t you ciki they[hey Saul theyuless, without

The Lady of the Lake

irally amused'hold bitchIn,g,t r her screecii-

one sicken-4ndy barsbaci. and forthrier away ftom

fright.t her blood?'

en there was aitt) the store.

fiain, fixen with

`You little thief,

yanked it. TheI forward, but atInd thrust out at

an ambitious, handsome tliirty, who watkedfloors in tvlacy's book u 'nt wearing a white flower

in his lapel, having recently write into a small inheritance,{'?irig 17:

t

"nd went abro4d seekiffig romance. In Paris.he was sure of, except that he was tired of the past tired ofthe limitations it had imposcd upon althougli he hadsigned the hotel register with his right name, Levin took tocalling himself Henry R. Freeman. Freeman lived for a shortNyílik in a little hotel on a narrow gas lamp-lit street near theLuxembourg Gardens. in the beginning he liked the sense offorcignness of the city of things different, anything likelyto happen. He liked, he said to himself, the possible combina-tions. Bot not znuclr did happen; he met no one he Earticu-larly cared for (he had sometimes in the past deCgn"himseifabout women, they had corne to less than he had expected);and since the heat was hot and tourists underfoot, he felt hemust flee. He boarded the Milan express, and after Dijon, de-veloped a paidui, palpitating anxiety. This grew so trouble-some hat he had serious visions of leaping off the train, butreason prevailed and he rode on. However, he did not get to

Nearing Stresa, after a quick, astonislied look at LakeMaggiore, Freeman, a na ture lover from early childitood, pulledhis suitcase off the rack and hurriedly left the train. He at oncefelt better.

An hour later he was established in a pensione in a villa notfar from the line of assorted hotels fronting the Stresa shore.The padrona, a talkative wornan, mucit interesied in herguests, complained that Tune and Juh> , had been lost in un-

•seasonable coki and wet. Many had cancelled; 'there Wel fe

ter mouth, butr föli hack withzet.ily a( every-' multi se• her

Pi`

96 The Lady of the Lake

Arnericans around, This didn't exactly disturb Freeman, whohad had his full share Df-Coney-Island. He lived in an airy,French-windowed room, including soft bed and spacious bath,and though personally the shower tyK, was glad of thechange. He was very fond of the balcony at window, where

he loved w read, Of study Italian, glancing up often to gaze

2t the water. The long blue Iake, sometimes green, sometimesgold, went out of sight among dintant mountains. He likedthe red•roofed town of Pailanza on the opposite shore, andespecially the fog beautiful islands in the water, tiny butteeming with palazzi, (311 trees, gardens, visible statuary. Thesight of tbese islands aroused in Feernan a deep efnotiori; eacha universe - how often do we c;tné r litá -filled Mm with expectancy. Of what, lie wasn't sure. Freemanstill hoped for what he hadn't, what few got in the world andmony dared not think of; torit, leve, adventure, freedom.Alas, the words by now Sounded slightly comical. `cet therewere times, when he was staring at the islands, if you peshedhirn a little he could almost cry. Ah, what names of beautyIsola Bella, dei Pesca tor-L tvfadre, and dcl Dongo. Travel k trulybroadening, he thought; who ever got emotional over Welfareisland? r

But the islands, the two he visited, let h rrr'do \ Freemanwalked off the vaporetto at Isola Bella arnid a crowd of late-scason tourists in all languages, especially German, who wereat once beset by many vendors of cheap crinkets. And he dis-covered there were guided toursonly - strictly no unsupervisedwandering - the pirék palazzo full of old fiunk, surroundedby artificial formai gardens, including grottoes made ofseashells, the stone statuary a tasteless laugh. And alchoughIsola dei Pescatod had some honest atmosphere, old houseshugging crookcd streets, thick nets drying in piles near fisher-men's dories drawn up among trees; again. there were touristssnapping all in pictures, and the wholt town catering to them.Everybody had something to sell you could buy better inMaey's basement. Frceman returned tci12Lupensione, Oisap-pointed. The islands, beautiful fromafar„ up close were so

The Lady of the Lake 97miich stage scenery. I-le compiained thus to the padrona andshe urged hím to visit Isola del Dongo. 'More natunl,' shepersuaded him. fYou never saw such unusual gardens. Andthe palazzo is historical, full of the tombs of farvaus men ofthe region, including a cardinal who became a saint. Napokn,the emperor, slept there. The French have always loved thisisland. yheir writers have wept at its beauty,'

J-Iowever, Freeman showed little interest. iGardens seenin rfty time.' So when resti-e, he wandcred in the back streetsof-Srresa, watching theynen playing a

. cia , avoiding theladen store windows, 1 rlFt C by devious rotires-back to thelake, he sat at a bench irt the small park, watehing the linger-ing sunset over the dark mountains and thínking of a life ofadventure. Be watcbcd alone, talked now and then to strayItalians - almost everyl>ody spoke a good broken English - andlived too much on hirnself. On weekends, there was, however,a buzz ofLnerriment in ke,.tr-eets, ,ccursionists from aroundMilan arrived in us oads. ClA day they hurried tő their pic-nics; at night one of them pulled an accordion out of the busand playeid sad Venetian or happy Neapolitan songs. Then theyoung Itallans and their gírls got up and danced in tight em-brace in the pubkc square; but not Freeman.

One evening at sunset, the calm waters so marvellouslypainted they drew him from inactivity, he hired a rowboat,and for war;t of any place more exciting to go, rowed towards

, the IsolaJeLDongo,He had no intention other than reachingit, [hen turning bank, a round trip completed. Two-thirds ofthe way there, he began to row with rowing uneasinesswhfch soon becarne dread, because a síi breeze had risen,driving the sueking waves against the side of the bort. It wasa warm wind, hitt a wind was a wind and the water was wet.Freeman didn't row well - had learned late in his twenties,despite the nearness of Central Park - and he swam poorly.always water, never enough breath to get any-

' where: clearly a landlubbcr from the Word go. He strongiyconsidered returning to Stresa - it was at least a half nide E0the island, --thert=it ra lialf in rectun T but chided

