looking? The papers said

4304
06:48:56.119 --> 06:49:03.240
she was lovely. She is still
very charming, said the General. With

4305
06:49:03.439 --> 06:49:08.720
the facile garrulity of old age and
happiness always beautifies a woman. She had

4306
06:49:08.799 --> 06:49:15.599
but one regret that Cecil had not
lived to see it. He was suddenly

4307
06:49:15.720 --> 06:49:22.200
conscious of his stupendous want of tact, so to put the conversation on neutral

4308
06:49:22.319 --> 06:49:26.000
ground, he eagerly began to compliment, simply on the wonderful rapidity of his

4309
06:49:26.119 --> 06:49:32.680
advancement, remarking that it must afford
him great satisfaction to have so fitting a

4310
06:49:32.759 --> 06:49:38.400
sphere for the exercise of his peculiar
talents. Simply looked at him, keenly

4311
06:49:38.759 --> 06:49:45.639
and shrugging his shoulders with his singular
smile, he said, it is a

4312
06:49:45.799 --> 06:49:49.479
strange thing, General. When we
are young, we claim happiness at the

4313
06:49:49.520 --> 06:49:53.959
hands of destiny, as if it
were all right. As we grow older,

4314
06:49:55.000 --> 06:50:00.360
we humbly sew only for peace as
an alms. We get what we

4315
06:50:00.439 --> 06:50:07.240
demand more easily than what we beg
for, but it slips through our fingers.

4316
06:50:07.799 --> 06:50:11.759
End of Part three, Chapter eight, End of Our Own set by

4317
06:50:11.799 --> 06:50:19.119
Ossip Shubin, translated by Clara Belle, recording by Caroline in Oslo, Norway

4318
06:50:19.520 --> 06:50:25.400
in April and May two thousand and
twelve. Thanks for listening,