United States or Tunisia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
And this baroness what can she want of me? She speaks Italian like a Spanish cow, and indeed she needs a professor badly enough. But why should she take a fancy for me as a teacher. Ah! those eyes! Not the baroness'. Edvigia Edvigia di Lira Edvigia Ca Cardegna! Why not?" He stopped to think, and looked long at the moonbeams playing on the waters of the fountain. "Why not?
"Well, their name is prettier than Conigherazzo," said Ercole. "It is Lira Erre Gheraffe fonne Lira." "Ah! what a divine appellation!" exclaimed Nino enthusiastically, pulling his hat over his eyes to meditate upon the name at his leisure. "And her name is Edvigia," volunteered the maestro. That is the Italian for Hedwig, or Hadwig, you know.
At all events, the thing was done, and Hedwig von Lira became for the rest of her life Edvigia Cardegna. And I felt very guilty. The pair went down the steps of the house together in front of me, and stopped as they reached the street; forgetting my presence, I presume. They had not forgotten me so long as I was needed to be of use to them; but I must not complain.
"Is not the Signorina Edvigia a great lady, and was there never a day when she was a stranger too?" "I do not understand your caprices, signora. In fine, what do you want of me?" "It is not necessary that you should understand me," answered the dark-eyed baroness. "Do you think I would hurt you or rather your voice?" "I do not know."
It seemed to me that if Nino so seriously cast his eyes on the Contessina Edvigia, he might at least have looked pleased to hear she was so rich; or he might have looked disappointed, if he thought that her position was an obstacle in his way. But he did not care about it at all, and walked straight on, humming a little tune through his nose with his mouth shut, for he does everything to a tune.
But the baroness may the diavolo fly away with her! What should I do I indeed! with a pack of baronesses? I will go to bed and dream not of a baroness! Macchè, never a baroness in my dreams, with eyes like a snake, and who cannot speak three words properly in the only language under the sun worth speaking! Not I I will dream of Edvigia di Lira she is the spirit of my dreams.
Then the silence caught the tremor, and quivered, and a thrill of sound hovered and spread its wings, and sailed forth from the night. "Spirto gentil dei sogni miei " Ah, Signorina Edvigia, you know that voice now, but you did not know it then. How your heart stopped, and beat, and stopped again, when you first heard that man sing out his whole heartful you in the light and he in the dark!
Word Of The Day