•

fipS The Lady of the Lake

hirriself for his timidity, Fie had, alter all, hired the boat for arsborira so he kept rowing though he fearcd the risk. However,

the waves were not too bad anti lie had diseovered the trick

of leiting them hit the prow lead-on. Although he handledhis ()ars awkwardly, Freeman, to his surprise, made gond

time. The wind now helped rather than hindcrcd; and day-

liRht reassuring scill !ingered in the sky 2mOng streaks of

red.At lant Freeman neared the island. Like Isola Bella, it rose

in terraces through hedged gardens crowded with statuary, toa palazzo on top. But the padrona had told the truth - thisisland looked more interesting than the others, the vegetationlush, exptic birds fl ying around. By no vv the place was

_b.thed in r and despite the thickening dark, Frecman re-captured the sense of awe and beauty he had felt upon firstbcholding the islands. A t he same time he recalled a sad rnem-oryof unlivcd lift. his own, of all that had sli ed throu is

ngers. Arnidst these thoug ts e was startled by a movement-----1-rrriTgarden by the water's edge. h had mornentarily seemed

as though a statue had comc to lifc, but Freeman quicklyrealized a woman was standing this side of a lovi marblewatching the water. He could not, of course, Inak out herfart, though he sensedwhite dress moved in the breez.eJle-imagirarnorn' cone wait-ing for ber lover, and was tempted to speak to fleT, but thenthe wind blcw up strongly and the waves rocked his rowboat.Freemari hastily turned the boat with ore-43al and pullingkard, took off. The wind drenched hitri with spray, the row•boat 1;>obbed among nasty1.

• 9vemtlzc noing zrew frighteningly? 4/_•• fotrough. fiiad visions o Sr6~fig, the rowboat swaniped,

poor Freeman slowly sinking to the bottom, stdving fruit-lessly to reach the top. But as he rowed, his hcart like a rnetaldisc in his mouth, and still rowed on, gradually heiimp_icame,biLleaff; also the waves anti wird. Although the lake was bynow black, though the sky ditnly rellected white, turningfrom time to time to per ahead, lie guided himself bythe flitkrering liglits ot the Stresa shore. It rained hard as he

The Lady of the Laka v)

landed, but Freenian, as he beached the boat, considered hisadventure an accomplishment and ate a hearty sípper at a nexpensive restaurant.

The cantains billowing In bis sunny room the next rnorn-ing awoke hím. Freeman rose, shaved, bathed, and after break.fast got a haircut. Wearing his bathing trunks undor slacks.

sneaked on to the Hotel Excelsior beach for a dip, sport butrefreshing. In the early afternoon he read his Italian_lesson onthe balconijhen snatched a snooze. At four-thirty - he kithe áTT hadn't made up his mind until then - Freemanboarded the vaporetro making its hourly tour of the islands.After touching at Isola Madre, the boat headed for the isoladel Dongo.-As - they-iere~roaching the island, coming fromthe direction opposite that which Free= had taken Tastnight, he observed a lanky boy in bathing trunks tinninghim_self on- a raft in the lake nobody he recognized. "Whenthe vaporetto landerartU dock on the southern stide of theisland, to Freeman's surprise and deep regret, the arca wascrowded with the usual stalls piled high touyist gew.garxv. And though he had hoped otherwise, in Wth5<ri of theisland was strictly in the guidc's footsteps, and victato tryingto go anywliere alone. You paid a hundred lire for a ticket,then trailed bebind this unshaven sad-looking clown, whostabbed a jatinty cane at the sky as he announced irt threelanguages to the tourists who followcd him: 'Please riotBor wander. The family del Dongo, one of the most illustriousof Italy, so requests. Only thus ces cet ahle to remain openthees magnificent 'eestorícal palatz aricl supreme jardens forthe inspection by the rnembers of all nations.'

They tailed the guide at a fast clip through the NI2Ct....-through long halk hang with tapestries and elaborate mir.Mrs, enormous rooms filled with antique furniture, old books,paintings, statuary a lot of it in better taste than the stuff hehad seen on the other island; and he visited where Napolconhad slept - a bed. Yet Freeman secretly touched the counter-pane, though no( quickly enough to escape the al[seeing eveof the Italian guide, who wrathfully rakod his cane 10 the

1

•

The Lady of the Lake joishore, her wet skin glistening in bright sunlight. She had sten

thirn and quickly bent for a towel she had Ieft on a blanke,draped it over her shoulders and modestly held the endsgether over her high-arched breast. Her wet black hair fel'upon her shoulders. She stared at Freeman. He rose, formingwords of apology in his mind. A haze that had been before hiseyes, evaporated. Freeman grew pale and the girl blushed. toerA -›-Freeman was, of course, a New York City boy from awayback. As the girl stood there unselfcon.sciously regarding him

r d

— it could not have been longer than thirty seconds — wasaware of his background and certain othe isadvantages ; buthe also knew he wasn't a badlooking guy, even, it out besaid, quite on the handsome s-

ide. Though a yirquirl haldat the back of his noggin — not more than a dime couldadequately cover — his bead of hair was alive, expressive; Free-man's grey eyes were clear, unenvious, nose well-moulded, themouth generous. He had well-proportioned arms and legs andhis stomach lay respectfully flat. He was a bit short,, but onhim, he knew, it barely showed. One of his former girl friendshad told him she sometimes thought of him as tall. Thiscounterbalanced the occasions when he had thought of hirn-self as short. Yet though he knew he made a good appearance,Freernan fearcd this moment, partty because of alI he hun-gered for frorn lik, and parti), because of the uncountabieobstacles existing between strangers, may the word for everperish.

