Well, let it be so, let the truth stand there naked. Again, mingling
with a certain awe, there rose up in him a strong ardor, a courage
that was vehement, that longed at last to act. And it seemed to him
suddenly that for many years, through all the years that divided
Hermione and him from the Sicilian life, they had been held in leash,
waiting for the moment of this encounter. Now the leash slackened.
They were being freed. And for what?
Gaspare plunged his right oar into the sea alone. The boat swung round
obediently, heading for the shore.
One of the faint lights that gleamed in the village was extinguished.
"Signore, the Signora has left the boat!"
"Si?"
"Madonna! She has let it go! She has left it to the sea!"
He backed water. A moment later the little boat in which Vere loved to
go out alone grated against theirs.
"Madonna! To leave the boat like that!" exclaimed Gaspare, bending to
catch the tow-rope. "The Signora is not safe to-night. The Signora's
saint will not look on her to-night.
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