A Creature of the Night: An Italian EnigmaHume, Fergus
Philosophy
A Creature of the Night: An Italian Enigma
Hume, Fergus
British -- Italy -- Fiction; Mystery fiction
Well, at last I was back in Milan, much to my satisfaction, as after
the strange adventures I had met with in Verona that city became
positively hateful to me. Two months had elapsed since the affair of
the Palazzo Morone had come to an end, and during that time two
marriages in connection therewith had been celebrated--that of
Beltrami with the Contessa Morone, at Rome; and that of Guiseppe
Pallanza with Signorina Bianca, at Milan. True to his promise,
Guiseppe had forfeited his engagement at the Ezzelino, much to the
wrath of the impresario, and had rested quietly since at Milan,
passing most of his time with Bianca, who was now in a state of high
glee preparing for her marriage.
It took place at the church of St. Stefano, in Milan, and out of
consideration for the great age of the Maestro it was a very quiet
affair, I being the only one present beyond the Angello household, but
that was at the urgent request of both Bianca and her husband, who
never forgot the services I had rendered them at Verona.
Thanks to my dexterity, Bianca never discovered the truth, and fully
believed that Guiseppe had been kept a prisoner at the Palazzo Morone
by some enemy who had lured him thither, by means of the letter
purporting to come from a dying friend. At first, considering the weak
way in which Guiseppe had acted, I did not consider that he deserved
his good fortune in marrying such a charming girl as the Signorina,
but during the time that preceded the marriage he was so devoted to
her in every way, and apparently so remorseful for his amorous folly,
that I quite forgave him his momentary infidelity. It was a very
pretty wedding, the bride and bridegroom making a handsome couple, and
when the ceremony was ended Signor and Signora Pallanza went to spend
the honeymoon of a few days at Monza, and I was left alone in Milan.
Guiseppe had obtained an engagement at the Madrid Opera House, and on
their return from Monza the young couple were to start almost
immediately for Spain, leaving the Maestro under the tender care of
Petronella. The old man's health had been failing sadly of late, and I
doubted very much whether Bianca would find him alive on her return to
Italy, seeing how frail he was in every respect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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