She, apparently, had no fear of their meeting; as a matter ofsurprising fart, seemed to welcome imtnediately curiousabout him. She had, of course, the advantage of position —which included receiving. so to speak, the guest - intruder. And

she ha raw9Jean on; herself also favoured physically —mama, what a qtteenly higli•assed form — itself the C2 11.5e of

grace. Her 03.k.shazpitaiian fice had that quality ot beauty

which holds the mark of FiWr3P7 the beauty of people and

civilization. The large brown eyes, under straight slender

brows, were (illed with sweet light; her lips were purely cut as

if from rd flowers; her nose was perhaps the one touch of

I

ioo The Lady of the Lake

levet of Freernan's heart and explosively shouted. `Basta t' Thisembarrassed Freeman and two British ladies carrying parasols.He felt had until the group — about twenty — were led intothe garden. Gazing from here, the highest phint of the islapd,,

'---Q

at the panorama of the gcdlsn-blue lake. Freeman ca-_-'-.$_:_..V

And the luxuriant ve,0d4r Kf the illand w3s_dating r -volulFtuous. They went among orange and lemon trees (he hadnever known that lemon was a perfume), magnolia, oleander— the guide called out the names. Everywhere were flowers ingreat profusion, huge camellias, rhodadendron, jasmine, rosesin innumerable colours and varieties, all bathed in intoxicat-ing floral fragrance. Freeman's head swam; he f it d' ze iz y,slightly off his rockerraubis extraordinary assailment of hissenses. At the same time, though it was an 'underground'reaction, he experienced a painful, contracting remembrance -more like a warning - of personal poverty. This he had difE-

ulty accounting for, because he usuall ► held a decent opinionf himself. When the comical guide bounced forward, with

his cane indicating cedars, eucalyptus, camphor and peppertrees, the former floorwalker, overcome ,ky,a11- he was for the

first time sering, a t the same moment 4«:14h<4 b y almost breath-

less excitement, fell behind the group--;rtourists, and pre-

tended to inspect the berries of a pepper tree. As the guidehurried forward, Freeman, although not positive he had

planned it so, ducked behind the pepper tree, ran atong a path

beside a tall laurel shrub and down two flights of stairs; lwhopped over a marble wall and went hastily through a smallwood, expectant, seeking, he thought only God knew what./ He figured he was headed in the direction of the garden by

/the water whcre he had seen the girl in the white dress last'light, but after several minutes of involved wandering• Free-

an came upon a Iittle beach, a pebbly strand, leading downraft

stone steps into the lake. About a hundred feet away a r

was anchored, nobody on it. xliausted by the excitement, a

.litt1e moody, Freeman sat down under a tree, to rest. When heglaneed up, a girl in a white bathing suit was roming up thesteps out of the water. Freeman stared as she sloshed up the

tol The 1 3dy of the 1 akt

Imuittction that perfmed the Test — a trifie long and thln.

Despite the etlect, a liftit Nntirrtire. her ovoid fat . e, taper.

fin* to a small chin, was soft, suilused wiilt the loveltness otyouth. She was abottt twenty•three or .fottr. Ami when Free..man had, to small degtee, calmed down, ite‘discovered in iter

e ►CS a hidden hunger, or memory thereof; perltaps it wassadness; and he telt 1w was, for this reison, if not unknownothets, sincetely welcotied. liad he, Oh Cod, at bst met his

fate?•Si reTtlutor the girl asketi, smiling, still tightly holding

her white towel. Freeman understood and answered in Eng.lish. 'No, 1 raine on nty own. On lati rpose you might say.' Ilehad in mind to ask Iter if she romembered having seen himbeforr, namely in List night's rowboat, but didn't.

'Arc you an American?' she inquired, her acccnt

pleasantly tottched with an English one.'That'sThe girl studied Nini for a MI minute, and then hesitantly

asketi, 'Are yoitrpf rham, le\yisit ?'' j

Freeman súA)rWelt. rg:2:kli`.191:1 1tágh secretly shocked bythe question, it was not, ina way, unexpected. Yet he dici notlook jewish, could pass as not had. So without batting aneyelash, lw said, no, lw wasn't. And a moment lator atitled,though he personally had nothing mins( ütem.

'It was just a thought. You Americans arc so varied,' sheexplained vaguely,

'1 undorstand,' he s-2W. 'but have no worry.' Lifting hishat, iir introduced hiinself R. Freeman, travellingabroad.'

' My IlaMC: She said, after an absent.minded !mise. 'IsIsabella del Dongo.'

Safe orr-fir5t, thought Freeman. 'I'm proud to know you.'kle bowed. Sitt gave liittt her balul with a gentle smile. He wasabout to surprise it with a kiss when the comical guide ap-pe2red at a Wall a few terraces above. He gazcol at thein ifi

astonishment, then let ont a yell and Tan down the stairs,wa ving his cane like a rapier.

The Latly of the Lake to3'Transgressor,' be shouted a t Freeman,The girl saiti snmr(hing to cAto him, bot the guide was too

turious to ikten. He gt.thbed Freeman's ann, yanking blin

towaids the stairs. Anti thotigh Freeman, in the Interest otgood manners, barely resisted, the guide whacked ltim acrossthe seat of the pancs: ittt the ex-floorwalker did not complain.

Though itis'ált6It64font the island had been, to putan embarr.issment (the girl had vanished atter her und.

successful momentary intercession), Freeman dreamed of a tri`"umphant return. The híg t hing so far was that she, a knockout,had taken to hím; lw had been favoured by her. Just wity, hecouldn't exactly teli, but he could teli yes, had sten in hernyes. Yet wondering if yes why yes — an old habit Freeman,among other reasons lw had aireatly thought of, namely thethus anti therefore of man-woman attraction — laid I( to thefact that he was different, had dared. He had, specifically, daredto duck the guide anti be waiting for her at the edge of the lakewhen she came out of it. Anci she was different too, (which ofcolt rse ciuickened her response to hien). Not only in her iooksand backgrounti, but of course different as regarás past. (Hehad been reading with fascination ahout the del Dongos in aiithe local guide hooks.) Her past lw could see boiling in her 211the way back to the knights of old, and then some; kis ownhistory was something else again, but men were malleable,and he wasn't afraid of attempting to create certain daringcombina Hans Isabella anti Henry Freeman. Hoping to meet

Anti he had also fel( would he a weciated more hy asomeone like her was his main reason for having come abroad.

his personality, that ifi. Yet, since (heir liveswere so ditferent, Freentan had =ments of grave doubt, won.tiered what trials he Nvas in for if he went after her, as he hadevery intention of doing with her unknown family — otherthings of that sort. Arid he was iri afterthotight woniedrause she had asked hím if he was Jewish. \Vhy had the tincs-(ion popped out of her prctty mouth before they had cvcnmet? He had never hefore been asked anything like this bv agirl, under let's can it similar circumstatices. juss when they

