The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-13
THE DAILY STAR
TIT PROFESSORS DECLARATION.
CHAPTER Iv-(CoNTINuEp.)

Win the tehd6f passion, Tie IIolcss0i
knew of no rules to guide his conduct in
the emergency. He now felt great awe
for Miss Nelly herself; how much more
then, of her mother! Mrs. PeePs benev'
olent countenancs assumed in hii
thoughts tho fear-inspiring aspect of !
Medusa's, and of course it never occurred
to his Italian mind, that an interview
with the dreaded parent need not neces
sarily preeede less alarming one with
the daughter.
Each morning he resolved that before
che night he would decide what to do.
Each evening saw him wandering up and
down before the door that he dared not
enter. What added to his suspense was
a vague hope that some kind little note
of recall would come, as once before
when pressure Of work had kept him
away for several evenings. None came,
however; and day after day dragged
slowly on. His "magnum opus" was al
most at standstill; his students found
his teachings less clear than usual, and
his consumption Of black coffee increased
alarmingly.
He gave up his weekly dinners at the
restaurant, and whenever he was out-of-
doors carefully crossed the road if he
CHANGED to see any of the speakers at the
Ciroolo ON his path; in short, he Stunned
all his aoquaintances. An indefnable
weight oppressed him; he felt humiliated,
depressed, degraded, excepting during
the rare moments when a wild hope
stole into his soul.
1t was in vain that he sometimes tried
. to reason himself out of his imaginings.
He would tell himself that there was
nothing to prevent him from resuming
his friendly visits to the house by the
river-nothing but these same imagin-
ings. What if Mrs. Peel had looked Sc
verel Doubtless she was feeling ex-
hausted by the heat Of the lecture-room!
1t is hardly necessary to say that he
no longer attended the Marchesa's recep-
tions. He could not face Spazzagalera's
sneers, nor the gihes he thought he might
encounter from the lady Of the house.
Yet he might safely have ventured to go.
A new soprano had made her "debut" in
the town, and the dingy salon now
resounded with the Marchesa's harangues
on the decline of the lyric stage.
The question of female education had
lost all interest. Had not the Marchesa
clearly delivered her views on that sub
ject. Had not the public discussion
ended in smoke? The matter was dis
posed Of.
Early one Saturday morning note,
with big guilt monogram and coronet,
was brought to the Professor with his
morning coffee. 1t was a friendly COM
mand from Countess c., insisting on
his presence at her reception that even
ing to.meet some political notabilities
who were passing through on their way
to the capital. In his present frame Of
mind the Professor would hardly have
cared to meet the whole Cabinet, but
still this graciously wordod invitation,
coupled as it was with the gentle re-
.proaches for his long desertion, could
not be disregarded. But no sooner had
he decided to 90 than he began to think
more regretfully than ever of the tran
quill evenings for which he had deserted
the noisy parties at the Palazzo c.; and
again he asked himself, should he ever
enjoy them again?
Meanwhile the said tranquil evenings
Aad grown decidedly dull. Nelly's piano
was seldom opened, Nefly's lighter sell
dom heard. The girl had been seized
with sudden ardor for historical study,
and she was plodding through Guic-
ciardini's page-long sentences with steady
determination. Her favorite poets were
no longer ranged on the center table;
dog'seared folios took their place. Mrs.
Peel yawned good deal as she sat knit
ting by the fire; and now and then an
anxious expression would steal over her
face as she looked at that fair young
head bent over big book. The invalid
girl noticed that her sister never said
anything amusing now, had very little
to say Of any kind, that as evening came
on she became restless, that her color
heightened when the door-bell rang, and
that she never settled down to her Guic-
ciardini till after eight o'clock.
The Professors withdrawal was felt by
all three, yet only the invalid girl con-
tinued openly to regret him. As for
Mrs. Peel, the impulse of motherly alarm
that made her snub him on that unlucky
evening of the lecture, had long given
way to something very like remorse at
the apparent completeness of her success.
She never intended to drive him away
altogether. Still she told herself that it
was all for the best; that would never
have done. What "that" meant she did
not openly define, but she was more than
usually indulgent to her youngest child
in these days. Nelly's own feelings were
very complex, passed through many
phases from surprise to disappointment,
then to anger, back again to disappoint-
ment, gradually turning into anger with
herself and determination never to look
at Dante any more. She began to feel
very tired Of the town, and to fancy that
the climate was too relaxing for her. So
depressed was she that she, the pleasure
loving member of the family, positively
wanted her mother to decline IA sudden
invitation of the Countess c.. "What
did they care about political notabili-
tiesr she said, scornfully.