Aunt Martina was sitting on the portico with her hands beneath her apron, reciting the rosary. When her eyes fell on the two men she remained perfectly still and silent, but her lips tightened, and she shook her head ever so slightly, as though to say: "Truly, a fine sight!" "Where is Giovanna?" demanded Brontu. "She went to her mother's." "Oh! she went to her mother's, the old harpy's? Well, she's always going there, curse her." "Don't shout so, my son." "I will; I'll shout as much as I like; I'm in my own house," and turning towards the common, he began to call at the top of his voice: "Giovanna! Giovanna!" Giovanna appeared at the door of the cottage, and started to cross the common hastily with an alarmed air; as she drew near, however, her expression changed to one of annoyance and disgust. Pausing in front of the two men, she regarded them with a look of undisguised scorn. Giacobbe laughed, but Brontu reddened to the tips of his ears with anger. "Well," she demanded; "what is the matter? Have you got the colic?" "He would have got it pretty soon if you hadn't come," said Giacobbe. Brontu opened his mouth and his lips moved, but no sounds came forth, and his anger presently died away as senselessly as it had come. "Well----" he stammered. "I wanted you. We have hardly seen each other all day. What were you doing at your mother's? Who was there?" "Who was there?" she repeated, in a tone of intense bitterness. "Why, no one. Who would you expect to find at our house?" "Why, San Costantino might come--t--o--o--gi--i--i--ve you--u a po--em----" sang Giacobbe thickly. "Have you ever seen San Costantino? Well, there's Isidoro Pane--he's perfectly crazy--he doesn't like you; no, indeed, he doesn't, and--and----" "Shut up; hold your tongue!" said Aunt Martina. "And the sheepfolds left all this time to take care of themselves! That's the way you attend to your master's business! You're all alike, accursed thieves!" Giacobbe sprang forward, erect and livid; and Giovanna, fearing that he was really going to strike the old woman, stepped quickly between them. He turned, however, without saying a word, and sat down, but with so lowering an expression that Giovanna remained near her mother-in-law in an attitude of protection. Brontu, on the contrary, was struck with the idea that his mother deserved a rebuke. "What sort of manners are these?" he demanded in a tone that was intended to be severe. "Why, you treat people as though--as though--as though they were beasts--everybody! To-day--to-day--no, yesterday was a holiday. If he chose to get drunk, what business was that of yours?" "I got drunk on poison," remarked Giacobbe. "Yes, poison," agreed Brontu. "And I did too. And there's another thing. I'm tired of all this, mother and wife--and the whole business. So there! I'm going away. I'm going to spend the night with him in his palace. After all, we are relations, and--and----"