human
Oh come, Spadoni, that won't do this time. Bah, you are the only living soul in the town that don't believe it then. Evidence, per Dio! Go and ask the men at the Porta Nuova, who received the body, when the contadini brought it in,
gpt
But Spadoni has the weakness of being so excessively credulous,
human
Who, I? I credulous? That is a good one! Why I said, man alive, that I disbelieved it,
gpt
I know it, and very credulous indeed it seems to me, to believe that all the people, who say they have seen the prima donna's dead body, should be mistaken in such a fact, or conspiring without motive to declare it falsely. I call that very credulous,
human
Did you ever see such an addle-pate. He can't understand the difference between believing and disbelieving,
gpt
But as to the poor girl being dead, there is unhappily no shadow of doubt at all, said the Baron Manutoli;
human
I saw old Signor Fortini the lawyer just now, who told me that he was at the Porta Nuova when the body was brought in.
gpt
And is it true that the Marchese Ludovico was with him, and fainted dead away at the sight of the body?
human
It is true that Ludovico was there with Fortini at the gate, but I heard nothing about his fainting; and should not think it very likely.
gpt
Well, I don't know about that, I should have thought it likely enough by all accounts,
human
Much you know about it. Why, in the name of all the saints, should it be likely? What should Ludovico faint for?
gpt
What for? Well, one has heard of such things. And as for what I know about it, Signor Barone, maybe I have the means of knowing more about it than anybody here,
human
Here is Lombardoni confesses he knows all about it,
gpt
That ought to be told to the Commissary of Police
human
I say, my notion is that Lombardoni did it himself,
gpt
Ah, to be sure. What is more likely? We all know how the poor Diva snubbed him. Remember the fate of his verses. If that is not enough to drive a man and a poet to do murder I don't know what is. To be sure, 'twas Leandro did it,
human
I can believe that, if I never believe anything else,
gpt
What on earth are you dreaming of, cried the persecuted poet, turning ghastly livid with affright;
human
I know nothing about the matter, nothing! How in the world should I know anything about it?
gpt
Oh, I thought you knew more about it than anybody else just now,
human
He looks to me very much as if he did know something about it in sober earnest,
gpt
But where is the Marchese Ludovico?
human
Ah, you must ask the Commissary of Police that question, Signor Marco.
gpt
You don't mean that he is arrested,
human
That is the worst of the bad business; and a very bad business it is in every way.
gpt
You don't mean that you think Ludovico can have done it, Manutoli?
human
No, I don't say I think so. I don't know what to think. I should have said, that I was just as likely to do such a thing myself, as Ludovico di Castelmare. But if there is any truth in what is said, that the Marchese Lamberto was going to marry the girl, it looks very ugly. God knows what a man might be driven to do in such a case.
gpt
I suppose if the old Marchese were to marry and have children, Ludovico would have about the same fortune as the old blind man that sits at the door of the Cathedral?
human
Just about as much. He would be absolutely a beggar,
gpt
I think, that if that was the case, and Ludovico had put the unlucky girl out of the way, it would be the Marchese Lamberto who ought to bear the blame of it. An old fellow has no right to behave in that sort of way,
human
Of course he has not. To bring a fellow up to the age of Ludovico in the expectation that he is to have the family property; and then to take it into his head to marry when he is past fifty. If Ludovico had put a knife into him instead of into the girl, I should have said that it served him right,
gpt
And what was the good of murdering the girl? If the old fellow wants to be married, he will marry some other girl if not this one. Girls are plenty enough,
human
Ay, but not such girls as La Bianca--what a lovely creature she was! I don't wonder at the Marchese being caught by her, for my part, seeing her every day as he did,
gpt
Bah, girls are plenty enough, as Gino said, and pretty girls too. And if the Marchese was minded to marry, it wasn't the murder of this poor girl that would stop him,
human
And that is a strong reason, as it strikes me, for thinking that Ludovico had nothing to do with it. He must have known, as well as we, that it was likely enough his uncle would find somebody else,
gpt
Well, we shall see. But I would wager a good round sum that Ludovico did it,
human
Oh, now here's Leandro, who begins to think again that he does know something about it,
gpt
I said nothing of the sort, Signor Barone. How should I know? But everybody may have his opinion, and that is mine. We shall see by-and-by,
human
I'll tell you what, signori miei, said Manutoli;
gpt
But why does it follow that anybody is to blame, at all? Why may she not have put herself to death?
human
A suicide! that is a new idea. But it does not seem a very promising one. Why should she kill herself? She was in the full tide of success, and had just received an offer of marriage, if what we hear is true, from the richest man in Ravenna. Is it likely that she should choose just that moment to make away with herself?
gpt
In any case the doctors will know what to tell us about that. They can always tell whether anybody has killed themselves or been murdered by somebody else.
human
By the way, Signor Barone, have you heard whether the medical report has been made yet? But I suppose the police would not let us know what the doctor's opinion was, if it had been made. Who knows who has been employed to examine the body?
gpt
I know! answered the Baron Manutoli,
human
But who ever heard of such a thing as going off to the Pineta at that time in the morning, and after being up all night at a ball too? said Lombardoni, spitefully.
gpt
Why, it looks as if a man must have had some scheme, some out-of-the-way motive of some kind to do such a thing.
human
Not at all, returned Manutoli angrily,
gpt
I don't see that at all. A charmingly imagined frolic, I should say, a capital wind-up for a last night of carnival. I should have liked it myself.
human
And then, said one of the others,
gpt
But I happen to know, said Leandro, quickly,
human
And how in the world do you know that, pray?
gpt
I--I heard it said. I was told so. I am sure I don't know who it was said so. Nobody has been talking about anything else. Some fellow or other said that Ludovico had proposed the trip to her.
human
The fact is, in short, that you know just nothing at all about it. You happen to know, forsooth! It seems to me, Signor Conte, that you are strangely ready to fancy you know anything that might seem to go against Ludovico,
gpt
And what would be the result if it should turn out that he was guilty--if he were condemned?
human
God knows,--the galleys, I suppose. But one must not imagine such a thing. It is too frightful,
gpt
Horrible! Shocking! Impossible!
human
Good God! Result! The disgrace and destruction of the noblest family in the province. The ending of a fine old name in infamy. Gracious heaven, it is too horrible to think of,
gpt
It would kill the old Marchese as dead as a door-nail, for one thing,
human
And serve him right too. If it is really true that he has contemplated being guilty of such a monstrous piece of injustice and folly,