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Excerpt: ..."Brandolaccio is an upright man," said Colomba; "but as to Castriconi, I have heard he is quite unprincipled." "I think," said Orso, "that he is as good as Brandolaccio, and Brandolaccio is as good as he. Both of them are at open war with society. Their first crime leads them on to fresh ones, every day, and yet they are very likely not half so guilty as many people who don't live in the maquis." A flash of joy shone in his sister's eyes. "Yes," he continued, "these wretches have a code of honour of their own. It is a cruel prejudice, not a mean instinct of greed, that has forced them into the life they are leading." There was a silence. "Brother," said Colomba, as she poured out his coffee, "perhaps you have heard that Carlo-Battista Pietri died last night. Yes, he died of the marsh-fever." "Who is Pietri?" "A man belonging to this village, the husband of Maddalena, who took the pocket-book out of our father's hand as he was dying. His widow has been here to ask me to join the watchers, and sing something. You ought to come, too. They are our neighbours, and in a small place like this we can not do otherwise than pay them this civility." "Confound these wakes, Colomba I don't at all like my sister to perform in public in this way." "Orso," replied Colomba, "every country pays honour to its dead after its own fashion. The ballata has come down to us from our forefathers, and we must respect it as an ancient custom. Maddalena does not possess the 'gift, ' and old Fiordispina, the best voceratrice in the country, is ill. They must have somebody for the ballata." "Do you believe Carlo-Battista won't find his way safely into the next world unless somebody sings bad poetry over his bier? Go if you choose, Colomba
| ISBN-13 | 9781443210539 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 1443210536 |
| Weight | 0.33 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.22 In |
| List Price | $19.99 |
| Format | Paperback |
|---|---|
| Pages | 92 pages |
| Publisher | |
| Published On | 2010-03-01 |
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