San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-01


| thought me, into the matrimonial
net. / used to see their eyes-sparkling
with hight in the sunshine-grow liquid
and dreamy in the mellow radiance OF
the October moon, and turn upon me
with vague wistfulneSs most lovely TO
behold, and-most admirably feigned!
| l could lay my hand on a bare round
white arm and not be repulSed-I could
| hold little clinging fingers in my own as
| long as | liked without giving otfense-
| such are some of the privileges OF
wealth!
In all the parties of pleasure l
formed, and these were many, my wife
and Ferrari were included as matter of
course. At first Nina demurred, with
some plaintive excuse concerning her
''recent terrible bereavement" but /
easily persuaded her out of this. even
told some ladies / knew to visit her and
add their entreaties to mine, as / said,
with the benignant air of an elderly
man. that it was not good for one so
young to waste her time and injure her
health by useless grieving. She saw the
force of this. | must admit, with admir-
able readiness, and speedily yielded
TO the united invitations she received,
though always with well-acted reluc-
lance, and saying that she did so merely
because the Count Olivia was such an
old friend of the family and knew my
poor dear husband as child"
On Ferrari | heaped all manner of
benefits. Certain debts of his contracted
at play paid privately to surprise him
his gratitude was extreme. l humOred
him in many of his small eXtravagances
Il played with his fOllies as an angler
plays the fish at the end of his line, and
succeeded in winning his confidence.
Not that ever could surprise him into
a confession of his guilty amour-but he
kept me well informed as to what he
was pleased to call "the progress of
his attachment" and supplied me
with many small details which,
while they fired my blood,
and brain to wrath, steadied me more
surely in my plan OF vengeance. Little
did he dream in whom he was trusting!
little did he know into whose hand he
was playing! Sometimes a kind of aw-
full aStonishment would come over me as
l listened to his trivial talk, and heard
him make plans for future that was
never to be. He seemed so certain Of
his happiness, so absolutely sure that
nothing could or would intervene to mar
it. Traitor as he was, he was unable to
fOreSee punishment,-Ma to the
hearts core, he had no knowledge of the
divine law of compensation. Now and
then dangerous impulse stirred me-
desire to say to him point blank,
"You are a condemned criminal-a
doomed man on the brink of the grave.
Leave this light converse and frivolous
jesting-and, while there is time, pre-
pare for death!'
But l bit my lips and kept stern ST.
lence Often, too, l felt disposed to
seize him by the throat, and, de-
claring my identity, accuse him OF
his treachery to his face, but |
always remembered and controlled my
self One point in his character knew
WE'LL had known it of old-thiS was
his excessive love of good wine. | aided
and abetted him in this weakness, and
whenever he visited me | took care that
he should have his choice of the finest
vintages. Often after a cOnvivial even
ing spent in my apartments with few
other young men of his class and cali
Der, he reeled out of my presence, his
deeply flushed face and thick voice bear
ing plain testimony as to his condition.
On these occasions / used to consider
with sort of fierce humor how Nina
would receive him-for though she saw
no offense in the one kind of vice she
herself practised, she had particular
horror of vulgarity in any form, and
drunkenness was one of those low fail
ings she specially abhorred.
go to your lady love, mon beau
I inly /
him leaving my hotel with
staggering and laughing loudly as he
went, or singing the last questionable
street-song of the Neapolitan bas-peuple.
"You are in would-be riotous and saw
age mOod-her finer animal instincts will
revolt from you, as 1.-the gazelle would
fly from the hideous gamboIs of a rhin-
ocerOs. She is already afraid of You,-
in little while she will look upon you
with loathing and disgust-tant pis pour
vOus, tant mieux pour moin'
had of course attained the position
Of ami intimc at the Villa ROmani. |
was welcome there at any hour could
examine and read my own books in my
| own library at leisure (what a privilege
was mineD, l could saunter freely
| through the beautiful gardens acCOmpa-
| MED by Wyvis, who attended me as a
matter of course: in short, the house was
| almost at my disposal, though l never
| passed a night under its roof. ! care
! fully kept up my character as a prema-
| turely elderly man, slightly inyalided
| by a long and arduOnS career in far-otf
| foreign lands, and l was particularly
prudent in my behavior towards my
wife, before Ferrari Never did per-
nit the least word or action on my part
that could arouse his jealousy or suS-
| piciOn. / treated her with sort of
| narpntal kindness and rpSprvp Int she