After sitting some time in the Cassino, the party paid for the
refreshments they had taken, and departed. The young man was the
last to leave the saloon, and I remarked him glancing behind him
in the same way, just as he passed out at the door. I could not
resist the impulse to rise and follow him; for I was at an age
when a romantic feeling of curiosity is easily awakened. The
party walked slowly down the Arcades, talking and laughing as
they went. They crossed the Piazzetta, but paused in the middle
of it to enjoy the scene. It was one of those moonlight nights so
brilliant and clear in the pure atmosphere of Italy. The
moon-beams streamed on the tall tower of St. Mark, and lighted up
the magnificent front and swelling domes of the Cathedral. The
party expressed their delight in animated terms. I kept my eye
upon the young man. He alone seemed abstracted and self-occupied.
I noticed the same singular, and, as it were, furtive glance over
the shoulder that had attracted my attention in the Cassino. The
party moved on, and I followed; they passed along the walks
called the Broglio; turned the corner of the Ducal palace, and
getting into a gondola, glided swiftly away.
The countenance and conduct of this young man dwelt upon my mind.
There was something in his appearance that interested me
exceedingly. I met him a day or two after in a gallery of
paintings. He was evidently a connoisseur, for he always singled
out the most masterly productions, and the few remarks drawn from
him by his companions showed an intimate acquaintance with the
art. His own taste, however, ran on singular extremes. On
Salvator Rosa in his most savage and solitary scenes; on Raphael,
Titian, and Corregio in their softest delineations of female
beauty. On these he would occasionally gaze with transient
enthusiasm. But this seemed only a momentary forgetfulness. Still
would recur that cautious glance behind, and always quickly
withdrawn, as though something terrible had met his view.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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