The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-07

itiveiy one day went out and hastily pul
chased ready-made shirt with an elabo
rate front, merely because she had trie,
to check his newborn extravaganza b,
declaring that she had none at hom
ready ironed.
This declaration of independence ha,
lit effect; she no longer hid away the Ike,
of his chest of drawers; but, in conf
dental chat from the balcony with al
opposite neighbor, she was heard to sa,
that she thought her master must be be
witched, for that he was continually run
ming backwards and forwards to thes,
foreign women, and hardly ever spent al
evening at home. What was more, tn,
shoemaker down ON the bridge assured
her that one day he had seen the Profes
sor walking down the street with biz
bunch Of roses in his hand. She didn'i
at all like the looks of things. When q
man of that age made fool of himself
it was very sad affair. The opposite
nelghbors coutralto tones chimed in as
sentingly with Assunta's shrill treble, as
plunging knitting pin into the towzled
plaits crowning her head, she opined that
men never knew when they were well
of.
The appearance of the subject of their
criticisms striding briskly up the street
with roll of papers under his arm and
a cigar in his mouth, put an end to the
friendly chat and sent Assunta flying to
the kitchen to ascertain the progress Of a
choice stew, before going to the door.
Bewitched or not, the Professor had
certainly altered very much in the two
months that had elapsed since the No
vember afternoon recorded in the first
pages He had wakened up, as it were,
and lost that cut-and-dried air which
comes to all men leading strictly monot-
onous lives, and which, in some myster-
ious way, seems to culminate In the set
of their coat-collars. His step was
quicker, his eyes were brighter, his
whole bearing was more alert. And, not
withstanding the Irregularities deplored
by the worthy Assunta, his work had not
suffered by them. He wrote fewer hours
a day, it is true, but his manuscript in
creased at greater pace. Indeed, its
opening chapters, legibly transcribed, were
already in the hands of an enterprising
publisher, and more than one scientific
journal alluded to the "magnum opus"
on which Professor Marcotti had SO long
been engaged. His intercourse with the
English family had brought brightness
into his life such as he had never before
known. The quiet evenings spent with
the three ladies were very different from
the receptions of Marchesa C. and Count
ess H., which had formed his only exper-
fences in society. Mrs. Peel, her invalid
eldest daughter, and blue-eyed Miss
Nelly, were always unaffectedly glad to
see him and put him thoroughly at his
ease. Unlike the noble ladies mentioned
above, they were not always craving for
the last new item of political or literary
gossip, nor given to tearing their
characters into shreds. If he
CHANGED to be in a silent mood they did |
not bore him to talk. they had always
plenty to say, plenty Of subjects to con-
suit him about, and they associated him
with their home occupations. These
occupations were a revelation to him.
Before, if asked to define the female sex
lie would probably have replied: ami
mails that dress and talk, but perform
lothing but the special task imposed
lpon them by natural laws. He had
leyer known his own mother, never had
my sisters SO altogether had but hazy
Jews Of woman's place in creation, and
'erhaps a general idea that they must
ither be of the Assunta species or else
ike Marchesa G. or Countess q. The
manifold activities Of these quiet Eng
ishwomen opened his mind to new
cries of reflections, and Miss Nelly in
was standing enigma to him.
his young lady, although apt, behind
is back, to call him dear old fossil, in
of having gradually elicted
rom him the details Of his mode of life,
yas none the less friendly with him on
hat account, and looked upon him as
er own es pecial property, to be turned
0 account as she thought fit. She was
tudying italian literature with great
igor, and finding her teachers explana-
ions of Dante rather bald and common
lace, soon began to ask our Professors
id concerning the many puzzles she met
nth. Now, in early days, the Professor
ad been an ardent Dantophilist, had
,genious readings of his own for certain
isputed passages, and disagreed on
lany points with the most celebrated
Put aside for scientific
,udies, but never forgotten, the old in
crest was revived by Nelly's questions.
oon, with his own stout Dante, inter-
,aved with closely-written notes, found
$ way to the house by the river. Fierce
attles were fought over its well-known
ages. Miss Nelly totally declined tax
learned view of the great poem. She
ould not look upon Beatrice as an alle-
Dry, and boldly declared that all the
ingenious theories were mere
ouses of cards to be blown down by the
nallest puff of common sense, and that
ANTE could never have dreamed Of the
visited riddles attributed to him.
fro BE CONTINUED |,
A Literary Lawsuit.