The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1892-01-15

5AAC4s
In the town nothing was talked Of but
their unshakable love and their tor
ments; they were the objects of general
interest; if a Neapolitan arrived, the
townsfolk took him to see the ruins of
the amphitheater and related the s Of
Carlo and Maria. Therefore the young
people, iattered in their amour propre,
assumed the behavior fitting to the cir
cumstances. Maria was always pale.
with a melancholy air, never smiling,
always talking to her girl friends about
her joyless days, refusing to amuse her
self, content to resemble in all respects
n Of Mastrianis heroines.
Carlo took lonely walks, wa always
deeply depressed; at balls he never
moved out Of a corner. content that they
mur1nured around him. Poor young
man, that unfortunate love affair sad
dens his Ifer' In society, at small fes-
t~ivities. in visits, with the unwearying
monotony of the province, the discourse
always returned upon the subject of the
two lovers. Carlo and Maria bore with
dignity the burden of their popularity.
Finally, after | don't know how many
years-four or FIVE, it seems to me-of
this continual struggle, Of daily weep
ing, of long, long love maintained alive
by d~issensions, the aspect of things
changed. There was a worthy person
there still are such-who with many eff
forts of ~eloquence persuaded the parents
that by the lawsuits they were losing
property, and much of it, as witness the
two advocates who had grown rich at
the expense of their clients; that those
two young people were pining and would
go into a decline because of that thwart-
ed love; the houses were side by side
and the estates contiguous; Christ for
gave and they must forgive. if they
wished to find forgiveness. He said so
much and 50 many other persons, moved
by the example. interposed, that the
questions came to a compromise which
had, 5 its first chapter, the marriage of
Carlo and Maria.
Here, surely, every one will suppose
that the young people were greatly con-
soled, and will suppose truly-but my
obligation as a sincere story teller con-
strains me to say that in their first free
0OA401uH At1C-HIt a SlFdi tAAiDdA dcol4EHls
They were accustomed to see each other
at a distance, by stealth; to speak from
a first floor window down to the street.
in the darkness, Disgusting or smother
ing their voices; they found themselves
quite different, perhaps a little ridicu-
lous; they had no subjects of conyersa-
ton, they were often silent, fastening
in their thoughts the hour when they
should quit each other. There were no
more imprecations and tears to be
mingled with the ink; they no longer
wrote to each other.
Everything was free, smooth, easy for
their affection; they were not obliged to
think of subtleties by which toevade the
vigilance OF their elders; they took no
more pleasure in %murnuring a few words
in secret; they made no more during
projects for the future. They would be
married prosaicaIly, without obstacles,
like 50 many other silly couples. The
townsfolk no longer took thought of
them; the wonder and the comments on
the marriage NICE over, Carlo and Maria
no longer awoke attention; were no
longer talked about; their behavior was
noted no more; they ceased 10 be pointed
out as an example of fidelity. Now all
eyes were fixed upon the wife of the
pretor, who was accused Of too great
partiality for the vice a~ttorney-a serious
piece of business.
The two lovers felt themselves for
saken: a great GOODNESS arose between
them. Carlo found that the virtues Of
his fiancee, those virtues which shone in
her letters, We're dimmed by the atnos-
phere of home; Maria frequently thought
that Carlo was rather commonplace IN
his tastes, and that to end with a stupid
marriage, SO tempestuous a love was I'M
worthy of a reader of Mastriani. Afew
lively remarks passed between them in
regard to illusions contradieted by the
reality about s'mirages, y "optical de-
lusions'' and similar pin pricks; aquarrel
ensued, then two, then they became "a
daily occurrence. One evening Maria
said with an irritated tone:
Carlo, let us leave it Of
"Let u.s." he replied without hesita-
ton.
And the next day he set off on a jour
ney for the improvement Of his mind,
Maria went to Naples. to the house of a
cousin, to fish for a heroic husband.
The families had a new falling out;
Maria's father had an opening made for
a window which overlooked his neigh
bor's courtyard: the latter, in order to
annoy him, built a doyecote of which
the doves ran about everywhere; imme-
diately there was a summons, a second,
a third, the lawsuits began again, ana
this time, the advocates said, smiling,
without hope of any compromise
Translated from the Italian of E. Ca
vazza for Short Stories.