The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-15

her to her room. Next morning the
small window on the first floor was
walled up.
Oh, all we faithful lovers, who grieve
amid the pains of thwarted love, imagine
the despair of those two! Their letters
were no longer legible, for tears blotted
the words; rows of exclamation points,
that looked like Prussian soldiers under
arms, followed the daily imprecations
against fortune, destiny, fate and other
impersonal beings incapable of resenting
them; thousand fantastic plans We're
created and then rejected. Carlo would
have liked to elope with Maria, but his
father allowed him no money, and it
would have been difficult to put together
the nine lire and fifty centesimi for two
tickets for the journey to Naples; they
thought for a moment of suicide, but
found that it would not solve the diff
Guilty. Then, in the long run, their love
became systematic, the imprecations
were always the same, and they could
not go to their beds without having
poured forth upon the faithful paper
the fullness of their grief"
In the town nothing was talked of but
their unshakable love and their torments;
they were the objects Of general inter
est; if Neapolitan arrived, the towns
folk took him to see the ruins of the
ainphitheater, and related the case OF
Carlo and Maria. Therefore the young
people, flattered in their amour propre,
assumed the behavior fitting to the cir
cumstances-Mar was always pale,
with melancholy air, never smiling,
always talking to her girl friends about
her ioyless days, refusing to amuse her.
self, content to resemble in all respects
one Of Mastriani's heroines.
Carlo took lonely walks, was always
deeply depressed; at balls, he never
moved out of corner, content that they
murmured around him, "Poor young
man; that unfortunate love affair sad
dens his hfel" In society, at small fes-
tiyities, in visits, with the unwarying
monotony of the province, the discourse
always returned upon the subject OF tbs
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 dissensions, the aspect OF things
changed. There was worthy person
there still are such-who with many eff
forts of eloouence persuaded the parents
that by the lawsuits they were losing
uroperty 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
90 into 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 so many other persons, moved
by the example. interposed that the
questions came to compromise which
had as 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 sincere story teller con-
strains me to say that in their first free
colloquy reigned great embarrassment.
They were accustomed to see each other
at distance by stealth; to speak from
first floor window down to the street
in the darkness, Disgusting or smother
ing their voices; they found themselves
quite different, perhaps little ridicu-
lous; they had no subjects Of converse
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. Every
thing was free, smooth, easy for their at
| lection; they were not obliged to think
| Of subtleties by which to evade the vigi-
lance of their elders; they took no more
pleasure in murmuring few words in
secret; they made no more daring prof.
ects for the future. They would be
married prosaically, without obstacles.
like so many other silly couples. The
townsfolk no longer took thought OF
them; the wonder and the comments On
the marriage once over, Carlo and Maria
no longer awoke attention, were nc
longer talked about; their behavior was
noted no more; they ceased to be point
ed out as an example of fidelity. Now
all eyes were fixed on the eyes of the
pretor, who was accused of too great
partiality for the vice Attorney seri.
| GUS 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, were dimmed by the atmos-
phere of home. Maria frequently thought
| that Carlo was rather commonplace in
his tastes, and to that end, with stupid
marriage, so tempestuous a love was I'm,
worthy reader of Mastriani. A few
lively remarks passed between them in
regard to ''illusions contradicted by the
reality" about l'mirages. )" ''optical de-
lusions" and similar pin pricks; quar-
rel ensued, then two, then they became
a daily occurrence. One evening Maria
said with an irritated tone:
"Carlo, let us leave it off,"
"Let u.s." he replied without hesita