104 The Lady of the Lake

were looking each other over. He was puzzled because he abso-

lutely did not look Jcwish. But ben he figured hcr question

might have been a 'test' of some kind. she making it a point,

when a man attracted hcr, quickly to detemine his

bility'. Maybe she had once had some sort of unhappy ex-

perience with 2 iew? Unlikely, but possible, they were noweverywhere. Freeman finally explained it to himself as 'one ofthose things', perhaps a queer thought that had for no goodreason impulsively entered her mind. And because it was

queer, his answer, without elaboration, was sufficient. With

ancien( history why botper? All thesc things - the odds

agairtst him, whetted his adventurous appetite.He was in the grip of an almost unbearable excitement and

must see her again soon, often, become her friend - not more

than a beginning but where begin? He considered calling her

on the telephona, if thcre was one in a palazzo where

l apolton had slept. But if the maid or somebody answcred thephone first, he would have a ridiculous time identifying him-

self so he settied for- sending ber.a_note. Freeman wrote a fewines on pad stationery he had bought for the purpose, asking

if be might have the pleasure of seeing her again undor eircum-stances favourable to leisurely conversation. He suggested acarriage ride to one of the other lakes in the neighbourhood,and signed his name not Levin, of course, but Freeman. Laterhe told the padrona that anything addressed to that name wasmeant for him. She was always to refer to him as Mr Freeman.He gave no explanation, although the padrona raised inter-ested brows; lmt after he had_slipped hcr - for reasoils offriendship - a thousand lire, her expression became ser .-

Having rnailed the letter, he felt time desvnd on him like anintricatc trap. How would 4dever Ééitntil she answered?That evening he impatiently hired a rowboat and headed forlsala dal Dongo. The water was glassy srnooth but when hearrived,The Orizzo was dark, almost gloomy, not a single win-dow lit; the whole island looked dead. He saw no one, thoughhe imagined her presence. Frqeman thought of tying up at adotk and searching around a bit, but it seemed like folly. Row-

The Lady of the Lalre ler;

Ing back"to.Streisa, he was stopperi by the lake patrol and cnm-pelled to show his passport. An officer advised him not tti rr,won the 'akt after dark; he might have an aceident. The nextmorning, wearing sunglasses, a light straw, recently pur.chased, and a seersucker suit, he boarded the vaporetto andsoon landed on the island of his dreams, together with theusual group of tourists. But the fanatic guide at once spiedFreeman, and waving his cane like a schoolmaster's rod,on him to depart peacefully. Fearing a scene that the girl wouldsurely bor of, Freeman lcft at once, greatly annoyed. Thepadrona, that night, in a confidential mood, warned him notto have anything to do with anybody on the Isola dal Dongo.The family had a k-hjiőa-history and was known for its(Wc*and trtckery.

Sunday, at the low point of depression after an after-noon nap, Freeman heard a knock on his door. A long-leggedboy in short pants and a torra shirt handed him an envelope,the corner embossed with somebody's coat of arms. Breath-lessly, Freeman tore it open and extractcd a sheet of thin bluishpaper with a few iines of spidery writing on it 'You may somethis afternoon at six. Ernesto will accompany you. I. dal D.'lt was already aftcr five. Freeman was overwhelmed, giddywith pleasure

'Tu sei Ernesto?' he asked the boy.The boy, perhaps eleven or twelve, who had been watching

Freeman with large curious eges, shook his head. 'No, Signore.Sono Giacobbe.'

‘ Dov'é Ernesto?'The boy pointed vaguely at the wind‘ow, which Freeman

took to mean that whocver he was was waiting at the !aktfront.• Freeman changed in the bathroom, ernerging in a jiffy withhis new straw hat on and the seersucker suit. `Let's go.' Heran down the stairs, the boy running after him.

At . the dock, to Freeman's startled surprise, Ernestot*turned out to be the temperamental guide with the restif-

, erous cane, probably a major Jon» in the palazzo, iong ¥ith

ÁLA--4... -yu1( .1"

I

1

106 The Lady of the Lake

the family. Now a guide in another context, he was obviouslyn unwilling one. m ludge from his expression. Perhaps a few

wise v..ords had subdued him and though haughty stift, he

settled for 2 show of politeness. Freeman greeted himcourteously. The guide sat not in the ritzy launch Freemanhad expected to see, but at the stern of an oversize, weather-beaten rowbozt, a cross between a fishing dory and small lifeboat. Preceded by the boy, Freeman cliinbed in over theunoccupied part of the rear seat, then, as Giacobbe took his

place at the oars, hesitantly sat down next to Ernesto. One ofthe boatmen on the shore gave them a shove off and the boybegan to row. The big boat seemed hard to rnanoeuvre, butGiacobbe, working deftly with a pair of long. heavy oars, man-aged with ease. He rowed quickly from the shore and towardsthe island where Isabella was waitin

Freeman, though hei<rt6N)t1Vbe o , contentedlovirw the

wide airy world, wasn't comfortable sitting so 1i‘ugErnesto, who smelled freshly of garlic. The talkative guideW25 a silent traveller. A dead cheroot hung from the corner ofhis mouth, and from time to time he absently_,polc'ed his canein the slats at the bottom of the boat; if there was no leak,

Freeman thought, he would create one. He seerned tired, as ifhe had been carousing all night and had founcl no time to rest.Once he removed his Mack felt hat to mop his head with ahandkerchief, and Freeman realizcd he was ball and lookedsurprisingly old.

Though tempted to say something pleasant to the old man— no hard feelings on this marvellous journey, Freeman hadno idea wherc to begin. What would he reply to A.ftera time of prolonged silence, now a bit on edge, Freeman re-uurked, 'Maybe I'd better row and give the boy a rest?'

'As you weesh.' Ernesto shrugged.Freeman traded places with the boy, then wished he hadn't.

The oars were impossibly heavy; he rowed badly, allowing theleft oar to sink deeper into the water than the right,tinis twisting the boat off course. It was like pulling a hearse,and as he awkwardly splashed the oars around, he was mbar-

The Lady of the lake mi

rassedly aware of the boy and Ernesto, alike in their dark eyeand greedy beaks, a pair of add birds, openly staring at hirri.He wished them far far away from the bcaiitiful illand and inexasperation pulled harder. By dint of deterrnined effort,though his palms were painfully blistered, he began to rowrhythmically, and the boat went along more smoothly. Free-man gazed up in triumph but they were no longer watchinghirn, the boy trailing a straw in the water, the guide staringdreamily into the distance.

