t you ciki they The Lady of the Lake

[hey Saul they

uless, without

irally amused
'hold bitchIn,g,
t r her screecii-
one sicken-
4ndy bars an ambitious, handsome tliirty, who watked
baci. and forth floors in tvlacy's book u 'nt wearing a white flower
rier away ftom in hist lapel, having recently write into a small inheritance,
fright. {
'?irig 17:"nd went abro4d seekiffig romance. In Paris.
t her blood?' he was sure of, except that he was tired of the past tired of
the limitations it had imposcd upon althougli he had
signed the hotel register with his right name, Levin took to
ter mouth, but calling himself Henry R. Freeman. Freeman lived for a short
r föli hack with Nyílik in a little hotel on a narrow gas lamp-lit street near the
zet.ily a( every- Luxembourg Gardens. in the beginning he liked the sense of
' multi se• her forcignness of the city of things different, anything likely
to happen. He liked, he said to himself, the possible combina-
en there was a tions. Bot not znuclr did happen; he met no one he Earticu-
itt) the store. larly cared for (he had sometimes in the past deCgn"himseif
about women, they had corne to less than he had expected);
and since the heat was hot and tourists underfoot, he felt he
must flee. He boarded the Milan express, and after Dijon, de-
fiain, fixen with veloped a paidui, palpitating anxiety. This grew so trouble-
some hat he had serious visions of leaping off the train, but
reason prevailed and he rode on. However, he did not get to
`You little thief, Nearing Stresa, after a quick, astonislied look at Lake
Maggiore, Freeman, a na ture lover from early childitood, pulled
yanked it. The his suitcase off the rack and hurriedly left the train. He at once
I forward, but at
felt better.
Ind thrust out at An hour later he was established in a pensione in a villa not
far from the line of assorted hotels fronting the Stresa shore.
The padrona, a talkative wornan, mucit interesied in her
guests, complained that Tune and Juh> , had been lost in un-
seasonable coki and wet. Many had cancelled; 'there Wel• fe
96 The Lady of the Lake
Arnericans around, This didn't exactly disturb Freeman, who
had had his full share Df-Coney-Island. He lived in an airy,
French-windowed room, including soft bed and spacious bath,
and though personally the shower tyK, was glad of the
change. He was very fond of the balcony at window, where
he loved w read, Of study Italian, glancing up often to gaze
2t the water. The long blue Iake, sometimes green, sometimes
gold, went out of sight among dintant mountains. He liked
the red•roofed town of Pailanza on the opposite shore, and
especially the fog beautiful islands in the water, tiny but
teeming with palazzi, (311 trees, gardens, visible statuary. The
sight of tbese islands aroused in Feernan a deep efnotiori; each
r
a universe - how often do we c;tné litá -
filled Mm with expectancy. Of what, lie wasn't sure. Freeman
still hoped for what he hadn't, what few got in the world and
mony dared not think of; t orit, leve, adventure, freedom.
Alas, the words by now Sounded slightly comical. `cet there
were times, when he was staring at the islands, if you peshed
hirn a little he could almost cry. Ah, what names of beauty
Isola Bella, dei Pesca tor-L tvfadre, and dcl Dongo. Travel k truly
broadening, he thought; who ever got emotional over Welfare
r brace in the pubkc square; but not Freeman.
island?
\
But the islands, the two he visited, let h rrr'do Freeman
walked off the vaporetto at Isola Bella arnid a crowd of late-
scason tourists in all languages, especially German, who were
at once beset by many vendors of cheap crinkets. And he dis-
covered there were guided toursonly - strictly no unsupervised
wandering - the pirék palazzo full of old fiunk, surrounded
by artificial formai gardens, including grottoes made of
seashells, the stone statuary a tasteless laugh. And alchough
Isola dei Pescatod had some honest atmosphere, old houses
hugging crookcd streets, thick nets drying in piles near fisher-
men's dories drawn up among trees; again. there were tourists
snapping all in pictures, and the wholt town catering to them.
