Chapter 8

sdoitwhenI’mjustnotthere.Youarequiterightlifetomeisjustaspectacle,which—thankGod,andthankItaly,andthankyou—isnowmorebeautifulandhearteningthanithaseverbeenbefore.” Shesaidsolemnly,“Iwishsomethingwouldhappentoyou,mydearfriendIwishsomethingwouldhappentoyou.” “Butwhy?”heasked,smiling.“ProvetomewhyIdon’tdoasIam.” Shealsosmiled,verygravely.Shecouldnotproveit.Noargumentexisted.Theirdiscourse,splendidasithadbeen,resultedinnothing,andtheirrespectiveopinionsandpolicieswereexactlythesamewhentheyleftthechurchaswhentheyhadenteredit. Harrietwasrudeatlunch.ShecalledMissAbbottaturncoatandacowardtoherface.MissAbbottresentedneitherepithet,feelingthatonewasjustifiedandtheothernotunreasonable.Shetriedtoavoideventhesuspicionofsatireinherreplies.ButHarrietwassurethatshewassatiricalbecauseshewassocalm.Shegotmoreandmoreviolent,andPhilipatonetimefearedthatshewouldcometoblows. “Lookhere!”hecried,withsomethingoftheoldmanner,“it’stoohotforthis.We’vebeentalkingandinterviewingeachotherallthemorning,andIhaveanotherinterviewthisafternoon.Idostipulateforsilence.Leteachladyretiretoherbedroomwithabook.” “Iretiretopack,”saidHarriet.“PleaseremindSignorCarella,Philip,thatthebabyistobeherebyhalf-pasteightthisevening.” “Oh,certainly,Harriet.Ishallmakeapointofremindinghim.” “Andorderacarriagetotakeustotheeveningtrain.” “Andplease,”saidMissAbbott,“wouldyouorderacarriageformetoo?” “Yougoing?”heexclaimed. “Ofcourse,”shereplied,suddenlyflushing.“Whynot?” “Why,ofcourseyouwouldbegoing.Twocarriages,then.Twocarriagesfortheeveningtrain.”Helookedathissisterhopelessly.“Harriet,whateverareyouupto?Weshallneverbeready.” “Ordermycarriagefortheeveningtrain,”saidHarriet,anddeparted. “Well,IsupposeIshall.AndIshallalsohavemyinterviewwithSignorCarella.” MissAbbottgavealittlesigh. “Butwhyshouldyoumind?DoyousupposethatIshallhavetheslightestinfluenceoverhim?” “No.But—Ican’trepeatallthatIsaidinthechurch.Yououghtnevertoseehimagain.YououghttobundleHarrietintoacarriage,notthisevening,butnow,anddriveherstraightaway.” “PerhapsIought.Butitisn’taverybig‘ought.’WhateverHarrietandIdotheissueisthesame.Why,Icanseethesplendourofit—eventhehumour.Ginosittinguphereonthemountain-topwithhiscub.Wecomeandaskforit.Hewelcomesus.Weaskforitagain.Heisequallypleasant.I’magreeabletospendthewholeweekbargainingwithhim.ButIknowthatattheendofitIshalldescendempty-handedtotheplains.Itmightbefinerofmetomakeupmymind.ButI’mnotafinecharacter.Andnothinghangsonit.” “PerhapsIamextreme,”shesaidhumbly.“I’vebeentryingtorunyou,justlikeyourmother.IfeelyououghttofightitoutwithHarriet.Everylittletrifle,forsomereason,doesseemincalculablyimportanttoday,andwhenyousayofathingthat‘nothinghangsonit,’itsoundslikeblasphemy.There’sneveranyknowing—(howamItoputit?)—whichofouractions,whichofouridlenesseswon’thavethingshangingonitforever.” Heassented,butherremarkhadonlyanaestheticvalue.Hewasnotpreparedtotakeittohisheart.Alltheafternoonherested—worried,butnotexactlydespondent.Thethingwouldjogoutsomehow.ProbablyMissAbbottwasright.Thebabyhadbetterstopwhereitwasloved.Andthat,probably,waswhatthefateshaddecreed.Hefeltlittleinterestinthematter,andhewassurethathehadnoinfluence. Itwasnotsurprising,therefore,thattheinterviewattheCaffeGaribaldicametonothing.Neitherofthemtookitveryseriously.AndbeforelongGinohaddiscoveredhowthingslay,andwasragginghiscompanionhopelessly.Philiptriedtolookoffended,butintheendhehadtolaugh.“Well,youareright,”hesaid.“Thisaffairisbeingmanagedbytheladies.” “Ah,theladies—theladies!”criedtheother,andthenheroaredlikeamillionairefortwocupsofblackcoffee,andinsistedontreatinghisfriend,asasignthattheirstrifewasover. “Well,Ihavedonemybest,”saidPhilip,dippingalongsliceofsugarintohiscup,andwatchingthebrownliquidascendintoit.“Ishallfacemymotherwithagoodconscience.WillyoubearmewitnessthatI’vedonemybest?” “Mypoorfellow,Iwill!”HelaidasympathetichandonPhilip’sknee. “AndthatIhave—”Thesugarwasnowimpregnatedwithcoffee,andhebentforwardtoswallowit.AshedidsohiseyesswepttheoppositeofthePiazza,andhesawthere,watchingthem,Harriet.“Miasorella!”heexclaimed.Gino,muchamused,laidhishanduponthelittletable,andbeatthemarblehumorouslywithhisfists.HarrietturnedawayandbegangloomilytoinspectthePalazzoPubblico. “PoorHarriet!”saidPhilip,swallowingthesugar.“Onemorewrenchanditwillallbeoverforherweareleavingthisevening.” Ginowassorryforthis.“Thenyouwillnotbeherethiseveningasyoupromisedus.Allthreeleaving?” “Allthree,”saidPhilip,whohadnotrevealedthesecessionofMissAbbott“bythenighttrainatleast,thatismysister’splan.SoI’mafraidIshan’tbehere.” TheywatchedthedepartingfigureofHarriet,andthenentereduponthefinalcivilities.Theyshookeachotherwarmlybybothhands.Philipwastocomeagainnextyear,andtowritebeforehand.HewastobeintroducedtoGino’swife,forhewastoldofthemarriagenow.Hewastobegodfathertohisnextbaby.AsforGino,hewouldremembersometimethatPhiliplikedvermouth.HebeggedhimtogivehislovetoIrma.Mrs.Herriton—shouldhesendherhissympatheticregards?Noperhapsthatwouldhardlydo. Sothetwoyoungmenpartedwithagooddealofgenuineaffection.Forthebarrieroflanguageissometimesablessedbarrier,whichonlyletspasswhatisgood.Or—toputthethinglesscynically—wemaybebetterinnewcleanwords,whichhaveneverbeentaintedbyourpettinessorvice.Philip,atallevents,livedmoregraciouslyinItalian,theveryphrasesofwhichenticeonetobehappyandkind.ItwashorribletothinkoftheEnglishofHarriet,whoseeverywordwouldbeashard,asdistinct,andasunfinishedasalumpofcoal. Harriet,however,talkedlittle.Shehadseenenoughtoknowthatherbrotherhadfailedagain,andwithunwonteddignitysheacceptedthesituation.Shedidherpacking,shewroteupherdiary,shemadeabrownpapercoverforthenewBaedeker.Philip,findinghersoamenable,triedtodiscusstheirfutureplans.ButsheonlysaidthattheywouldsleepinFlorence,andtoldhimt