After a while, as if having studied Freeman and decideelwhen all was said and done, that he was-n't exactly a villaff, w

Ernesto spoke in a not unfriendly tone.• Everybody yays how rcech ees America?' he remarked.'Rich enough,' Freeman grunted.

. `Also thees ees the same with you' The guide spoke with ahalf-embarrassed smile around his drooping cheroot butt.

'1'm comfortable,' Freeman replied, and in honesty added,'but I have to work for a living.'

'For the young people ees a nice lift, no? I mean there eesalways what to eat, and for the woman cen the house maayremarkable machines?'

' Many,' Freeman said. Nothing comes from nothing. hethought. He's been asked to ask questions. Freeman then gavethe guide an carful on the American standard of living. andhe rneant living. This for wha tever it was worth to such as theItalian aristocracy. He hoped for the bent. You could never telithe needs and desires of others.

Ernesto, as if mernorizing what he had just heard, watched'• Freeman row for a while. t

'ikre you in biziness?' he ultimately asked.I

'

, Freeman searched around and catne_upith lrt--of— .

'. public relations.'Ernesto now threw away his butt. 'Excuse me that I ask.

How much does one earn in thees biziness in America?'Calculating quickly, Freeman replied, 4 1 pers-onaily average

i about a hundred dollars a week. That comes to about a quarter1'`million lire every month.'

.

ackR The lady of the 1 ake

Frne.sto rcpcated the stun, holding onto his hat in the

breeze. The boy's cycs had widened. Frceman hitt satisfwil

'And your father?' Here the Fali& pausel, searching Free-

Ma n's face.' What abotit asketlFreeman, tensing.wtuit ecs bees tra je? .

' Was. dead — insurance,`frnesto removed his respeetful hat, fetting the sunlight

hathe lris balti heati. They said nothing more until they hadreached the island, then Freeman, consolidating possible gain,asked hien in a complimentary tant' whcrc he had learned his

English,`Everywhere,' Ernesto replicd, with a wcary smile, and,

Freeman, alert for cach shift in prcvailing wind, felt that if hehadn't made a bosoin fricnd, he had at least softened an enemy;and that, on home grounds, was going good.

They landed anti watehed the boy tie up the boat; Freemanasked Frnesto wherc the signorina was, 11w guide, now look-ing tered by it alt, pointed his cane at the top terraces, asweering gestiire that seelnet1 to takc in the whole upper halfot' the luseious island. Freeman hoped the man would not insiston accvmpanying him and interfcring with his meeting withthe gini; but when he looked down from looking up withoutsighting Isabella, both Ernesto and Ciaeobbe had made thetu-selves scarce. Leave it ta the Italians at this sort of thing,Freeman thought.

Warning himself to be careful, tactful, he went quicklythe stairs. At each ter[ace he glanced around, then ran up tothe next, his hat alrcady in his hand. He found her, after wan-dering through profusions of flowers, whcre he had gucsscdshe would be, alonc in the garden behind thc palazzo. She wassitting on an old stone bench mar a little marblc fountain,‘4,, hose jets from the mouths of mocking elves sparkled in10w sunlight.

Beholding her, the lovely face, sharply incised, yet soft inits femininity, the dark eyes pensive, ltcr hair ioosely knotted

The Lady of the 1 ake ici)at the Tiape of ber graceful neck. Freeman ached m his oarblistercd fingers. She was wearing a linen blouse of some soft

• shade of red that fell gently upon her breasts, and a long,slender black skirt; her tanned legs were without stockings

;anti on her narrow fcct she ware sandals. As Freeman ap-proached her, walking slowly to keep from loping. she brushedback a strand of hair, a gesturc so beautiful it saddened hím,bccausc it was gongi in the doing; and chough Freeman, onthis miraculous Sunday evening was aware of his indefatigable

'reality, he could not help thinking as he dwelt upon her lostgesturc, that she might be as clusive as it, as evanescent; and somight this illand be, and so, despite alt the days he had livedthrough, good, bad and boring, that too often sncaked into histhoughts — so, intim!, might he today, tomorrow. He wenttowards her with a deep sense of the transitoriness of things,but this feeling was overwlichned by one of pure joy whenshe rose ta givc him ber hand

" ' Welcome,' Isahella said, hlushing; slic seemed happy, yet,in ber rnanner, a little agitated to sec him — perhaps one andthe same thing — and he wantetl then and there to embrace herbut multi not work up the nerve. Although he felt inher presence a fulfilment, as if they had already confessedlove for one another, at the same time Freeman sensed anuneasiness in lier NViliCli trade him think, though he foughtthe idea, that they were far away from love; or at least were

i approaching it through opaque mystery. But that's what hal>pened, Freeman, who had often been in love, told himself.Until you were favers you were strangers. k

1n conversation he was at first formai. '1 thank you for yourkinti note. I have been looking forward to seeing you.'

She turned towards the palazzo. 'N,fy people arc out. Thevhave gongi to a wcdding on another illand. May 1 show you

,something of the palace?'He was at this news both1p.eased and disappointed. He did

iinot at the ino m ment foci liké ecting her family. Yet if she hadpresented him, it would have !leen a good sign.

r;Z They walked for a white in the garden, then Isabella twk

lio The Lady of the Lake

Freeman's band and led hirn through a heavy door int° thelarge rococo palazzo.

' What would you care to see?'Though he had superficially been through two floors of the

wanting to be led by her, this close to hím, Free-man replied, 'Whatever you wa n t me to.'

She took him first to the chamber where Napoleon had slept.'It wasn't Napokon himself, wbo slept here,' Isabella ex-plained. 1 He slept on Isola Bella. His brother Joseph may havebeen hete, or perhaps Pauline, with one of her lovers. No oneis sure.'

' Oh ha, a trick,' said Freeman.' We often pretend,' she remarked. 'This is a poor country.'They entered the main picture gallery. Isabella pointed out

the Titians, Tintorettos, Bellinis, making Freeman breathless,

then a t the door of the roorn she turned with an emharrassedsmile and said that most of the paintings in the galiery werecopies.

