The Argosy — page 302: what you’re looking at

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

A Freak of Fortune. 285 gracious countenance and a fresh brightness to his white and golden garments. So the long and solemnly benignant procession moved slowly down the Corso between the prostrate masses. And, strange to say, in the front of all marched the poor half-witted hermit of Santa Maria della Rocca, carrying a rude crucifix in his arms. After him came the Brothers of the Holy Trinity, chanting their psalteries. On they came. The advance of the procession passed the Villa Zuccone. Then a halt was made. The villa, now swept and garnished, was filled with a warm breath of incense, and Holy Father and their Eminences crossed the threshold. Before long he was seated in the chair of state ; when Zuccone, in his black suit, having already prostrated himself before his Holiness, again came forward, and presented his wife and daughter, in their black silk dresses and black veils, to kiss the gold-embroidered cross on the papal slipper. After which, seizing my hand, as I knelt apart from them, with Fritz by my side, he strove to lead me forward for the same cere- mony, again saying, with some importunity, ‘‘La Signora Giulia, il Signor Federigo!” On which Holy Father replied, almost impatiently: ‘Vi dico conosco molto bene la Signora Giulia e suo figlio.” Then, turning to me with a smile in which was an expression of dry humour, he said, ‘Ah, my poor dear Passionists! I’ve loosened their tongues to-day. They will to-day talk so much about their Papa that Calvary will be forgotten!” Graciously giving me his hand to kiss, I retired. The rinfresco having been duly served, ices, coffee, and biscuits were handed round and partaken of. His Holiness, having blessed the house, departed, one short quarter of an hour sufficing for this important event. And his Holiness, having spokena benediction in the decorated chapel of the Redemptorists across the road, passed away like a magnificent dream. IV. BuT it was no dream to Zuccone. Those two short quarters of an hour ; the coming and going of the Sovereign Pontiff ; were the turning points in his life. He could think and talk of nothing else. _ He was, in the first instance, almost before his Holiness had re- turned to Castel Gondolfo ; peremptory in his desire to purchase the chair which had been so much honoured that day. But money would not tempt me; the chair had ceased to be an ordinary chair also to me. I was resolute in retaining it; I have it still, and it is, in fact, that in which you are seated at this moment. (I rose and looked at the chair, now covered withi its faded old brown damask, but no way superior to any other piece of furniture in the GOMGIOO (CO)