The Fortnightly Review: No. CCCCLXIII, New Series [‎661r] (212/239)

NOSTALGIA.
181
The old man, still twiddling his thumbs, rose and took a step
towards the younger lady.
“ What’s your impression of Rome? ”
“Bad! It bores me! Town life is so wretched and gloomy.
Besides, it does nothing but rain,’’ said Regina, and laughed.
“ What makes him stare so? ” she thought; “ can I possibly have
the moral physiognomy of the English ladies? ”
The old man stood in front of her, his back to Arduina, whose
presence he seemed to have forgotten.
“ Town life is wretched,’’ he said, “ because it’s empty. Our
women are full of useless aspirations, and as you say despoil their
men, who deteriorate working too hard for their families. In those
societies where the woman works also, the man has a free margin
for the development of his abilities. In England ’’
“ But what can we do,’’ repeated Regina, “ if we haven’t been
brought up to work? ”
The Senator did not appear to hear her. He drew a picture of
English society where the whole middle class, the professional, and
the working classes alike kept themselves up in literature, art, politics,
and promoted free discussion on all subjects; where the women were
not bored, because they worked.
“ They have hundreds of authoresses, translators, newspaper
correspondents, who make more than 10,000 lire every year, some
a great deal more. Mrs. H. W.—do you know how much she gets
for each of her books? ”
Regina did not know.
“ More than seven or eight thousand pounds.”
Arduina hastily made the calculation.
“ More than 200,000 lire? ” she said, awestruck. “ Dear me! I
shouldn’t like to make all that!
“ Why not? ’’
“ Because I should go off my head!
“ But in Italy ” began Regina.
“ In Italy, too, a woman may earn a good deal. Work! work!
there’s the secret.”
Regina left the old Senator’s dark and melancholy house
with a new ray of light in her mind. Work! work! Yes,
she also wanted work! She would begin to write. If she was
no good for anything else, at least she might make some money.
She wanted work; she wanted money; above all she wanted to live.
“ I’ll escape from this narrow circle which is strangling me. I’ll
look life in the face. I’ll lose myself in the great streets of Rome,
feel the soul of the crowd, write descriptions of the lives of the poor,
of those who are bored, of those who seem happy and are not—life
as it is ”
When she got home, she looked round with pitying eyes. Yes!
Signora Anna and the maid, Arduina and the brothers-in-law, the
whole environment and the souls set in it, all moved her to pity.
VOL. LXXVIII. N.S. o