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two canzonets
119
day in and day out. He never wearied, and Donna
Micaela was very patient with him.
But one day in the midst of her babbling, in came
Donna Elisa. " Sister-in-law, have you the legend of
the Holy Virgin of Pompeii, if so, kindly lend it me,"
she asked.—" What, are you going to begin to
read ?" asked Donna Micaela.—" Bless me, you
know very well that I can’t read. It is Gaetano
who asks for it."
Donna Micaela did not have the legend of the
Holy Virgin of Pompeii. Yet she did not say so to
Donna Elisa, but went to her bookcase and took
down a small book, containing a collection of Sicilian
love songs and gave it to Donna Elisa, who carried
the little book to Gaetano. But hardly had Donna
Micaela done this, than she regretted it deeply.
And she asked herself what she meant by acting
thus, she whom the Christ-child had helped.
She blushed with shame when she thought of
how she had marked one of the canzonets, which
ran thus:—
To one question, answer give, I pray.
I have asked the night, I’ve asked the day,
Flight of birds and clouds that sped,
Into boiling water I’ve poured lead,
From the flow’ret blade by blade I tore,
Lured the swarthy seeress to my door.
Heaven’s holy saints I asked at last :
" Does he love me now as in the past ? "
She had hoped somewhat that she should receive an
answer to this. But it served her right that no
answer came. It served her right, if Gaetano despised
her and called her importunate.
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