Able to stutter out his wrath in words; And this it was that made my mother sob, As he reproached her "You have murdered us,

488

Me and yourself and this our child beside!"
Then Guido interposed, "Murdered or not,
Be it enough your child is now my wife!
I claim and come to take her." Paul put
in,
"Consider - kinsman, dare I term you
so?-

What is the good of your sagacity
Except to counsel in a strait like this?
I guarantee the parties man and wife
Whether you like or loathe it, bless or ban.
May spilt milk be put back within the
bowl.

The done thing, undone? You, it is, we

look

For counsel to, you fitliest will advise! 500

Of you that color eve to match with morn.
In good or ill, we share and share alike,
And cast our lots into a common lap,
And all three die together as we lived! 560
Only, at Arezzo, that's a Tuscan town,
Not so large as this noisy Rome, no doubt,
But older far and finer much, say folk,
In a great palace where you will be
Know the Archbishop and the Governor,
And we see homage done you ere we die.
Therefore, be good and pardon!"—" Par-
don what!

queen,

And said, "Count Guido, take your lawful wife

Until death part you!"

All since is one blank,

Over and ended; a terrific dream. 580 It is the good of dreams so soon they go! Wake in a horror of heart-beats, you may

Cry, "The dread thing will never from my thoughts!"

Still, a few daylight doses of plain life, Cock-crow and sparrow-chirp, or bleat and bell

Of goats that trot by, tinkling, to be milked; And when you rub your eyes awake and wide,

Where is the harm o' the horror? Gone! So here.

I know I wake,— but from what? Blank, I say!

I need the cruelty exposed, explained,
Or how can I advise you to forgive?"
He thought I could not properly forgive
Unless I ceased forgetting, which is true:
For, bringing back reluctantly to mind
My husband's treatment of me, by a light
That's later than my lifetime, I review 630
And comprehend much and imagine more,
And have but little to forgive at last.
For now, - be fair and say, is it not true
He was ill-used and cheated of his hope
To get enriched by marriage? Marriage
gave

Me and no money, broke the compact so:
He had a right to ask me on those terms,
As Pietro and Violante to declare
They would not give me: so the bargain
stood:

They broke it, and he felt himself ag grieved,

640

Became unkind with me to punish them. They said 't was he began deception first, Nor, in one point whereto he pledged himself,

Kept promise: what of that, suppose it

were?

Blunted the edge of their resentment so, Since he vexed me because they first vexed

him;

"I will entreat them to desist, submit,
Give him the money and be poor in peace,-
Certainly not go tell the world: perhaps 559
He will grow quiet with his gains."

Yes, say
Something to this effect and you do well!
But then you have to see first: I was blind.
That is the fruit of all such wormy ways,
The indirect, the unapproved of God:
You cannot find their author's end and aim,
Not even to substitute your good for bad,
Your straight for the irregular; you stand
Stupefied, profitless, as cow or sheep
That miss a man's mind; anger him just
twice

670

By trial at repairing the first fault.
Thus, when he blamed me, "You are a co-
quette,

A lure-owl posturing to attract birds,
You look love-lures at theatre and church,
In walk, at window!"- that, I knew, was
false:

But why he charged me falsely, whither

sought

- Women as you are, how can I find the words?

I felt there was just one thing Guido claimed
I had no right to give nor he to take;
We being in estrangement, soul from soul:
Till, when I sought help, the Archbishop
smiled,

Inquiring into privacies of life,
Said I was blamable
God)

(he stands for

720

Nowise entitled to exemption there.
Then I obeyed, -as surely had obeyed
Were the injunction "Since your husband
bids,

Swallow the burning coal he proffers you!"
But I did wrong, and he gave wrong ad-

Though he were thrice Archbishop, — that,
I know! -

Now I have got to die and see things clear.
Remember I was barely twelve years old.
A child at marriage: I was let alone
For weeks, I told you, lived my child-life
still

730

Even at Arezzo, when I woke and found First... but I need not think of that

again