St. Paul daily globe., 1890-05-11


WttIciSmS that seemed endless.
There were other persons in the
salon. Mass fenced with monosylla-
bIes, with broken phrases; he hardly
knew what he was saying.
AS Lea was occupied exclusive with
him, little by little the others went
away. and Mass began to wander up
and down the room, trying to dominate
the emotion which possessed him.. But
Lea stopped HIM, and, after having
burst into loud laughter, In his race,
she took him by the hand and made
him sit beside h6r.
"Oh, heavens. my poor Mass, what
has happened to you? If it were not
you who are speaking, l S ohld say y0u
were about to tell me the news OF your
death. Have you, perhaps, decided to
kill yourself in order to seek Tor your
ideal in the next world?' -,
mo, Lea, L have not decided to Kill
myself, but l have decided to tell you
that | can live no longer without you,
for love you desperately"
."OhIn and she gave a long. ringing
laugh. but how is this2 You. even
you, my poor Mass, to pay such "a Irlb-
ute to human fraity. To love such a
light-headed thing, a creature SO I'M
perfect as am! 1t is not possible. L
never viii believe il. Now you are
making fun of me. You wish to take
Il revenge for all my rOgueries, as you
call them. Bravo, bravisSmQW and she
laughed and menaced him with her
gestures, and Shot at him her sarcastic.
provoking giances.
''Do not laugh. Lea. 1t is no jesting
matter, on my word as gentleman. L
speak to YOU from my soul"
And he made to her briefly. candidly,
with the undeniable accent of truth and
passion, the complete confession OF MS
love. He told her all, from the first ili-
pulsive Impression, soon afterWard
changed into liking, to the gradual
conquest of his soul, the unconscious.
irresistible attraction, the sudden rev.
citation which had illuminated every
thing to him, his denials. the irrafutable
proof, the jealousy toward her husband
which had determined his fight. He
told of his SnfTerlngS when away from
her, the struggle Of his conscience.
then the decisive onslaught of passion.
and his return.
Lea had punctuated the story with
interruptions, eXclamati0ns and cpl
grams. all the finest repertory Of her
roguerles.
"Ohl my poor Mass, what are you
telling me! All this to me is a lightning
flash out of clear sky; but for you, let
me say to you, all this is only hallu-
cinatioD.'
"a hallucination
Eyes, indeed, hallucination Of your
fancy, still too ingenious. From the
fear with which inspired you at the
beginning, you came to be little fond
of me: and, in y0uringenu0usness, YOU
believe that you have fallen in love.
With your character it could not be
otherwise. You have mistaken glow
worms for lanterns; assure you OF it,
and | am an experienced woman. In a
few days you Will be the first to laugh
at it yourself"
Mass. irritated, denied and interrupted
her words.
"lIear me, Lea. | am not q man to
feign or tv imagine a feeling which |
have not. that | should wish not to
have; you should know that. | have
torn away my flesh to let you look into
my heart. What | have said is the
sacred truth. The mere doubt otfends
me-" ~
"Oh! oh! place myself at your dis
posaf. l shall expect your seconds to-
morrow morning"
Il have struggled. tell you and I
have had to declare myself conquered.
l have set off against you my mother,
my career. my convictions of my whole
have been stronger than all?"
"AltOgether il is serious affair, poor
MasS But do not doubt that l shall
cure you. If have given the wound, |
will also give the cure. like the lance
of AchiilpS---''
Now, for me. there is left only one
thing in the word-you."
And ] return your friendship SO
fully
mo; listen to me-
''What! Is there something still more
Serous?"
although love you, because [ love
| you so. could never share you with
any other man-even could do so, the
| hypocrisy would be too repugnant to
| me. 1t would he torment Listen, Lea: {:
propose to you-l conjure you to ac-
| cept-you must accept"
| but What?'
''In short, will take you and carry
! you away openly, because you are mine,
! because you ought to be mine. and we
will go to live far away from here. out
! side of Italy. outside of Europe, Wher-
ever you will
Lea, who had been listening to him in
astonIShment, at this point arose to her
| feet
MASS. if any one else should make
| such proposal to me would show him
| the door. With you / will be tolerant,
| because you really are out of your head,
| and pity you. But forbid you, take
notice, l forbid you, ever to repeat to
| me such diScOurSeS - ..
"But you do not understand?'
| 81 understand everything. ! under
stand that you are not in your normal
condition. L understand now that
have done very wrong to show you any
liking, because you are dangerous
character. and take things as thev
should not be taken" Then, bursting
afresh into laughter. bravo, Signor
Puritan, thai. wishes TO run away with
another mans Wife!'
Mass, with his head between his
hands, sat Shuddering.
mo, no, my dear Mass, am not a
woman th be taken so seriously. am
not made for grand passions. ] do
not feel them, and never shall feel them.
like to amuse myself. laugh and be
good friends. Whoever likes me so,
very well, whoever does not like me so
|
"Haye you not even little love for
me?"
Friendship, as much as you will:
nothing morp.'
LEA, Lea, think that upon your
words in this moment depends the fate
of my life, because, were | to die of it,
shall never entreat you again.
bravo! Did not tell you that if
you ever returned to this discourse
should be compelled to break off even
friendship?''
LEA. wait to answer mel give YOU
a month, give you a year. Let me
hope that you may change, that you
, may conSent--'
+ never"
"rhen farewell" And he resolutel,
eXrended his hand to her.
'Farewell-that is, until we NEE
: again. Because we shall meet again
shall we not? Stay away from me fol
some days. and then come and tell ms
that your mood is passed. that you arr
5 my good friend again as at iirst.n
Farewell" Mass repeated.
, 81 tell you, till we meet again, my
tanned wild man, my puritan gone Il
the bad. All, ah, all. when think of i
l cannot help laughing. But laugh
j