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第7章

the diary of a man of fifty-第7章

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wiles。  That would be more loyal。〃  And he began to laugh again。



It is not the first time he has laughed at me; but I have never 

minded it; because I have always understood it。



〃Is that what you recommend me to say to the Countess?〃 I asked。



〃Recommend you!〃 he exclaimed; laughing again; 〃I recommend nothing。  

I may be the victim to be rescued; but I am at least not a partner to 

the conspiracy。  Besides;〃 he added in a moment; 〃the Countess knows 

your state of mind。〃



〃Has she told you so?〃



Stanmer hesitated。



〃She has begged me to listen to everything you may say against her。  

She declares that she has a good conscience。〃



〃Ah;〃 said I; 〃she's an accomplished woman!〃



And it is indeed very clever of her to take that tone。  Stanmer 

afterwards assured me explicitly that he has never given her a hint 

of the liberties I have taken in conversation withwhat shall I call 

it?with her moral nature; she has guessed them for herself。  She 

must hate me intensely; and yet her manner has always been so 

charming to me!  She is truly an accomplished woman!



May 4th。I have stayed away from Casa Salvi for a week; but I have 

lingered on in Florence; under a mixture of impulses。  I have had it 

on my conscience not to go near the Countess againand yet from the 

moment she is aware of the way I feel about her; it is open war。  

There need be no scruples on either side。  She is as free to use 

every possible art to entangle poor Stanmer more closely as I am to 

clip her fine…spun meshes。  Under the circumstances; however; we 

naturally shouldn't meet very cordially。  But as regards her meshes; 

why; after all; should I clip them?  It would really be very 

interesting to see Stanmer swallowed up。  I should like to see how he 

would agree with her after she had devoured him(to what vulgar 

imagery; by the way; does curiosity reduce a man!)  Let him finish 

the story in his own way; as I finished it in mine。  It is the same 

story; but why; a quarter of a century later; should it have the same 

denoument?  Let him make his own denoument。



5th。Hang it; however; I don't want the poor boy to be miserable。



6th。Ah; but did my denoument then prove such a happy one?



7th。He came to my room late last night; he was much excited。



〃What was it she did to you?〃 he asked。



I answered him first with another question。  〃Have you quarrelled 

with the Countess?〃



But he only repeated his own。  〃What was it she did to you?〃



〃Sit down and I'll tell you。〃  And he sat there beside she candle; 

staring at me。  〃There was a man always thereCount Camerino。〃



〃The man she married?〃



〃The man she married。  I was very much in love with her; and yet I 

didn't trust her。  I was sure that she lied; I believed that she 

could be cruel。  Nevertheless; at moments; she had a charm which made 

it pure pedantry to be conscious of her faults; and while these 

moments lasted I would have done anything for her。  Unfortunately 

they didn't last long。  But you know what I mean; am I not describing 

the Scarabelli?〃



〃The Countess Scarabelli never lied!〃 cried Stanmer。



〃That's just what I would have said to any one who should have made 

the insinutation!  But I suppose you are not asking me the question 

you put to me just now from dispassionate curiosity。〃



〃A man may want to know!〃 said the innocent fellow。



I couldn't help laughing out。  〃This; at any rate; is my story。  

Camerino was always there; he was a sort of fixture in the house。  If 

I had moments of dislike for the divine Bianca; I had no moments of 

liking for him。  And yet he was a very agreeable fellow; very civil; 

very intelligent; not in the least disposed to make a quarrel with 

me。  The trouble; of course; was simply that I was jealous of him。  I 

don't know; however; on what ground I could have quarrelled with him; 

for I had no definite rights。  I can't say what I expectedI can't 

say what; as the matter stood; I was prepared to do。  With my name 

and my prospects; I might perfectly have offered her my hand。  I am 

not sure that she would have accepted itI am by no means clear that 

she wanted that。  But she wanted; wanted keenly; to attach me to her; 

she wanted to have me about。  I should have been capable of giving up 

everythingEngland; my career; my familysimply to devote myself to 

her; to live near her and see her every day。〃



〃Why didn't you do it; then?〃 asked Stanmer。



〃Why don't you?〃



〃To be a proper rejoinder to my question;〃 he said; rather neatly; 

〃yours should be asked twenty…five years hence。〃



〃It remains perfectly true that at a given moment I was capable of 

doing as I say。  That was what she wanteda rich; susceptible; 

credulous; convenient young Englishman established near her en 

permanence。  And yet;〃 I added; 〃I must do her complete justice。  I 

honestly believe she was fond of me。〃  At this Stanmer got up and 

walked to the window; he stood looking out a moment; and then he 

turned round。  〃You know she was older than I;〃 I went on。  〃Madame 

Scarabelli is older than you。  One day in the garden; her mother 

asked me in an angry tone why I disliked Camerino; for I had been at 

no pains to conceal my feeling about him; and something had just 

happened to bring it out。  'I dislike him;' I said; 'because you like 

him so much。'  'I assure you I don't like him;' she answered。  'He 

has all the appearance of being your lover;' I retorted。  It was a 

brutal speech; certainly; but any other man in my place would have 

made it。  She took it very strangely; she turned pale; but she was 

not indignant。  'How can he be my lover after what he has done?' she 

asked。  'What has he done?'  She hesitated a good while; then she 

said:  'He killed my husband。'  'Good heavens!' I cried; 'and you 

receive him!'  Do you know what she said?  She said; 'Che voule?'〃



〃Is that all?〃 asked Stanmer。



〃No; she went on to say that Camerino had killed Count Salvi in a 

duel; and she admitted that her husband's jealousy had been the 

occasion of it。  The Count; it appeared; was a monster of jealousy

he had led her a dreadful life。  He himself; meanwhile; had been 

anything but irreproachable; he had done a mortal injury to a man of 

whom he pretended to be a friend; and this affair had become 

notorious。  The gentleman in question had demanded satisfaction for 

his outraged honour; but for some reason or other (the Countess; to 

do her justice; did not tell me that her husband was a coward); he 

had not as yet obtained it。  The duel with Camerino had come on 

first; in an access of jealous fury the Count had struck Camerino in 

the face; and this outrage; I know not how justly; was deemed 

expiable before the other。  By an extraordinary arrangement (the 

Italians have certainly no sense of fair play) the other man was 

allowed to be Camerino's second。  The duel was fought with swords; 

and the Count received a wound of which; though at first it was not 

expected to be fatal; he died on the following day。  The matter was 

hushed up as much as possible for the sake of the Countess's good 

name; and so successfully that it was presently observed that; among 

the public; the other gentleman had the credit of having put his 

blade through M。 de Salvi。  This gentleman took a fancy not to 

contradict the impression; and it was allowed to subsist。  So long as 

he consented; it was of course in Camerino's interest not to 

contradict it; as it left him much more free to keep up his intimacy 

with the Countess。〃



Stanmer had listened to all this with extreme attention。  〃Why didn't 

SHE contradict it?〃



I shrugged my shoulders。  〃I am bound to believe it was for the same 

reason。  I was horrified; at any rate; by the whole story。  I was 

extremely shocked at the Countess's want of dignity in continuing to 

see the man by whose hand her husband had fallen。〃



〃T

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