The Capsina: An Historical NovelBenson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
History
The Capsina: An Historical Novel
Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
Greece -- History -- War of Independence, 1821-1829 -- Fiction
Then pride, to her a dominant passion, came to her rescue. At any
rate none knew, and none should ever know, for thus her humiliation
would be at least secret. She would behave to Mitsos just exactly as
before: not one tittle of her companionship, not an iota of her frank
show of affection for him should be abated. And, after all, there
was the _Revenge_, and--and with that, her human love, the longing
of the woman for the one man came like a great flood over the little
sand and pebbles of pride and jealousy and anger, and she cried out
involuntarily, and as if with a sudden pang of pain, bringing Michael
to her side.
They had reached the end of the quay; on one side of the road was
a little workman's hut, erected for the building of the Capsina's
"custom-house," and, entering, she sat down on a heap of shingle,
which had been shot down there for the making of the rough-cast walls
of the building. Michael, cold and dripping, but too well bred to
shake himself when near his mistress, stood shivering by her, with a
puzzled amazement in his eyes at the unusual behavior of the pillar of
his world. The girl drew him towards her, and buried her face in his
shaggy, dripping ruff.
"Oh, Michael, Michael!" she sobbed, "was not one to come from the
sea--all sea and sun--and we, were we not to be his, you and I and the
brig, and was not heaven to fly open for us? Indeed, it is not so: one
came from the sea and the sun, but it was not he. I was wrong. I was
utterly wrong, and now the world holds no other."
The rain had ceased, and from outside came only the sullen drumming
of the waves breaking on the shingle beyond the harbor, followed
rhythmically by the scream of the pebbly beach, dragged down by the
backwash, and the slow, steady drip from the sodden eaves. Suddenly
these noises became overscored with the rise and fall of voices, and
the Capsina drew Michael closer to her and hushed his growling.
"So, indeed, you must not mind, Christos," said Mitsos's voice,
"for there is none like her. Her eyes but grow the brighter for the
excitement, when, to tell the truth, my heart has been a lump of cold
lead. It is an honor to us that we are with her, that she trusts
us--she even likes us--which is more than she did for any of those in
Hydra. Eh, but it will be rough to-morrow. Look at the waves! I suppose
she has gone back to the ship."
"I expect so," said Christos; "let us go, too, Mitsos."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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