The San Francisco call., 1905-04-30
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straightened with all the dignity and
pride of his race
Teresa's answer rang with a subtle.
electric energy. That is false. You
never asked-you only accused. Be-
lieving all falsehood of me. you have
made every day Of my life in your
house a separate purgatory. i have
kept silent thus long, even to my IA
ther. Now 1 speak before him. Fa-
ther" she said with sudden passion
"he has believed this since my wedding
day. There is scarcely an hour since
then that he has not heaped insult and
humiliation upon me. viii pear IL
no longer. I have already appealed TO
the Curia."
Her eyes transfixed her husband
by the law l may not leave your ROOF
to nurse this man, so i have DrougnL
him here. What you have believed OF
myself and of him is false. But now.
if you will hear the truth. Will tell
youi I 90 love him. I love him as l
love my Iife-and more, the blessed
Virgin knOws.-a million times more!
As she spoke her passion made her
beauty extraordinary. 1t smote her
father with appealing force and with
pang at his own ambitious part In her
wedding. He had thought OF rank and
station, not of her happiness.
You shall answer TO me, Count, Tor
thisi" he said sterlly-
mo, father.''
Count Gambia looked at her question
ingly. He faced Count Guiccioh as
Teresa went on:
This is what l demand: II he lives
he shall stay here till he is well. Not
as a guest; he would accept no hospi-
tality from this house. He shall hold
this wing of the casa under rental
There was a moments pause
so be it, The assent was gruog-
ing and wrathful.
'-One thing more. So long as he is
in the casa you will cause him no phys
ical harm-neither you nor your SER
wants.
While he hesitated a sound came
from the bed GOrdOn's eyes we're
open; they held faint but conscious
knowledge.
From the abyss of nothingnesss those
voices had called to him. like CONVEX
satiOn in a dream. Sight had opened
more fully and he had stared at the
gilded rafters. puzzled. This was not
the Hotel PeilegrinO in Bologna. He
stirred and felt a twinge of pain.
With the voices grown articulate, It
came flashing back-that one kiss: the
flying dart of agony; the dizzy descent;
Tita and-TereSa. He suddenly saw a
face: the old man at San Lazzarro,
Teresa's husbaadi He shut his eyes
to drive away the visions, and her
clear tones called them wide again.
He heard fully and understandingy
then: knew that Trevanion and Count
Guicciol had made common cause.
realized the courage with which Teresa
had brought him to her husbands
casa-all with a bitter-sweete pain
of helplessness and protest against the
logic of circumstances that had thrust
him into the very position that by all
arguments looking to her ultimate hap
piness he must have avoided. He
heard her voice demand that grudging
promise of his safety. 1t was then he
had moaned-less with physical than
mental pain
Teresa leaned to the bed. where Cor
don had lifted himself on his elbow
The effort disloCged the Dandage and
it's edges redeemed swiftly. He strOve
to speak. but the effort sickened him
and he fell back on the pillows.
Teresa turned again upon Count
GuicciOh. Swear il, or all I know
Ravenna shall know tomorrow" She
held the kriss toward him. hilt up. like
a Calvary, and half invcluntarily his
bent fingers touched his breast.
II swear" he said in a stif1ed voice.
Father you hear?'
II am witness said Count Gambia
grimly.