Everybody had something to sell you could buy better in
Maey's basement. Frceman returned tci12Lupensione, Oisap-
pointed. The islands, beautiful fromafar„ up close were so
The Lady of the Lake 97
miich stage scenery. I-le compiained thus to the padrona and
she urged hím to visit Isola del Dongo. 'More natunl,' she
persuaded him. fYou never saw such unusual gardens. And
the palazzo is historical, full of the tombs of farvaus men of
the region, including a cardinal who became a saint. Napokn,
the emperor, slept there. The French have always loved this
island. yheir writers have wept at its beauty,'
J-Iowever, Freeman showed little interest. iGardens seen
in rfty time.' So when resti-e, he wandcred in the back streets
of-Srresa, watching theynen playing a . cia avoiding the
,
laden store windows, 1 rlFt C by devious rotires-back to the
lake, he sat at a bench irt the small park, watehing the linger-
ing sunset over the dark mountains and thínking of a life of
adventure. Be watcbcd alone, talked now and then to stray
Italians - almost everyl>ody spoke a good broken English - and
lived too much on hirnself. On weekends, there was, however,
a buzz ofLnerriment in ke,.tr-eets, ,ccursionists from around
Milan arrived in us oads. A Clday they hurried t ő their pic-
nics; at night one of them pulled an accordion out of the bus
and playeid sad Venetian or happy Neapolitan songs. Then the
young Itallans and their gírls got up and danced in tight em-
One evening at sunset, the calm waters so marvellously
painted they drew him from inactivity, he hired a rowboat,
and for war;t of any place more exciting to go, rowed towards
, the IsolaJeLDongo,He had no intention other than reaching
it, [hen turning bank, a round trip completed. Two-thirds of
the way there, he began to row with rowing uneasiness
whfch soon becarne dread, because a síi breeze had risen,
driving the sueking waves against the side of the bort. It was
a warm wind, hitt a wind was a wind and the water was wet.
Freeman didn't row well - had learned late in his twenties,
Pi` despite the nearness of Central Park - and he swam
poorly.
always water, never enough breath to get any-
' where: clearly a landlubbcr from the Word go. He strongiy
considered returning to Stresa - it was at least a half nide E0
the island, --thert=it ra lialf in rectun T but chided
fi
pS The Lady of the Lake
hirriself for his timidity, Fie had, alter all, hired the boat for ars
borira so he kept rowing though he fearcd the risk. However,
the waves were not too bad anti lie had diseovered the trick
of leiting them hit the prow lead-on. Although he handled
his ()ars awkwardly, Freeman, to his surprise, made gond
ti me. The wind now helped rather than hindcrcd; and day-
liRht reassuring scill !ingered in the sky 2mOng streaks of
red.
At lant Freeman neared the island. Like Isola Bella, it rose
in terraces through hedged gardens crowded with statuary, to
a palazzo on top. But the padrona had told the truth - this
island looked more interesting than the others, the vegetation
lush, exptic birds fl ying around. By no vv the place was
_b.thed in r and despite the thickening dark, Frecman re-
captured the sense of awe and beauty he had felt upon first
bcholding the islands. A t he same time he recalled a sad rnem-
oryof unlivcd lift. his own, of all that had sli ed throu is
ngers. Arnidst these thoug ts e was startled by a movement
-----1-rrriTgarden by the water's edge. h had mornentarily seemed
as though a statue had comc to lifc, but Freeman quickly
realized a woman was standing this side of a lovi marble
watching the water. He could not, of course, Inak out her
fart, though he sensed
white dress moved in the breez.eJle-imagirarnorn' cone wait-
ing for ber lover, and was tempted to speak to fleT, but then
the wind blcw up strongly and the waves rocked his rowboat.
Freemari hastily turned the boat with ore-43al and pulling
kard, took off. The wind drenched hitri with spray, the row•
boat 1;>obbed among nasty1.9vemtlzc noing zrew frighteningly
• ? 4/_•• fot
rough. fiiad visions o Sr6 ~fig, the rowboat swaniped,
• poor Freeman slowly sinking to the bottom, stdving fruit-
lessly to reach the top. But as he rowed, his hcart like a rnetal
disc in his mouth, and still rowed on, gradually heiimp_icame,
biLleaff; also the waves anti wird. Although the lake was by
now black, though the sky
ditnly rellected white, turning
from time to time to per ahead, lie guided himself by
the flitkrering liglits ot the Stresa shore. It rained hard as he
1
The Lady of the Laka v)
landed, but Freenian, as he beached the boat, considered his
adventure an accomplishment and ate a hearty sípper at a n
expensive restaurant.
