Saracinesca

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Macmillan, 1887 - English fiction - 432 pages
 

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Page 306 - He took her hand and raised it to his lips, with a courteous gesture. " It will be long before that — it must be very long," answered Corona. " It shall be when you please, Madam, provided it is at last. Meanwhile we will come down to-morrow, and take you to our tower. Do you understand now why I said that I hoped you would come again and stay longer 1 I trust you have not changed your mind in regard to the excursion.
Page 73 - A few minutes later Corona left the confessional and went and kneeled in the body of the church to collect her thoughts. She was in a very different frame of mind from that in which she had left home an hour ago. She hardly knew whether she felt herself a better woman, but she was sure that she was stronger. There was no desire left...
Page 337 - ... you demand what is the dot; if it is a question of office, you ask, Monsieur Untel, is he rich ? And it is perfectly just. We know what money can do ; but as for le bon Dieu, whom our grandmothers used to talk about ' And lo ! our gros paysan made exactly the same gesture as Jean Pierre. He put up his shoulders to his ears, and spread out the palms of his hands, as who should say, There is nothing further to be said. Then there occurred a still more remarkable repetition. My mother, as may be...
Page 159 - DCCCLI. 299 rather than with things, frequently take a profound and seemingly cruel delight in playing upon the feelings and petty vanities of their fellow-creatures. The habit is as strong with them as the constant practice of conjuring becomes with a juggler ; even when he is not performing, he will for hours pass coins, perform little tricks of sleight-ofhand with cards, or toss balls in the air in marvellously rapid succession, unable to lay aside his profession even for a day, because it has...
Page 361 - I suppose so," answered Corona ; but as they stood side by side, she passed her hand under his arm affectionately, and looked into his eyes. It was a very tender look, very loving and gentle — such a look as none but Giovanni had ever seen upon her face. He put his arm about her waist and drew her to him, and kissed her dark cheek. " I cannot bear to go away and leave you, even for a day," he said, pressing her to his side.
Page 1 - ... through to make the Via Nazionale; the south wing of the Palazzo Colonna still looked upon a narrow lane through which men hesitated to pass after dark ; the Tiber's course had not then been corrected below the Farnesina ; the Farnesina itself was but just under repair ; the iron bridge at the Ripetta was not dreamed of ; and the Prati di Castello were still, as their name implies, a series of waste meadows. At the southern extremity of the city, the space between the fountain of Moses and the...
Page 296 - That is a remarkable narrative, Pasquale," answered the Prince, laughing loudly, " but it seems very credible. Go and send for Gigi Secchi if he is still in the neighbourhood, and bring him here, and let us have the story from his own lips." When they were alone the two men looked at each other for a moment, and then old Saracinesca laughed again ; but Giovanni looked very grave, and his face was pale. Presently his father became serious again. " If this thing is true," he said, " I would advise...
Page 4 - ... works more misery, ruins more families over a wider area, than he, by his individual friendliness, ever can make up for. Cavour, the statesman, working on the unification of Italy, and using every political trick that he could think of to achieve his ends, said once to his confreres, "If we were to do for ourselves what we are doing for Italy, we should be great rogues.
Page 62 - The question must be to decide the precise point at which the position becomes untenable. So long as France makes our quarrels hers, every man should give his personal assistance to the cause; but it is absurd to suppose that if we were left alone, a handful of Romans against a great Power, we could do more, or should do more, than make a formal show of resistance. It has been a rule in all ages that a general, however brave, who sacrifices the lives of his soldiers in a perfectly hopeless resistance,...
Page 382 - The average man is gregarious, perhaps; but in strong minds there is often a great desire for solitude, or at least for retirement, in the society of one sympathetic soul. The instinct which bids such people leave the world for a time is never permanent, unless they become morbid. It is a natural feeling ; and a strong brain gathers strength from communing with itself or with its natural mate. There are few great men who have not at one time or another withdrawn into solitude, and their retreat has...

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