leforalady.IhearyouwantedHarriettogo.Veryproperlysherefused.EighteenmonthsagoImighthavedonesuchathing.ButItrustIhavelearnthowtobehavebynow.”
PhilipbegantoseethatthereweretwoMissAbbotts—theMissAbbottwhocouldtravelalonetoMonteriano,andtheMissAbbottwhocouldnotenterGino’shousewhenshegotthere.Itwasanamusingdiscovery.Whichofthemwouldrespondtohisnextmove?
“IsupposeImisunderstoodPerfetta.Wheredidyouhaveyourinterview,then?”
“Notaninterview—anaccident—Iamverysorry—Imeantyoutohavethechanceofseeinghimfirst.Thoughitisyourfault.Youareadaylate.Youwereduehereyesterday.SoIcameyesterday,and,notfindingyou,wentuptotheRocca—youknowthatkitchen-gardenwheretheyletyouin,andthereisaladderuptoabrokentower,whereyoucanstandandseealltheothertowersbelowyouandtheplainandalltheotherhills?”
“Yes,yes.IknowtheRoccaItoldyouofit.”
“SoIwentupintheeveningforthesunset:Ihadnothingtodo.Hewasinthegarden:itbelongstoafriendofhis.”
“Andyoutalked.”
“Itwasveryawkwardforme.ButIhadtotalk:heseemedtomakeme.YouseehethoughtIwashereasatouristhethinkssostill.Heintendedtobecivil,andIjudgeditbettertobecivilalso.”
“Andofwhatdidyoutalk?”
“Theweather—therewillberain,hesays,bytomorrowevening—theothertowns,England,myself,aboutyoualittle,andheactuallymentionedLilia.Hewasperfectlydisgustinghepretendedhelovedherheofferedtoshowmehergrave—thegraveofthewomanhehasmurdered!”
“MydearMissAbbott,heisnotamurderer.IhavejustbeendrivingthatintoHarriet.AndwhenyouknowtheItaliansaswellasIdo,youwillrealizethatinallthathesaidtoyouhewasperfectlysincere.TheItaliansareessentiallydramatictheylookondeathandloveasspectacles.Idon’tdoubtthathepersuadedhimself,forthemoment,thathehadbehavedadmirably,bothashusbandandwidower.”
“Youmayberight,”saidMissAbbott,impressedforthefirsttime.“WhenItriedtopavetheway,sotospeak—tohintthathehadnotbehavedasheought—well,itwasnogoodatall.Hecouldn’torwouldn’tunderstand.”
TherewassomethingveryhumorousintheideaofMissAbbottapproachingGino,ontheRocca,inthespiritofadistrictvisitor.Philip,whosetemperwasreturning,laughed.
“Harrietwouldsayhehasnosenseofsin.”
“Harrietmayberight,Iamafraid.”
“Ifso,perhapsheisn’tsinful!”
MissAbbottwasnotonetoencouragelevity.“Iknowwhathehasdone,”shesaid.“Whathesaysandwhathethinksisofverylittleimportance.”
Philipsmiledathercrudity.“Ishouldliketohear,though,whathesaidaboutme.Ishepreparingawarmreception?”
“Oh,no,notthat.InevertoldhimthatyouandHarrietwerecoming.Youcouldhavetakenhimbysurpriseifyouliked.Heonlyaskedforyou,andwishedhehadn’tbeensorudetoyoueighteenmonthsago.”
“Whatamemorythefellowhasforlittlethings!”Heturnedawayashespoke,forhedidnotwanthertoseehisface.Itwassuffusedwithpleasure.Foranapology,whichwouldhavebeenintolerableeighteenmonthsago,wasgraciousandagreeablenow.
Shewouldnotletthispass.“Youdidnotthinkitalittlethingatthetime.Youtoldmehehadassaultedyou.”
“Ilostmytemper,”saidPhiliplightly.Hisvanityhadbeenappeased,andheknewit.Thistinypieceofcivilityhadchangedhismood.“Didhereally—whatexactlydidhesay?”
“Hesaidhewassorry—pleasantly,asItaliansdosaysuchthings.Buthenevermentionedthebabyonce.”
Whatdidthebabymatterwhentheworldwassuddenlyrightwayup?Philipsmiled,andwasshockedathimselfforsmiling,andsmiledagain.ForromancehadcomebacktoItalytherewerenocadsinhershewasbeautiful,courteous,lovable,asofold.AndMissAbbott—she,too,wasbeautifulinherway,forallhergauchenessandconventionality.Shereallycaredaboutlife,andtriedtoliveitproperly.AndHarriet—evenHarriettried.
ThisadmirablechangeinPhilipproceedsfromnothingadmirable,andmaythereforeprovokethegibesofthecynical.Butangelsandotherpracticalpeoplewillacceptitreverently,andwriteitdownasgood.
“TheviewfromtheRocca(smallgratuity)isfinestatsunset,”hemurmured,moretohimselfthantoher.
“Andhenevermentionedthebabyonce,”MissAbbottrepeated.Butshehadreturnedtothewindow,andagainherfingerpursuedthedelicatecurves.Hewatchedherinsilence,andwasmoreattractedtoherthanhehadeverbeenbefore.Shereallywasthestrangestmixture.
“TheviewfromtheRocca—wasn’titfine?”
“Whatisn’tfinehere?”sheansweredgently,andthenadded,“IwishIwasHarriet,”throwinganex