The cantains billowing In bis sunny room the next rnorn-
ing awoke hím. Freeman rose, shaved, bathed, and after break.
fast got a haircut. Wearing his bathing trunks undor slacks.
sneaked on to the Hotel Excelsior beach for a dip, sport but
refreshing. In the early afternoon he read his Italian_lesson on
the balconijhen snatched a snooze. At four-thirty - he kit
he áTT hadn't made up his mind until then - Freeman
boarded the vaporetro making its hourly tour of the islands.
After touching at Isola Madre, the boat headed for the isola
del Dongo.-As - they-iere~roaching the island, coming from
the direction opposite that which Free = had taken Tast
night, he observed a lanky boy in bathing trunks tinning
him_self on- a raft in the lake nobody he recognized. "When
the vaporetto landerartU dock on the southern stide of the
island, to Freeman's surprise and deep regret, the arca was
crowded with the usual stalls piled high touyist gew.
garxv. And though he had hoped otherwise, in Wth5<ri of the
island was strictly in the guidc's footsteps, and victato trying
to go anywliere alone. You paid a hundred lire for a ticket,
then trailed bebind this unshaven sad-looking clown, who
stabbed a jatinty cane at the sky as he announced irt three
languages to the tourists who followcd him: 'Please riot
Bor wander. The family del Dongo, one of the most illustrious
of Italy, so requests. Only thus ces cet ahle to remain open
thees magnificent 'eestorícal palatz aricl supreme jardens for
the inspection by the rnembers of all nations.'
They tailed the guide at a fast clip through the NI2Ct....-
through long halk hang with tapestries and elaborate mir.
Mrs, enormous rooms filled with antique furniture, old books,
paintings, statuary a lot of it in better taste than the stuff he
had seen on the other island; and he visited where Napolcon
had slept - a bed. Yet Freeman secretly touched the counter-
pane, though no( quickly enough to escape the al[seeing eve
of the Italian guide, who wrathfully rakod his cane 10 the
 ioo The Lady of the Lake
levet of Freernan's heart and explosively shouted. `Basta t' This
embarrassed Freeman and two British ladies carrying parasols.
He felt had until the group — about twenty — were led into
the garden. Gazing from here, the highest phint of the islapd,, Q
at the panorama of the gcdlsn-blue lake. Freeman ca-_-'- .$_:_V
.. '---
And the luxuriant ve,0d4r Kf the illand w3s_dating r -volulF
tuous. They went among orange and lemon trees (he had
never known that lemon was a perfume), magnolia, oleander
— the guide called out the names. Everywhere were flowers in
great profusion, huge camellias, rhodadendron, jasmine, roses
in innumerable colours and varieties, all bathed in intoxicat-
ing floral fragrance. Freeman's head swam; he ef itiz d' z y,
slightly off his rockerraubis extraordinary assailment of his
I senses. At the same time, though it was an 'underground'
reaction, he experienced a painful, contracting remembrance -
more like a warning - of personal poverty. This he had difE-
ulty accounting for, because he usuall ► held a decent opinion
f himself. When the comical guide bounced forward, with
his cane indicating cedars, eucalyptus, camphor and pepper
trees, the former floorwalker, overcome ,ky,a11- he was for the
«
first time sering, a t the same moment 4 :14h<4 b y almost breath-
--
less excitement, fell behind the group ;rtourists, and pre-
tended to inspect the berries of a pepper tree. As the guide
hurried forward, Freeman, although not positive he had
a path
planned it so, ducked behind the pepper tree, ran atong
beside a tall laurel shrub and down two flights of stairs; lw
hopped over a marble wall and went hastily through a small
wood, expectant, seeking, he thought only God knew what.
