And Peppina was on the island, a girl from the stews of Naples; not wicked, perhaps, rather wronged, injured by life--nevertheless, the niece of that horror of the Galleria.
He thought of Vere and shuddered.
Next day towards four o"clock the Marchesino strolled into Artois" room, with a peculiarly impudent look of knowledge upon his face.
"Buon giorno, Caro Emilio," he said. "Are you busy?"
"Not specially."
"Will you come with me for a stroll in the Villa? Will you come to see the gathering together of the geese?"
"Che Diavolo! What"s that?"
"This summer the Marchesa Pontini has organized a sort of club, which meets in the Villa every day except Sundays. Three days the meeting is in the morning, three days in the afternoon. The silliest people of the aristocracy belong to this club, and the Marchesa is the mother goose.
Ecco! Will you come, or--or have you some appointment?" He smiled in his friend"s face.
Artois wondered, but could not divine, what was at the back of his mind.
"No, I had thought of going on the sea."
"Or to the Toledo, perhaps?"
The Marchesino laughed happily.
"The Toledo? Why should I go there?"
"Non lo so. Put on your chapeau and come. Il fait tres beau cet apres-midi."
Doro was very proud of his French, which made Artois secretly shiver, and generally spoke it when he was in specially good spirits, or was feeling unusually mischievous. As they walked along the sea-front a moment later, he continued in Italian:
"You were not at the island yesterday, Emilio?"
"No. Were you?"
"I naturally called to know how the ladies were after that terrible storm. What else could I do?"
"And how were they?"
"The Signora was in Naples, and of course the Signorina could not have received me alone. But the saints were with me, Emilio. I met her on the sea; quite by herself, on the sea of the Saint"s pool. She was lying back in a little boat, with no hat on, her hands behind her head--so, and her eyes--her beautiful eyes, Emilio, were full of dreams, of dreams of the sea."
"How do you know that?" said Artois, rather sharply.
"Cosa?"
"How do you know the Signorina was dreaming of the sea? Did she--did she tell you?"
"No, but I am sure. We walked together from the boats. I told her she was an enchantress of the sea, the spirit of the wave--I told her!"
He spread out his hands, rejoicing in the remembrance of his graceful compliments.
"The Signorina was delighted, but she could not stay long. She had a slight headache and was a little tired after the storm. But she would have liked to ask me to the house. She was longing to. I could see that."
He seized his mustache.
"She turned her head away, trying to conceal from me her desire, but--"
He laughed.
"Le donne! Le donne!" he happily exclaimed.
Artois found himself wondering why, until Doro had made the acquaintance of the dwellers on the island, he had never wished to smack his smooth, complacent cheeks.
They turned from the sea into the broad walk of the Villa, and walked towards the kiosk. Near it, on the small, green chairs, were some ladies swathed in gigantic floating-veils, talking to two or three very smart young men in white suits and straw hats, who leaned forward eying them steadily with a determined yet rather vacuous boldness that did not disconcert them. One of the ladies, dressed in black-and-white check, was immensely stout. She seemed to lead the conversation, which was carried on with extreme vivacity in very loud and not melodious voices.
"Ecco the gathering of the geese!" said the Marchesino, touching Artois on the arm. "And that"--he pointed to the stout lady, who at this moment tossed her head till her veil swung loose like a sail suddenly deserted by the wind--"is the goose-mother. Buona sera, Marchesa! Buona sera--molto piacere. Carlo, buona sera--a rivederci, Contessa! A questa sera."
He showed his splendid teeth in a fixed but winning smile, and, hat in hand, went by, walking from his hips. Then, replacing his hat on his head, he added to his friend:
"The Marchesa is always hoping that the d.u.c.h.essa d"Aosta will come one day, if only for a moment, to smile upon the geese. But--well, the d.u.c.h.essa prefers to climb to the fourth story to see the poor. She has a heart. Let us sit here, Emilio."
They sat down under the trees, and the Marchesino looked at his pointed boots for a moment in silence, pushing forward his under lip until his blond mustache touched the jaunty tip of his nose. Then he began to laugh, still looking before him.
"Emilio! Emilio!"
He shook his head repeatedly.
"Emilio mio! And that you should be asking me to show you Naples! It is too good! C"est parfait!"
The Marchesino turned towards Artois.
"And Maria Fortunata! Santa Maria of the Toledo, the white-haired protectress of the strangers! Emilio--you might have come to me! But you do not trust me. Ecco! You do not--"
Artois understood.
"You saw me last night?"
"Ma si! All Naples saw you. Do you not know that the Galleria is full--but full--of eyes?"
"Va bene! But you don"t understand."
"Emilio!"
He shrugged his shoulders, lifted his hands, his eyebrows. His whole being seemed as if it were about to mount ironically towards heaven.
"You don"t understand. I repeat it."
Artois spoke quietly, but there was a sound in his voice which caused his frivolous companion to stare at him with an inquiry that was, for a moment, almost sulky.
"You forget, Doro, how old I am."