Nd Then, 'Villa Or Convent, Two Names For One Thing, 'Always The Sojourn Means Imprisonment, 'Domum Pro Carcere Nowise We Relax, 'Nothing Abate: How Answers Paolo?' You, What Would You Answer? All So Smooth And Fair, Even Paul'S Astuteness Sniffed No Harm I' The World. He Authorised The Transfer, Saw It Made, And, Two Months After, Reaped The Fruit Of The Same, Having To Sit Down, Rack His Brain And Find What Phrase Should Serve Him Best To Notify Our Guido That By Happy Providence A Son And Heir, A Babe Was Born To Him I' The Villa, Go Tell Sympathising Friends! Yes, Such Had Been Pompilia'S Privilege: She, When She Fled, Was One Month Gone With Child, Known To Herself Or Unknown, Either Way Availing To Explain (Say Men Of Art) The Strange And Passionate Precipitance Of Maiden Startled Into Motherhood Which Changes Body And Soul By Nature'S Law. So When The She-Dove Breeds, Strange Yearnings Come For The Unknown Shelter By Undreamed-Of Shores, And There Is Born A Blood-Pulse In Her Heart To Fight If Needs Be, Though With Flap Of Wing, For The Wool-Flock Or The Fur-Tuft, Though A Hawk Contest The Prize, Wherefore, She Knows Not Yet. Anyhow, Thus To Guido Came The News. 'I Shall Have Quitted Rome Ere You Arrive 'To Take The One Step Left,' Wrote Paolo. Then Did The Winch O' The Winepress Of All Hate, Vanity, Disappointment, Grudge, And Greed, Take The Last Turn That Screws Out Pure Revenge With A Bright Bubble At The Brim Beside By An Heir'S Birth He Was Assured At Once O' The Main Prize, All The Money In Dispute: Pompilia'S Dowry Might Revert To Her Or Stay With Him As Law'S Caprice Should Point, But Now Now What Was Pietro'S Shall Be Hers, What Was Hers Shall Remain Her Own, If Hers, Why Then, Oh, Not Her Husband'S But Her Heir'S! That Heir Being His Too, All Grew His At Last By This Road Or By That Road, Since They Join. Before, Why, Push He Pietro Out O' The World, The Current Of The Money Stopped, You See, Pompilia Being Proved No Pietro'S Child: Or Let It Be Pompilia'S Life He Quenched, Again The Current Of The Money Stopped, Guido Debarred His Rights As Husband Soon, So The New Process Threatened; Now, The Chance, Now, The Resplendent Minute! Clear The Earth, Cleanse The House, Let The Three But Disappear A Child Remains, Depositary Of All, That Guido May Enjoy His Own Again! Repair All Losses By A Master-Stroke, Wipe Out The Past, All Done And Left Undone, Swell The Good Present To Best Evermore, Die Into New Life, Which Let Blood Baptise! So, I' The Blue Of A Sudden Sulphur-Blaze, And Why There Was One Step To Take At Rome, And Why He Should Not Meet With Paolo There, He Saw The Ins And Outs To The Heart Of Hell And Took The Straight Line Thither Swift And Sure. He Rushed To Vittiano, Found Four Sons O' The Soil, Brutes Of His Breeding, With One Spark I' The Clod That Served For A Soul, The Looking Up To Him Or Aught Called Franceschini As Life, Death, Heaven, Hell, Lord Paramount, Assembled These, Harangued, Equipped, Instructed, Pressed Each Clod With His Will'S Imprint; Then Took Horse, Plied Spur, And So Arrived, All Five Of Them, At Rome On Christmas-Eve, And Forthwith Found Themselves Installed I' The Vacancy And Solitude Left Them By Paolo, The Considerate Man Who, Good As His Word, Disappeared At Once As If To Leave The Stage Free. A Whole Week Did Guido Spend In Study Of His Part, Then Played It Fearless Of A Failure. One, Struck The Year'S Clock Whereof The Hours Are Days, And Off Was Rung O' The Little Wheels The Chime 'Goodwill On Earth And Peace To Man:' But, Two, Proceeded The Same Bell And, Evening Come, The Dreadful Five Felt Finger-Wise Their Way Across The Town By Blind Cuts And Black Turns To The Little Lone Suburban Villa; Knocked 'Who May Be Outside?' Called A Well-Known Voice. 