"Yes, Excellency," he answered in a hoarse voice, touching his cap.
"What a beautiful night it is!" said the young girl. She often talked
with the men in the boat, and Ruggiero interested her especially at the
present moment.
"Yes, Excellency," he answered again.
"Is the weather to be fine, Ruggiero?"
"Yes, Excellency."
Ruggiero was apparently not in the conversational mood. He was probably
thinking of the girl he loved--in all likelihood of Teresina, as
Beatrice thought. She stood still a couple of paces from him and looked
at the sea. She felt a capricious desire to make the big sailor talk and
tell her something about himself. It would be sure to be interesting and
honest and strong, a contrast, as she fancied, to the things she had
just heard.
"Ruggiero---" she began, and then she stopped and hesitated.
"Yes, Excellency."
The continual repetition of the two words irritated her. She tried to
frame a question to which he could not give the same answer.
"I would like you to tell me who it is whom you love so dearly--is she
good and beautiful and sensible, too, as you said?"
"She is all that, Excellency.
Pages:
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162