New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-21

obliquty," Ghiser laughed
avery WELL" said Laura. gravely. II suppose
you have no doubt, then, that Judas would have
acted you did in your affair with Don Clan
forte. lie would, Ct course, have submitted to
insult rather than break promise, and would
have allowed"
"Wil you please STOP Lady IIcrbert?' CHS
lcri fixed his blue eyes on her.
NO, will not" answered Laura with decision.
What like about you is precisely what you try
the most TO hide, and mean to see it and to make
you see it, if possible You would be much hap
pier if You could. ! suppose that il the majority
of people could hear us talking now they would
think our conversation utterly absurd. They
would say that you posing. in order to make
yourself interesting. and that enough at
tracted by you TO be deceived by the comedy. Is
not that the way the world would look at it ~
"Probably." assentcd Ghsleri. Perhaps l am
really posing. ! do not pretend to know
81 am willing to believe that you are not. II you
will let me. and | would much rather. In the
first place. You are. at all events. not any worse
than most men one knows. That is evident
enough from your actions. Secondly-you see am
arguing the case like lawyer-if you had not
high ideal Of what You wish to be. you would not
have such a poor opinion of what you are Is
that clear"
"If there were no right, there could not possibly
he any wrong. But black would be black, even II
YOU could only compare it with blue, green ana
yellow. instead of with white"
81 am not talking of acknowledgements. said
Laura what say is simple enough II you
did not wish to be good, and know what good
means. and if you had not q certain amount OIL
goodness in YOU, YOU would not thinK Ho"rscli so
bad. And you are unhappy. as yon have toiu me
oil
arc insincere or vain. or defective in some way
[ SUPPOSE you wish to be happy, and II you DO you
INST lcar,: to find some satisfaction in having
done vour hest 7 have said precisely what mean
ar: y0i must not pretend TO misunderstood me-
"Thinl, Yourself good and you will be happy,
observcd Ghisleri THAT is the modern form OF
the proyerb." :,
"Of course il it, and the better reason you really
have for thinking yourself good. the more real anu
lasting your happiness will be-
Ghisleri laughed to himself and at himself as
he went away for being so much impressed as he
was by what Laura said. But he could not deny
that the impression had been made ana RENAME"
for some time after he had left her. There was
healthy common sense about her NINA WHICH "aN
beginning TO act upon the tortuons ana oI'r'i
morbid complications Of his own She seemed 10
know the straight paths and the short cu's W
simple goodness and never TO have guessed NJ ''e
laby,inthne WAYS by which he seemed to himseh
10 be always trying to escape from the o"H"'a'
sent 70 pursue him by the demon OF seli-'nstrust'
He laughed at himself. for he realized now utterly
mpossbc il would always be for nm 10 'hihk az
she did or TO look upon the world as she saw H.
Tboro had boen n time when he had thought more
plainlv. when woman had eXertcd STRONG III
auonce over him. and when a few good things and
10
Pint she was dead and he had changed. Worse
than that. he had fallen. As he sat in his room
and Glanced from time to time ut the only likeness
bo bod NJ Rionca Corleone he thought OF Batrlces
renroacb 70 Dante in the thirty-irst canto OF the
Purgatory':
And vet because tLou'rt shamed OF M III q"
INV en- and that In later days TO come
Thou mayst be brave. hearing the Sirens voice
Sow deep the seed OF tears and hear me- speak,
60 cho,t thou know that thou shouldst have been
moved
By nv dead body In ways opposite.
Nor art nor nature had the power 10 temp' tnee
With such delight as that fair body could
In which livcd-wbich now Is scattered earth
And II the highest Joy was lost to thee
nv nv Young death, what mortal living thing
should have had strength drag thee down with IT.
As he repeated the last words he started. for
they reminded him with painful force Of Gianlor''
Campodonico's insulting speech. and he detestei
himself for even allowing the thought'to cross his
mind-for allowing himself 10 repeat Beatrices
words up TO that point II was he WHO hal
| dragged down Maddacna DELI Armi to his level
not she who had made him sink to hers. And YET
| Campodonico had said almost the same thing as
peatrice. and certainly without knowing it. In his
heart he knew that Blanca might have reproached
him so. but then, deeper still, lie knew that the
bor
himself alone, and would never have been meant
for Maddalena.
Ghiser fell to thinking over his own life and
the lives of Others in one Of those black moods
which sometimes seized him and in which he be-
levcd in no ones motives, from his own upward
In the course Of his lonely and bitter meditatons
he came across an idea which at first seemed wild
and improbable enough. but which, little by Ittle,
fool, shane "a he concentrated his attention upon
it. and at last chased every other memory away
He was not naturally an Over-suspcl0us man, Dut
when his suspicious were once reused nc was APT
70 90 far i'm pursuit Of the truth, II the matter
| interested him. lie rose and got a book from the
| shelves which lined side Of the WALL and De
gan TO turn over the pages rapidly, until ne stop
| ped at the place he was looking Tor; ne rcaa
| returned the volume TO its place. Then he sat
| down to think, and did not move for another
| quarter of an hour. At the end Of that time he
called his servant-a quiet, Woodworking fellow
| from the Abruzzi, who reJoiccd In the name OF
| Bonifazio
DO YOU happen TO know he asked. :" II there
| was much scarlet fever in the city last winter?
have always wondered how poor Lord Herbert
caught it,"
Bonifazio had known Lord Herbert for. years,
| lust as Donald had known Ghiser for the two
| friends had often made short Journeys together,
| taking their servants with them. The Italian
thought long time before he gave an answer. ,
| NO. Signor do not remember hearing that
| there were many cases But then. am not in the
way of knowing 1t may have been ;,
| "You are Il very discreet man. Bonifazo, said
| Ghisleri. lord Herbert fell i'll on the day after
| he had dined in Casa Savclli. DO You think you
| could find out for me whether any one Of the SER
| wants had the scarlet fever at that timc?'
Perhaps, Sgnor. will try. know Giuseppe,
the butler. who is a very. good person. but who -
| not fond of talking. When there is such an i'll
ness they either send the servants to the hospital.
in the Roman houses or else they put them in an
| attic and try not 10 let any one know. For the
| rest, will do what can You say WELL Signor.
| for it is possible that the blessed soul of the
Milford cought the fever at the dinner in Casa
1