A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories | Page 8

amusement! Let her amuse herself. Let her take up some branch of
study, or of--of--research, and get something besides 'fun' into her head,
if possible." He spoke boldly, but his wife's question had unnerved him,
for he had a soft heart, and liked people about him to be happy. "We
can show her the objects of interest. And there are the theatres," he
added.

"Yes, that is true," said Mrs. Elmore. "We can both go about with her. I
will just peep in at her now, and see if she has everything she wants."
She rose from her sofa and went to Lily's room, whence she did not
return for nearly three quarters of an hour. By this time Elmore had got
out his notes, and, in their transcription and classification, had fallen
into forgetfulness of his troubles. His wife closed the door behind her,
and said in a low voice, little above a whisper, as she sank very quietly
into a chair, "Well, it has all come out, Owen."
"What has all come out?" he asked, looking up stupidly.
"I knew that she had something on her mind, by the way she acted. And
you saw her give me that look as she went out?"
"No--no, I didn't. What look was it? She looked sleepy."
"She looked terribly, terribly excited, and as if she would like to say
something to me. That was the reason I said I would let her go to her
room alone."
"Oh!"
"Of course she would have felt awfully if I had gone straight off with
her. So I waited. It may never come to anything in the world, and I
don't suppose it will; but it's quite enough to account for everything you
saw in her."
"I didn't see anything in her,--that was the difficulty. But what is
it--what is it, Celia? You know how I hate these delays."
"Why, I'm not sure that I need tell you, Owen; and yet I suppose I had
better. It will be safer," said Mrs. Elmore, nursing her mystery to the
last, enjoying it for its own sake, and dreading it for its effect upon her
husband. "I suppose you will think your troubles are beginning pretty
early," she suggested.
"Is it a trouble?"

"Well, I don't know that it is. If it comes to the very worst, I dare say
that every one wouldn't call it a trouble."
Elmore threw himself back in his chair in an attitude of endurance.
"What would the worst be?"
"Why, it's no use even to discuss that, for it's perfectly absurd to
suppose that it could ever come to that. But the case," added Mrs.
Elmore, perceiving that further delay was only further suffering for her
husband, and that any fact would now probably fall far short of his
apprehensions, "is simply this, and I don't know that it amounts to
anything; but at Peschiera, just before the train started, she looked out
of the window, and saw a splendid officer walking up and down and
smoking; and before she could draw back he must have seen her, for he
threw away his cigar instantly, and got into the same compartment. He
talked awhile in German with an old gentleman who was there, and
then he spoke in Italian with Cazzi; and afterwards, when he heard her
speaking English with Cazzi, he joined in. I don't know how he came to
join in at first, and she doesn't, either; but it seems that he knew some
English, and he began speaking. He was very tall and handsome and
distinguished-looking, and a perfect gentleman in his manners; and she
says that she saw Cazzi looking rather queer, but he didn't say anything,
and so she kept on talking. She told him at once that she was an
American, and that she was coming here to stay with friends; and, as he
was very curious about America, she told him all she could think of. It
did her good to talk about home, for she had been feeling a little blue at
being so far away from everybody. Now, I don't see any harm in it; do
you, Owen?"
"It isn't according to the custom here; but we needn't care for that. Of
course it was imprudent."
"Of course," Mrs. Elmore admitted. "The officer was very polite; and
when he found that she was from America, it turned out that he was a
great sympathizer with the North, and that he had a brother in our army.
Don't you think that was nice?"
"Probably some mere soldier of fortune, with no heart in the cause,"

said Elmore.
"And very likely he has no brother there, as I told Lily. He told her he
was coming to Padua; but when they reached Padua, he came