Sandra Belloni Author:George Meredith Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: "Now," said Emilia, taking a last sniff of the flowers before surrendering her nostril to the invading smoke. She looked at the scene fronting her under a blue s... more »ky with slow flocks of clouds: " How I like this!" she exclaimed. " I almost forget that I long for Italy, here." Beyond a plot of flowers, a gold-green meadow dipped to a ridge of gorse bordered by dark firs and the tips of greenest larches. CHAPTER VI EMILIA SUPPLIES THE KEY TO HERSELF AND CONTINUES HER PERFORMANCE ON THE CORNET " Mr father is one of the most wonderful of men in the whole world!" Wilfrid lifted an eyelid. " He is one of the first-violins at the Italian Opera!" The gallant cornet's critical appreciation of this impressive announcement was expressed in a spiral ebullition of smoke from his mouth. "He is such a proud man! And I don't wonder at that: he has reason to be proud." Again Wilfrid lifted an eyelid, and there is no knowing but that ideas of a connection with foreign Counts, Cardinals, and Princes passed hopefully through him. " Would you believe that he is really the own nephew of Andronizetti!" " Deuce he is!" said Wilfrid, in a mist. " Which one? " "The composer!" Wilfrid emitted more smoke. "Who composed — how I love him! —that lovely 'la, la, la, la,' and the 'te-de, ta-da, te-dio,' that pleases you, out of 'II Maladetto.' And I am descended from him! Let me hope I shall not be unworthy of him. You will never tell it till people think as much of me, or nearly. My father says I shall never be so great, because I am half English. It's not my fault. My mother was English. But I feel that I am much more Italian than English. How I longfor Italy — like a thing underground! My father did something against the Austrians, when he was a young man. Would not I ha...« less