He gave you love. How should you forget him?"
Far away on the sea that was faintly silvered by the moon there was a
black speck. It was, or seemed from the distance to be, motionless.
Hermione's eyes were attracted to it, and again her imagination
carried her to Sicily. She stood on the shore by the inlet, she saw
the boat coming in from the open sea. Then it stopped midway--like
that boat.
She heard Gaspare furiously weeping.
But the boat moved, and the sound that was in her imagination died
away, and she said to herself, "All that was long ago."
The boat out there was no doubt occupied by Neapolitan fishermen, and
she was here on the islet in the Sea of Naples, and Sicily was far
away across the moonlit waters. As to Gaspare--she was sure he was not
weeping, faithful though he was to the memory of the dead Padrone.
And Vere? Hermione wondered what Vere was doing. She felt sure, though
she did not know why, that Vere had not gone to bed. She realized
to-night that her child was growing up rapidly, was passing from the
stage of childhood to the stage of girlhood, was on the threshold of
all the mysterious experiences that life holds for those who have
ardent temperaments and eager interests, and passionate desires and
fearless hearts.
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