Neale puffed a while silently, staring over at the Janiculum Hill, black
with its dense trees beyond the moonlit city, until the distressing
memory became less acute and he could go back calmly to his own problem.
He was that much to the good anyhow. At least he'd found out what he did
not want to do. He did not want to give his life to doing something
simply because a lot of other men thought it was the only thing to do.
At least he was sure that failure was certain along that road. And he
was convinced that happiness--satisfaction, at least--was possible in
human life. All his stored-up and accumulated health and strength and
vitality made him sure that a sort of happiness was probable, even
inevitable, if you had the good sense to get hold of the job you were
intended to do. But what did he, Neale Crittenden, want to do? What was
he intended for? He had asked himself that question a great many times
and never had answered it yet. He looked again over at the Janiculum
from which the beacon was flashing its message of red--white--green
across Imperial Rome, across the Vatican. Over there stood the Garibaldi
monument. There was a man who had known what to do with his life. He had
created something. Oh, he was a product of his time, no doubt, and the
busy little frock-coated Cavour had played a necessary part, but
admitting all that, where would the Risorgimento have been without
Garibaldi? In the fire and passion of his great heart, he had forged the
sword of Italian Unity. Out of chaos he had created something with an
ordered unity of its own. That was real creation. Was there any of it
left to do--some little corner that an ordinary man could tackle?
Alone on the roof he pondered this, his hands clasped across his knees,
his head tipped back, looking across the ancient city at the man who had
kindled a fire in those old ashes.
And then, little by little, as the silence and beauty of the night
spread out before his eyes in widening silver circles, he ceased
pondering, ceased thinking even vaguely of himself, his life, other
men's lives. He sat dreaming, his eyes as wide as a child's, his lips
relaxed, his face absent and unconscious of self as that of one who
listens absorbed and entranced to distant music. Moonlight--Italy!
Aware that he was no longer alone, he turned his head slowly and saw
that a tall girl in white had come silently up the winding iron steps
and was standing at the top looking at the sky. The moon shone full and
soft upon her, from head to foot. He saw her as clearly as though it had
been noon, and yet she looked as unearthly and mysterious as the night.
She evidently thought herself alone. She stood perfectly motionless, her
dark eyes fixed on a palely distant star. Neale thought he had never in
his life seen anything more touching than the profound sadness of her
young face.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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