Note: Translator Pauline Bancroft Flach died in 1966, less than 70 years ago. Therefore, this work is protected by copyright, restricting your legal rights to reproduce it. However, you are welcome to view it on screen, as you do now. Read more about copyright.
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ONLY OF THIS WORLD
357
instead and sewed on her wedding outfit. She was
going to marry the mining-engineer. It was a
good match, and connected her with the chief people
of the town, so she could not care for the little
wagons any longer.
A few days before the wedding the old beggar,
Santuzza, who was Margherita’s godmother, came
and asked to speak to her. They betook themselves
to the roof-garden in order to be alone.
“ Margherita,” said the old woman, “ you are in
the midst of such happiness and magnificence that
perhaps there is no use speaking to you of those
who are in need and sorrow. You have forgotten
all such things.”
Margherita reproved her for speaking so.
“ I come with a greeting to you from my son,
Orestes. He is in trouble, and he needs your
advice.”
“ You know that you can speak freely to me,
Santuzza,” said the girl.
“ Orestes is no longer at the Grotte mines; you
know that, I suppose. He is at Racalmuto. And
he is very badly off there. Not that the pay is so
bad, but the engineer is a man who grinds down the
poor to the last drop of blood.”
The old woman told how the engineer tortured
the miners. He made them work over time; he
fined them if they missed a day. He did not look
after the mines properly; there was one
cave-in after another. No one was secure of his life as
long as he was under earth.
“ Well, Margherita, Orestes had a son. A splendid
boy; just ten years old. The engineer came and
wished to buy the boy from Orestes, and set him to
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