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126 228 . the miracles of antichrist
Search began immediately for the murderer. Close
inquiries were held with the miners at Grotte, but
the offender could not be detected. There were
no witnesses; no one could be induced to betray a
comrade.
Then Margherita Cornado appeared, and denounced
Orestes, the son of her godmother, Santuzza, who
had not moved to Racalmuto.
She did this, although she knew that her fianc£
was guilty of all that with which Santuzza had charged
him. She did this, although she herself had
condemned him by kissing the knife.
She had hardly accused Orestes before she regretted
it. She was seized with poignant remorse.
In any other country, what she had done would not
be counted a crime, but in Sicily it is considered so.
A Sicilian would rather die than act the informer.
Margherita Cornado felt no peace, night or day.
She had a constant smarting anguish in her heart,
perpetual misery dwelt within her.
She was not severely judged, because it was known
that she had loved the murdered, and thought
Santuzza had treated her cruelly. No one spoke
contemptuously of her and no one refused to salute her.
Still it did not help her that others were lenient
towards her. Remorse lived in her breast and
tortured her as an aching wound.
Orestes had been sentenced to the galleys for life.
Santuzza had died a few weeks after her son’s sentence
had been pronounced. Margherita could not ask
forgiveness either of one or the other.
She implored the saints, but they would not help
her. It seemed as though nothing in the world had
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