'A Friend Of Caponsacchi'S Bringing Friends 'A Letter.' That's A Test, The Excusers Say: Ay, And A Test Conclusive, I Return. What? Had That Name Brought Touch Of Guilt Or Taste Of Fear With It, Aught To Dash The Present Joy With Memory Of The Sorrow Just At End, She, Happy In Her Parents' Arms At Length With The New Blessing Of The Two Weeks' Babe, How Had That Name'S Announcement Moved The Wife? Or, As The Other Slanders Circulate, Were Caponsacchi No Rare Visitant On Nights And Days Whither Safe Harbour Lured, What Bait Had Been I' The Name To Ope The Door? The Promise Of A Letter? Stealthy Guests Have Secret Watchwords, Private Entrances: The Man'S Own Self Might Have Been Found Inside And All The Scheme Made Frustrate By A Word. No: But Since Guido Knew, None Knew So Well, The Man Had Never Since Returned To Rome Nor Seen The Wife'S Face More Than Villa'S Front, So, Could Not Be At Hand To Warn Or Save, For That, He Took This Sure Way To The End. 'Come In,' Bade Poor Violante Cheerfully, Drawing The Door-Bolt: That Death Was The First, Stabbed Through And Through. Pietro, Close On Her Heels, Set Up A Cry 'Let Me Confess Myself! 'Grant But Confession!' Cold Steel Was The Grant. Then Came Pompilia'S Turn. Then They Escaped. The Noise O' The Slaughter Roused The Neighbourhood. They Had Forgotten Just The One Thing More Which Saves I' The Circumstance, The Ticket To Wit Which Puts Post-Horses At A Traveller'S Use: So, All On Foot, Desperate Through The Dark Reeled They Like Drunkards Along Open Road, Accomplished A Prodigious Twenty Miles Homeward, And Gained Baccano Very Near, Stumbled At Last, Deaf, Dumb, Blind Through The Feat, Into A Grange And, One Dead Heap, Slept There Till The Pursuers Hard Upon Their Trace Reached Them And Took Them, Red From Head To Heel, And Brought Them To The Prison Where They Lie. The Couple Were Laid I' The Church Two Days Ago, And The Wife Lives Yet By Miracle. All Is Told. You Hardly Need Ask What Count Guido Says, Since Something He Must Say. 'I Own The Deed ' (He Cannot Choose, But ) 'I Declare The Same 'Just And Inevitable, Since No Way Else 'Was Left Me, But By This Of Taking Life, 'To Save My Honour Which Is More Than Life. 'I Exercised A Husband'S Rights.' To Which The Answer Is As Prompt 'There Was No Fault 'In Any One O' The Three To Punish Thus: 'Neither I' The Wife, Who Kept All Faith To You, 'Nor In The Parents, Whom Yourself First Duped, 'Robbed And Maltreated, Then Turned Out Of Doors. 'You Wronged And They Endured Wrong; Yours The Fault. 'Next, Had Endurance Overpassed The Mark 'And Turned Resentment Needing Remedy, 'Nay, Put The Absurd Impossible Case, For Once 'You Were All Blameless Of The Blame Alleged 'And They Blameworthy Where You Fix All Blame, 'Still, Why This Violation Of The Law? 'Yourself Elected Law Should Take Its Course, 'Avenge Wrong, Or Show Vengeance Not Your Right; 'Why, Only When The Balance In Law'S Hand 'Trembles Against You And Inclines The Way 'O' The Other Party, Do You Make Protest, 'renounce Arbitrament, Flying Out Of Court, 'And Crying 'Honour'S Hurt The Sword Must Cure?' 'Aha, And So I' The Middle Of Each Suit 'Trying I' The Courts, And You Had Three In Play 'With An Appeal To The Pope'S Self Beside, 'What, You May Chop And Change And Right Your Wrongs 'Leaving The Law To Lag As She Thinks Fit?' That Were Too Temptingly Commodious, Count! One Would Have Still A Remedy In Reserve Should Reach The Safest Oldest Sinner, You See! One'S Honour Forsooth? Does That Take Hurt Alone From The Extreme Outrage? I Who Have No Wife, Being Yet Sensitive In My Degree As Guido, Must Discover Hurt Elsewhere Which, Half Compounded-For In Days Gone By, May Profitably Break Out Now Afresh, Need Cure From My Own Expeditious Hands. The Lie That Was, As It Were, Imputed Me When You Objected To My Contract'S Clause, The Theft As Good As, One May Say, Alleged, When You, Co-Heir In A Will, Excepted, Sir, To My Administration Of Effects, Aha, Do You Think Law Disposed Of These? My Honour'S Touched And Shall Deal Death Around! Count, That Were Too Commodious, I Repeat! If Any Law Be Imperative On Us All, Of All Are You The Enemy: Out With You From The Common Light And Air And Life Of Man!