`Copies?' Freeman was shocked.'Yes, although there are some fair originals from the Lom.

bard school!'All the Titians are copies?''Ali.'This slightly depressed hiten. 'What about the statuary

also copies?''For the most part.'His face fel!?'Is something the matter?'' Only that I couldn't telt the fake from the real.' •

' Oh, but many of the copies arc exceedingly heautiful.'Isabella said. 'It would take an expert to telt they weren t

originals.*'1 guess live got a hat to learn,' Freeman said.

At this she his band and he felt better.

But thet1511§-eks'»d remarked as they traversed the long

hall hang with them, which darkened as the sun set, were

genuine and valuable. They rneant little to Freernan: hong

The Lady of the Lake 111biuish-green fabrfcs of woodland scene

unicoms and tigers disporting themselves, though ín 50.n Se fc:tere, the tiger killed the unicorn. Isabella hurried

pasi thísand led Freeman into a room he had not been in

before, hungwith tapestries of sombre scenes from the hitet-no. One beforewhich they stopperi, was of a writhing !eper.. spotted from headto foot with pustulating sores which he tore at with his nailsbut the itch wen t on forever.

•

' What did he do to deserve his fa te?' Freeman inquired.' He falsoly said he could'For that you go to hell ?'She did not reply. The hall had become gloornily dark, so

they left.From the garden close by the beach where the raft was

anchored, they watched the water turn a?! colours. Isabellafia little say about herse1f she seemed to be quite oftenps a'nd Freeman, concerned with the complexities of

- the future, though his bort contained found him-self comparatively silent. - When the nrght was complete, asthe moon was rising, Isabella sajd she would be gone for amoment, and stepped behind a s gii i7 hen she came forilLFreeman had this utterly amazing vision of her, naked, butbefore he could eves focus his eyes on her flowerlike behind,she was already in the water, swimming for the raft. After annguished consideration of could he swirn that far or would

, he drown, Freelyawager to sec her from up close (she S

sitting on the rafUlhowing her breasts to the rnoon) she fihis clothes behind the shrub where her delicate things Jay, andwalked down the stone steps into the v?arin water. He swamwkwardiy, hating the picture he must make in her eyes,

dwvirnin in twelve feet of water. Or suppose she had to jumpApollo Belvedere slightly niaimed; and stiN suffered visions of

to rescue him? However, nothing risked, nothing gained, so

he splashed on and made the taft with breath to spare, hisworries a] ways greater t ha n t heir cause.

But when he had pulled himself up on the raft, to his dis•may, isabella was no loDger there. He caught a glimpse of her

s t z The Lady of,t1t1..,,?keIi-n-

on the shore, ISking behind the shrub. Nursing gloornythoughts, Freeman rested a while, Éhen, when he had sneezedtwice and presupposed a nasty coll, jumped into the waterand splashed his way back to the islaneb. Isabella, alreadyclothed, was waiting with a towcl. She threw it to Freemanas he came up the steps, and withdrew while he dried himselfand dressed. When he came forth irt his seersucker, she offeredsalami, prosciutto, cheese, bread, and red wine, from a largeplatter delivered from the kitchen. Freeman, for a whileangered at the runaround on the raft, relaxed with the wineand feeling of freshness after a bath. The mosquitoes behavedlong enough for hirn to say he loved her. Isabella kissed himtenderly, Éhen Ernesto and Giacobbe appeared and rowed himbackto Stresa.

Monday moming Freeman didn't know what to do withhimself. He awoke with ;És'_tILes4e;n6Yie-s, enormously patent,many satisfying, some burdensome; they ate hím, he ate them.He felt he.should somehow have made every minute with herbetter, hadn't begun to say half of what he had wanted — thekind of man he was. what they could get out of life together.And he regretted that he hadn't g9tten—quickly to the raft,stift excited by what might have happened if he had reachedit before she had left. But a rnernory was only a mernory —you could forget, not change it. Ön the other hand, he waspleased, surprised by what he had accomplished: the eveningalone with her, the trusting intimate sight of her beautifulbody, her kiss, the unspoken promise of love. His decire forher was so splendid it hurt. He wandered through the after-

noon. dreaming of her, staring often at the glittering islands

in the opaque lake. By nightfall he was exhausted and went

to sleep oppressed by all he had lived through. •It was strange, he thought, as he lay in bed waiting to sleep,

that of all his buzzing worries he was worried most about one.

If Isabella loved hirn, as he now felt she did or would beforevery long; with the strength of this love they could conquertheir probles as they arose. He ar

jr8 a'td a good handful,m

stirred up, in alt probability, by her family; but life in the

• t.(.

a.••n••~""'"'"

U.S.A. was considered bymany Italians, including aristocrats

4

(eke why had Ernesto been sent to sniff out conditions there?)

ditional advantaae, things would somehow

a fine Éhing for their ma rriageable daughters;eGt i,,vvoked uenr thisoadr:

especially if Isabella, an independent girl, gazed a little eagerlyat the szar-spangled shore. Her family would give before

flightin her eges. No, the worry that troubled hím most was the liebe had told her, that he wasn't a Jew.

He could, of course,confess, say she knew Le•in, not Freeman, man of adventure.'but that might ruin all,in ce it was quite clear she wantednothing to do with a Iew, sor wh.y, a( first sight. had she asked50 searching a question? Or he might admit nothing and iether. more or less, 6nd out after she had lived a while in theStates and seen it was no «íme to be Jewish; that a man'spast was. it could safely be said, expendable. Ye t th" tie es eat.ment, if the surprise was upsetting, might cause recrirnina-

, tions la ter on. Another solution might be one he had thoughtof often: to change his name (he had considered Le Vinbut preferred Freernan) and forget he had ever been boraJewish.

There was no question of hurting family, or being embar-rassed by them, he the only sor; of both parents dead. Cousinslived in Toleda, Ohio, where they would always live and neverbother. And when he brought Isabella to America they couldskip N.Y.C. and go to live in a place like San Francisco, wherenobody knew him and nobody 'would know'. To arrangesuchdetails and prepare other minor changes was why he Sguted

on a trip ot two home before they were rparried; he was pre-pared for that. As for the wcdding itself, since he would have

to rnarry her here to get her out of Italy, it woidd probilbdy

have to be ín a church, but he would go along with that tohastcn things. It was done every day. Thus he decided,although it did not entircly satisfy hím; not 50 mueh thedenial of being Jewish what had it brought hím but bead•

1 . 'aches, inferiorities, unhappy memories? — as the lie to the

.beloved. At first sight love and a Iie; it lay on his he3rt Iike

ki sore. Yet, if that was the way it had to her it was the way.

