Luisa's voice, as she spoke these words, was indeed faint, but very different from when she had said: "My heart is so cold."
Once more her husband drew her arm through his, and they returned to the landing-stage. The dear arm was less passive than before, and betrayed agitation and a struggle. Franco stopped, and said softly:
"And if I am called to join Maria? What shall I say to her from you?"
She began to tremble, and resting her head on his shoulder, whispered: "No, stay here!" Franco did not hear the words, and repeated: "What?" There was no answer, and very slowly he bent his head towards her, saw her lips seeking his, and pressed his own upon them. His heart was beating fast, faster than when he had kissed Luisa for the first time as her lover. He raised his head, but could not speak. At last he succeeded in saying these words: "I will tell her you have promised——" "No," murmured Luisa, in great distress. "I cannot do that. You must not ask it of me! It is no longer possible!"
"What is not possible?"
"Oh, you understand quite well! I also understood what you meant!"
She started forward as if to flee from the subject, but still clinging to Franco's arm, and he held her back.
"Luisa," said he gravely, almost severely, "will you let me go away like this? Do you realise what it means to me to go away like this?"
Then she slowly withdrew her arm from his, and turned towards the parapet on the right, leaning upon it, and gazing into the water as she had done that night at Oria. Franco stood quietly beside her; waited a few moments, and then begged her to answer his question.
"It would be better for me to end it all in the lake," she said bitterly. Her husband passed his arm round her waist, pulled her away from the parapet, and then letting her go, threw up his arm with a gesture of protest. "You!" said he indignantly. "You talk thus? You who used to prate of looking upon life as a battle? And is this the way you fight? Once I believed you were the stronger of us two. Now I know it is I who am the stronger. Much the stronger! Can you not even imagine what I have suffered during all these years? Can you not——" For a moment his voice failed him, but he quickly controlled himself and went on. "Can you not even understand what you are to me, and what I would give to be able to spare you the slightest pain? While you, it would seem, do not care how cruelly you rend my soul!" She flung herself into his arms. In the silence that ensued, broken only by her spasmodic and suppressed sobbing, Franco heard steps approaching, and with difficulty freed himself from her embrace and induced her to turn with him towards the hotel. "You naughty girl!" he whispered. "And it is you who don't want me to be glad to die, when I can die so gloriously for my country!" Luisa pressed his arm without speaking. They met two young lovers, who looked curiously at them in passing. The girl smiled. When they reached the short flight of steps that leads down to the little square in front of S. Vittore, they heard voices of women and girls. Luisa paused a moment on the first step, and said softly the three words she had spoken at Muzzaglio.