Malipieri nodded to him, and went in with Signor Bruni.
They sat down by the open window and Signor Bruni began to talk. In a
few minutes it became evident that whether the man knew anything of
the subject or not he had read everything that Malipieri had written,
and remembered most of it by heart. He spoke fluently and asked
intelligent questions. He had never been to Carthage, he said, but he
thought of making the trip to Tunis during the following winter. Yes,
he was a man of leisure, though he had formerly been in business; he
had a taste for archaeology, and did not think it was too late to
cultivate it, in a modest way, for his own pleasure. Of course, he
could never hope to accomplish anything of importance, still less to
become famous like Malipieri. It was merely a taste, and was better
than nothing as an interest in life.
Malipieri protested that he was not famous, but agreed with Signor
Bruni about other matters. It was better to follow a serious pursuit
than to do nothing with one's life.
"Or to dash into politics," suggested Bruni carelessly, as if he had
thought of trying that.
Perhaps he had heard of Malipieri's republican newspaper, but if he
had thought of drawing the young man into conversation about it, he
was disappointed. Malipieri continued to agree with him, listening
attentively to all he said without once looking bored.
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