/ He figured he was headed in the direction of the garden by
/the water whcre he had seen the girl in the white dress last
'light, but after several minutes of involved wandering• Free-
pebbly strand, leading down
an came upon a Iittle beach, a
hundred feet away a rraft
stone steps into the lake. About a
was anchored, nobody on it. xliausted
. by the excitement,
litt1e moody, Freeman sat down under a tree, to rest. When he
glaneed up, a girl in a white bathing suit was roming up the
steps out of the water. Freeman stared as she sloshed up the
The Lady of the Lake joi
shore, her wet skin glistening in bright sunlight. She had sten
•
hirn and quickly bent for a towel she had Ieft
on a
draped it over her shoulders and modestly held the blanke,t
ends
gether over her high-arched breast. Her wet black hair fel'
upon her shoulders. She stared at Freeman. He rose, forming
words of apology in his mind. A haze that had been before his
eyes, evaporated. Freeman grew pale and the girl blushed. toerA -›-
Freeman was, of course, a New York City boy from away
back. As the girl stood there unselfcon.sciously regarding him
— it could not have been longer than thirty seconds —
was
aware of his background and certain othe r d isadvantages
he also knew he wasn't a badlooking guy, ; but
even, it out be
said, quite on the handsome s-ide. Though a yirquirl hald
at the back of his noggin — not more than a dime could
adequately cover — his bead of hair was alive, expressive; Free-
man's grey eyes were clear, unenvious, nose well-moulded, the
mouth generous. He had well-proportioned arms and legs and
his stomach lay respectfully flat. He was a bit short,, but on
him, he knew, it barely showed. One of his former girl friends
had told him she sometimes thought of him as tall. This
counterbalanced the occasions when he had thought of hirn-
self as short. Yet though he knew he made a good appearance,
Freernan fearcd this moment, partty because of alI he hun-
gered for frorn lik, and parti), because of the uncountabie
obstacles existing between strangers, may the word for ever
perish.
She, apparently, had no fear of their meeting; as a matter of
surprising fart, seemed to welcome imtnediately curious
about him. She had, of course, the advantage of position —
which included receiving. so to speak, the guest intruder. And
-
she ha ra w9Jean on; herself also favoured physically —
mama, what a qtteenly higli•assed form itself the C2 11.5e of
—
grace. Her 03.k.shazpitaiian fice had that quality ot beauty
a which holds the mark of FiWr3P7 the beauty of people and
civilization. The large brown eyes, under straight slender
brows, were (illed with sweet light; her lips were purely cut as
if from rd flowers; her nose was perhaps the one touch of
tol The 1 3dy of the 1 akt
Imuittction that perfmed the Test — a trifie long and .
thln.
Despite the etlect, a liftit Nntirrtire. her ovoid fat e, taper.
fin * to a small chin, was soft, suilused wiilt the loveltness ot
youth. She was abottt twenty•three or .fottr. Ami when Free..
man had, to small degtee, calmed down, ite‘discovered in iter
e ►CS a hidden hunger, or memory thereof; perltaps it was
sadness; and he telt 1w was, for this reison, if not unknown
othets, sincetely welcotied. liad he, Oh Cod, at bst met his
fate?
•Si reTtlutor the girl asketi, smiling, still tightly holding
her white towel. Freeman understood and answered in Eng.
lish. 'No, 1 raine on nty own. On lati rpose you might say.' Ile
had in mind to ask Iter if she romembered having seen him
beforr, namely in List night's rowboat, but didn't.
'Arc you an American?' she inquired, her acccnt
pleasantly tottched with an English one.
'That's
The girl studied Nini for a MI minute, and then hesitantly
asketi, 'Are yoit rpf rham, le\yisit ?'' j
Freeman súA)rWelt . r
g:2:kli`.1
91:1 1tágh secretly shocked by
the question, it was not, ina way, unexpected. Yet he dici not
look jewish, could pass as not had. So without batting an
eyelash, lw said, no, lw wasn't. And a moment lator atitled,
though he personally had nothing mins( ütem.
'It was just a thought. You Americans arc so varied,' she
explained vaguely,
'1 undorstand,' he s-2W. 'but have no worry.' Lifting his
hat, iir introduced hiinself R. Freeman, travelling
abroad.'
' My IlaMC: She said, after an absent.minded !mise. 'Is
Isabella del Dongo.'
Safe orr- fir5t, thought Freeman. 'I'm proud to know you.'
kle bowed. Sitt gave liittt her balul with a gentle smile. He was
about to surprise it with a kiss when the comical guide ap-
pe2red at a Wall a few terraces above. He gazcol at thein ifi
astonishment, then let ont a yell and Tan down the stairs,
wa ving his cane like a rapier.
The Latly of the Lake to3
'Transgressor,' be shouted a t Freeman,
The girl saiti snmr(hing to cAto him, bot the guide was
too
turious to ikten. He gt.thbed Freeman's ann, yanking bli n
towaids the stairs. Anti thotigh Freeman, in the Interest ot
good manners, barely resisted, the guide whacked ltim across
the seat of the pancs: ittt the ex-floorwalker did not complain.