The Lady of the Lake 1'3

114 The Lady of the Lake

ar‘oke the next mornIng, heset by a swarm of donbts

tonrerning his plans andWhen Nyould he see

Isabella again, Ici alune marry her? (I When ?' he had whis-eteil before getting int° the b.oat, and she had vaguely prom

Ised. 1 .Soon. 1 ) %on was brutal!y 911 17ss. rFrie man brunght

nothing and Freeman grew1-lad itr, 1te asked hím-

seli, been constructing a hö1'e1ess fantasv, Nvislt sedueingprobabilitv? \Vas he inventing a situation that didn*t exist,namely, her feeling far hím, the possibility uf a future with

lier? He was desperatelv casting abont for something to keep

his mood from turning. dark blue, when 1-nock suunded

his Jour. The padrona,thought, becnitse she often •ame tip

but his unspenkablefor rine unimportant thing nr another,

joy it was (upid irr short [Ilus Giarubbe holding furth the

familiar envelope. 51w would meet hitt], Isabella wrote. at[IK° &duck in the piazza where the electric (nin tank off for

Mottarone, front whose summa one saw the beautifulpanorama of lakes and Inoturtaltis in the region. Would he

share this with her?»honolt he had qualual tlw morning's anxiety, Freeman

wa s thete at one pan,, smnking impatiently. Ilis sort rose as she

appeared, but as she tante towards him 1w noticed she wasfut quite looking at hint (irt the distance he could seeClacohbe rowing away) her face neutral, inexpressive. Hewas at first coneerned, l,ttt she had, after all, written the leltet

to hitit, so be •Ontlered a-irat hol nacis she had had tv walk un

to get off the island. ile nin« sumetime driring the day tiropthe word 'elope' to see if she savourvd it. l ttt whatever was

bothering lier, immediately shuok off, SIie s mil ed as

she greeted Ilim; 1w lioped for her lips bot gut instead her polite

fingers. Iltese kissill in broad daylight spies ti ,11

papa) an ti the shyly witbdrew her hand. 51w was wearing

ik surprised hím, though Ite para liercredit brr resisting foolislt5 -1114e Illoilse and skirt she had wenn

un Sunday, bey boarded the tram with a dozen tunrists andtud alone un the nyelt s•at in front; es a reward for managing!his shoi pi-imitted beduin to hold heT 11111(1. H e s ig h ed. The

The Lady of the Lake t t I

Iram, draw?) by an old elect -tic locomotive moved slowlythrwigh th e town and more sluwly up the slope of the moun-tain. They rade for cluse to two hours, watching the laki faitas the mountains rose. Isibella, apart Írompointing to some-i l l i ng Itow and [hen, avas again silent. withdrawn, bot Free-min, allowing lier her own rate at flowering. for a marmentwithout plans, was practically contented. A long volt far anertrlless loorney; bot tlw tram at llst came ta a stop and they

wa1ked thrunit a field thick with wildflowers, up the slopeto the summit of the möttntain. Thotigh the tourists followedin'a crowd, the mountnin top was brniii and they stood nearits edge, to all intents and purposes ilone. Below them, orr

the green undulatíng plains of Piedmont and 1 ri mbardy, seremlake''s were sc:ittered, eault a mirror refietting whose fate? Anti111[1,11 in the distance ruse a ring of astortishing snow -clad Alps.Alt, he murntured, and fel) silent.

' We say Here,' Isahella sáid, ' " Ml pezzo tii paradiso caduta

d'il cie' Youl°C 'a nt say it again.' Freeman was deeply rnoved by theenblimity of the distant Alps. She named the white peaksfrom telt !kosa to the jungfratt. Gazing at thern, he felt he hadgruwn a hend tllier and was inspired ta accomplish a fent meriwnttld wonder at_

'Isabella —' Freeman torned to ask her to marry hím; butshe was standing lpart ÍromItim, lier face pale.

Puinting ta the snowy motintains, ber hand rnoving in agentle arc. she asked, 'Don't those peaks — those seven — look1ike a terroralt r'

iLike a what?' Freenian politely inquired. le had a suddenfrightening rentembrance of lier seeing him f)3keti as he Cartle(Jut of the lake and lelt constrained to teli her that cirturn-eision was de rigueur 1n stateside hospitals; but he didn't dare.Slte may not have notived.

*I ike a seven-brant-herl tandelabrum holding white randlestIn the 5ky ?* Isabella asked.

1rI umething lile urat.'

't )r tio yott see the Virgin's crown adorned with 'elvek?'.

x6 The Lady af the Lake

i Maybe the crowu' he faltered, i it all depends how yo u •

10ok a t it.'They left the mountain and went &Nini to the water. The

tram ride w-as faster going down. Át the lake front, as the>

,

were waking for Giacobbe to come with the rowboat, Isabelta,

her eyes troubled, told Freeman she had a confession to rnake,

He, still eager to propose, hoped she wiould finally say she loved

hint. Instead, she said, ilvly nallie not del Dongo. It is Isa.

bella della Seta. The del Donos have not been cm the istandin years. We are the caretakers of the palace, rny fathet,

brother and L We arc pajor people•''Caretakers?' Fteeman was astortished.

'Yes.'`Ernesto is your father?' His voice rose.

She nodded.t Was it his idea for you to say you were sornebody else?'

' No, mine. He did what I asked him to. He has wanted rne

o CoAmerica, but undor the right circumstances.'iSo you had to pretend,' he said bitterly. He was moto g re

greatly disturbed than he could account for, as if he had been

expecting jut this to happen•She blushed and turned away. 'I was not sere o the dr.

cumstances. I wanted you to stay unta I knew you better.'

' Why didn't you sas so?'e be finn i ng.

'Perhaps I wasn't serious in thI said what I

thougt you wanted to Lear. }fitt th se ame time I wish

h

ed

you to stay. I thought you would be dearer to me after a

'I don't really know.'ereeyes searched

tben she'Clearer how?'

`I'm not hiding anything,' he said. wanted CO say ro.otcdropped her glance.

but warned hismelf not to.

