Adventure Magazine Cover — page 158: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

156 tent, biting my nails and wondering con- fusedly why my delights had thus turned to dust and ashes in my mouth. "Twas a simple question, had I had the wits to an- swer it—which I had not, until thirty years later; the reward of my victories, my suc- cesses, My money-gaining, and my glories had been taken away; and all that remained me, was the burden of them. “Midnight, Captain!” says Benedetto, my new lieutenant, from without; and I threw on a cloak, took place with him at the head of his file, and made the round of the camp. By this time, Benedetto had read the works of Messer Boccaccio as afore- said, and had lost the sullenness that for- merly remarked him. All during the patrol, he talked of tidings Varchi had brought from Rometia; of the progress of the duke’s negotiations to unite the scattered counties under himself; of how the Pope regarded him, and the Venetians, and such matter; but I paid little attention, until the name of the Countess Anita came into his discourse. “What of her?’ I demanded; why, I know not, having seen her but twice; a pre- monition, belike. “Why, as I say, this count of hers hath become a mere jest; ’twould seem he hath seizures, the which have been much infuri- ated by the countess’ behavior. When they were wed, the duke her brother, for marriage-gift, sent her a company of men- at-arms—more, and greater devils, than Roberto hath; and with these for garrison, she possesses all the castle but one-quarter, in the which Roberto is permitted to live— alone. They meet at dinner in the great hall; and ’tis said that in his last seizure, outside the door of his wife’s apartments, ihe count bit half his tongue away. Thou knowest the proverb: ‘The tongue has no bones, but it can break a man’s neck.’ For the duke or Anita will do’t fast enough, and save him the trouble—and take his castle and lands for their pains. Ho ho!” Now we were come back to my tent. “Aye, like enough,” I said, trying to laugh. ‘Good night, Benedetto.” “Good night, Captain,” says he, saluting while the file presented arms. “At what hour do we start for Mantua in the morn- ing? And how many men for the escort?” We were going to discuss the terms of payment for this Mantuan campaign, and earlier in the night, nothing had seemed to me more important or delightful than F, R. BUCKLEY this journey of negotiation—my first as cap- tain and mine own plenipotentiary —now it seemed a duty to be performed, nothing more. “Fifty horse should be enough. We will leave at dawn.” ““Bene. Are there further orders—as to armor, or the like?”’ He meant, had I any new expedient for impressing the functionaries who would treat with us, and thus raising our price; I was fecund of such things as a rule. “Nay,” I told him. ‘As good a show as possible; that and their memory of us when we fought against them will suffice. Good night.” Benedetto looked at me queerly; but that was of no moment; I went into my tent— the candle had guttered and gone out— flung off my cloak and, not troubling to undress, lay down on my bed and pulled the wolf-skins over me. I was weary, wearier than I had been for years; and at the same time less inclined to sleep. First, I lay on my side, but my neck seemed twisted against the pillow, and I rolled to lie on my belly. Then I was suffocated, and I rolled on my back. Above me, there was an opening in the tent, for the admission of air; lying thus, I faced it, and saw a great star burning beyond the purple layers of the night. Stella— The thought of her gave me nor pleasure nor pain; I wondered how this should be, with my own wife; ’twas clear, if what the poets said were true—nay, if what most lovers acted were not hypocrisy—that I did not love her; yet once she had thrilled me, and made my heart swell; and, seeing her in my memory, she remained still most worthy to be loved; hers was the kind of beauty that doth not fade. Then I remembered the shortened ell- measure; and the dresses she would have at the cost of our creditors; and her lust for the servant and the house of the guard- lieutenant at the price of a man’s life— “to sustain her position.”” What position had she, in the name of God? My wife; had she been my mistress, she would not have coveted the envy of the neighbors; and so we should never have been forced apart. *Twas marriage that had wrecked us— that accursed stretching of love between two people, to include envy, pride and mal- ice, and to be ordered by other people; COMmMIiCoooks C@