"It's probably six. How did you make her acquaintance?""By a letter--an introduction given me by a friend in England.""The analogy is complete," I said. "But the friend who gave me my letter to Madame de Salvi died many years ago. He, too, admired her greatly. I don't know why it never came into my mind that her daughter might be living in Florence. Somehow I took for granted it was all over. I never thought of the little girl; I never heard what had become of her. I walked past the palace yesterday and saw that it was occupied; but I took for granted it had changed hands.""The Countess Scarabelli," said my friend, "brought it to her husband as her marriage-portion.""I hope he appreciated it! There is a fountain in the court, and there is a charming old garden beyond it. The Countess's sitting-room looks into that garden. The staircase is of white marble, and there is a medallion by Luca della Robbia set into the wall at the place where it makes a bend. Before you come into the drawing-room you stand a moment in a great vaulted place hung round with faded tapestry, paved with bare tiles, and furnished only with three chairs. In the drawing-room, above the fireplace, is a superb Andrea del Sarto. The furniture is covered with pale sea-green."My companion listened to all this.
"The Andrea del Sarto is there; it's magnificent. But the furniture is in pale red.""Ah, they have changed it, then--in twenty-seven years.""And there's a portrait of Madame de Salvi," continued my friend.
I was silent a moment. "I should like to see that."He too was silent. Then he asked, "Why don't you go and see it? If you knew the mother so well, why don't you call upon the daughter?""From what you tell me I am afraid."
"What have I told you to make you afraid?"I looked a little at his ingenuous countenance. "The mother was a very dangerous woman."The young Englishman began to blush again. "The daughter is not," he said.
"Are you very sure?"
He didn't say he was sure, but he presently inquired in what way the Countess Salvi had been dangerous.
"You must not ask me that," I answered "for after all, I desire to remember only what was good in her." And as we walked back I begged him to render me the service of mentioning my name to his friend, and of saying that I had known her mother well, and that I asked permission to come and see her.
9th.--I have seen that poor boy half a dozen times again, and a most amiable young fellow he is. He continues to represent to me, in the most extraordinary manner, my own young identity; the correspondence is perfect at all points, save that he is a better boy than I. He is evidently acutely interested in his Countess, and leads quite the same life with her that I led with Madame de Salvi. He goes to see her every evening and stays half the night; these Florentines keep the most extraordinary hours. I remember, towards 3 A.M., Madame de Salvi used to turn me out.--"Come, come," she would say, "it's time to go. If you were to stay later people might talk." I don't know at what time he comes home, but I suppose his evening seems as short as mine did. Today he brought me a message from his Contessa--a very gracious little speech. She remembered often to have heard her mother speak of me--she called me her English friend. All her mother's friends were dear to her, and she begged I would do her the honour to come and see her. She is always at home of an evening.
Poor young Stanmer (he is of the Devonshire Stanmers--a great property) reported this speech verbatim, and of course it can't in the least signify to him that a poor grizzled, battered soldier, old enough to be his father, should come to call upon his inammorata.
But I remember how it used to matter to me when other men came;that's a point of difference. However, it's only because I'm so old.
At twenty-five I shouldn't have been afraid of myself at fifty-two.
Camerino was thirty-four--and then the others! She was always at home in the evening, and they all used to come. They were old Florentine names. But she used to let me stay after them all; she thought an old English name as good. What a transcendent coquette! .
. . But basta cosi as she used to say. I meant to go tonight to Casa Salvi, but I couldn't bring myself to the point. I don't know what I'm afraid of; I used to be in a hurry enough to go there once. Isuppose I am afraid of the very look of the place--of the old rooms, the old walls. I shall go tomorrow night. I am afraid of the very echoes.
10th.--She has the most extraordinary resemblance to her mother.
When I went in I was tremendously startled; I stood starting at her.
I have just come home; it is past midnight; I have been all the evening at Casa Salvi. It is very warm--my window is open--I can look out on the river gliding past in the starlight. So, of old, when I came home, I used to stand and look out. There are the same cypresses on the opposite hills.
Poor young Stanmer was there, and three or four other admirers; they all got up when I came in. I think I had been talked about, and there was some curiosity. But why should I have been talked about?