•That's whn t I wa s afraid °•'

Ciacobbe had COIT1C with the boat and steadie d it

for bhk

sister. They were alike as the proverbial peas to dar

Italian faces, the Ivliddie Ages looking out of their eyes. 151.

• •

The

Lia abeIla got into the boat and GiacobbepushedYoff t e twih hbok:e can:t. Sh;rweea mveadnfwroemnt bacaf2r'k to his pensione in 2 turrnoil, huri where

it hurts - in his drearns, thinking he should have noticed he-fore how worn her Mouse arád sidrc were, should have seremore than he had. It was this thP - 1 94i-called hiinself adamn fool for making up fairy tales - ,F,getnan M bay!"iththe Ital ki a rist95 . He thought of taking off for Yenireor r e7-

béit his'h(art ache d for love of her,F,10enc

and he could'not forget that he had orisrnali -- the simple_hope of

1 finffing a girl worth IT14 rrying. 11 ththed'esire-had developed cm-Flications, the fault was most!) , his own. After an hour in his

3 room, burdened by a n overpowering londiness, Freernan lelt

h e rwtjave. her. She mustn't get away from him. So INhu ifth alotr &'\kud become a caretaker ? She W25 2 na tora!-bornqueen,wi---i-The er hy del Dongo or any °Éber name. So she had

- tied to him, but so had he to her; _they were Tlits on that score1

'

l' rid his conscience was calm. He fett things wou[TheeasTer,II a round now that the air had been cleared.

Freeman ran down to the dock: the sun had set and the. -boatmen were bone, swallowing spaghetti. I-se was consider-

'!Ing untying one af the rowboats and Ilying tomorrow, whenbe caught sight of sotneone sitting on a bench - Ernesto, in hisbot winter hat, woking a cheroot. He was resting his wrists

... oa the handie of 1115 CO ne, his chin on them..,\:' 'You weesh a boait ?' the guide asked in a not unkindly tone.

1.., vkviÉll all my heart. Ilid Isabella send you?

rt'z 'No.'

'was unhappy. Freeman guessed - rn2y.,.. , H e came because shecr ► ing. There+s a father for you, a real magFici,a,n d:s

n for he his

i; 1

is

i iipttpele7irInce. H we aves his stick and up pops

r,rn

t •r oGec remi said Ernesto.

.111 ro : saki Freeman. He bad almot added 'falba',

üt had caught himself. As if guasing the !est. E[nesto

litttle sadly. But he sat ac the stern of the boa enjoyid

ng th<

The Lady of the bke s igbodice, arousing Freeman, though he was thoroughly onn.fused as to her inteni. When she reveiled her hreists — hteould have wept at their heatity (now recalling 2 tomer in-vitation to gaze 3c (hm. bilidt5 1!?,1 arrived roo bit sin therj fr) — to his horror he cfiscern 7-

tatiooed on the &ott andtender 1111 a hltsish line of distorted numhers.

'Buchenwaid s' Isabella said, 'when I was 2 litcle girl. TheFascists sem us there. The NA zis chd it.'

Freeman groaned, incensed at the crucity, stunned by thedesecration.

dl can't nurry you, We a re jews. Nly past is meaningful to[ne. I treasuir what I suffered for.'

lews.' he muttered, g— yon? Oh, r A w )iy r'"-.4, w.iy ..... you keeptliís from lile, too?'

't cini no! wish 10 tell you something you would not wel-come, t thought at eine [line it was possible you wrre — 1 hnpedhu( was wrong:

Isabella '''‘‚ 1 W (tied brOke'nly. I Lb(rn, I — I anti — 'I k woyd tor her hreasts, to chitch. kiss ot suckle them:

hu( sir had steppel a mong the statues, and when he vainly --> it".4 1( P4-4/4

sought lirr in the veiled mi« that ila(1 rím-it from thi± lAke, stiii"Hitig her name, Free un eminaccdoniy moonlit stotte«

# _„,4414 1.j."'

-/‚ f‘•ji,i0

Pl‚-ill'e

118 Tbe Didy of the Lake

Irt the rniddle of the lake, seeing the mountains surround-Ing it lit in the Tast glow of daylight. Freeman thought of the*?:lenorah' in the Alps. Where had she got the word, he won-

dered, and decided anywhere, a book or pieture. But wherevershe had. he must settle this subject once and for all tonight.

When the boat touched the Joel:, the polc [mon rost.Ernesco tied up. and handed Freeman a fla_slilight.

1 Een the fardal.' he said tiredly, pointing with his cone.

' Don't wait up.. Frecman hastened to the garden at thelake's edge. where the roots of trees hung like hoary beordsbove the water; the flosidight didn't work. but the moon

and his memory were enough. Isabella, God bless her, wasstanding at the low wall 2mong the mooniit st3tuary: %tags,tigers and unicorns, poets and pointers. shepherds with pipes,and playful shepherdesses, gazing at the light sliimmering un

Shr ws wr•2 ring v liitc, [lie' figitrr of a future bride; perhapstc an altatd wedding dress — he would not be surprised

if a hasd m e ,down, (he way they saved clothes in this poorevinitry. lir: had pirosont thoughts of buying lier sonir niftyoutfits.

She v•3s motionlesl, lier back towArds hiiiti — though

couid pictutr brr hfr,..orti hrrociiing. When lie SAici itiX)d eVe .

nin& his light strow, fltc torned to hint witli a swertmik. I1r tcndrrly kined ber thi% she irt 1111I1 110, 50fill

PlUrning thr•roge,d byr whisr.ird.•To vfivnn 17,99411er Frrernan off :tionatrly /melyet!

havitostir t() ri m r ry you.'She z.ed at him witlt Gyes moistly then carte

vift. Inevluble Ihunder lAte"Uh>, ih• ► Irl l 11•? . sise'l ming: for n lir ask1itp

PlUt thirn rrnsbkil with the fc_ir of at (IIC 111A

ing ho.r. ‚#) I rrrtnan on;wered. Iir my. 1, hí; Kall? prif ' I 10Wminy tv/s ‚Dalt . nrYrr ? W117 dr) yfill periitt with ItILII f()01131)

thoxii)-*e !Kori yq+) wete: S1r Wiy $iie toributioned brit