Though itis'ált6It64font the island had been, to put
an embarr.issment (the girl had vanished atter her und.
successful momentary intercession), Freeman dreamed of a tri`"
umphant return. The híg t hing so far was that she, a knockout,
had taken to hím; lw had been favoured by her. Just wity, he
couldn't exactly teli, but he could teli yes, had sten in her
nyes. Yet wondering if yes why yes — an old habit Freeman,
among other reasons lw had aireatly thought of, namely the
thus anti therefore of man-woman attraction — laid I( to the
fact that he was different, had dared. He had, specifically, dared
to duck the guide anti be waiting for her at the edge of the lake
when she came out of it. Anci she was different too, (which of
colt rse ciuickened her response to hien). Not only in her iooks
and backgrounti, but of course different as regarás past. (He
had been reading with fascination ahout the del Dongos in aii
the local guide hooks.) Her past lw could see boiling in her 211
the way back to the knights of old, and then some; kis own
history was something else again, but men were malleable,
and he wasn't afraid of attempting to create certain daring
combina Hans Isabella anti Henry Freeman. Hoping to meet
someone like her was his main reason for having come abroad.
Anti he had also fel( would he a weciated more hy a
his personality, that ifi. Yet, since (heir lives
were so ditferent, Freentan had =ments of grave doubt, won.
tiered what trials he Nvas in for if he went after her, as he had
every intention of doing with her unknown family — other
things of that sort. Arid he was iri afterthotight wonied
rause she had asked hím if he was Jewish. \Vhy had the tincs-
(ion popped out of her prctty mouth before they had cvcn
met? He had never hefore been asked anything like this bv a
girl, under let's can it similar circumstatices. juss when they

104 The Lady of the Lake
were looking each other over. He was puzzled because he abso-
lutely did not look Jcwish. But ben he figured hcr question
might have been a 'test' of some kind. she making it a point,
when a man attracted hcr, quickly to detemine his
bility'. Maybe she had once had some sort of unhappy ex-
perience with 2 iew? Unlikely, but possible, they were now
everywhere. Freeman finally explained it to himself as 'one of
those things', perhaps a queer thought that had for no good
reason impulsively entered her mind. And because it was
queer, his answer, without elaboration, was sufficient. With
ancien( history why botper? All thesc things - the odds
agairtst him, whetted his adventurous appetite.
He was in the grip of an almost unbearable excitement and
must see her again soon, often, become her friend - not more
than a beginning but where begin? He considered calling her
on the telephona, if thcre was one in a palazzo where
l apolton had slept. But if the maid or somebody answcred the
phone first, he would have a ridiculous time identifying him-
self so he settied for sending ber.a_note. Freeman wrote a few
-
ines on pad stationery he had bought for the purpose, asking
if be might have the pleasure of seeing her again undor eircum-
stances favourable to leisurely conversation. He suggested a
carriage ride to one of the other lakes in the neighbourhood,
and signed his name not Levin, of course, but Freeman. Later
he told the padrona that anything addressed to that name was
meant for him. She was always to refer to him as Mr Freeman.
He gave no explanation, although the padrona raised inter-
ested brows; lmt after he had_slipped hcr - for reasoils of
.-
friendship - a thousand lire, her expression became ser
Having rnailed the letter, he felt time desvnd on him like an
intricatc trap. How would ever 4d Ééitntil she answered?
That evening he impatiently hired a rowboat and headed for
lsala dal Dongo. The water was glassy srnooth but when he
arrived,The Orizzo was dark, almost gloomy, not a single win-
dow lit; the whole island looked dead. He saw no one, though
*turned out to be the temperamental guide with the restif-
he imagined her presence. Frqeman thought of tying up at a
, erous cane, probably a major Jon» in the palazzo, iong ¥ith
dotk and searching around a bit, but it seemed like folly. Row-
The Lady of the Lalre ler;
Ing back"to.Streisa, he was stopperi by the lake patrol and cnm-
pelled to show his passport. An officer advised him not tti rr,w
on the 'akt after dark; he might have an aceident. The next
morning, wearing sunglasses, a light straw, recently pur.
chased, and a seersucker suit, he boarded the vaporetto and
soon landed on the island of his dreams, together with the
usual group of tourists. But the fanatic guide at once spied
Freeman, and waving his cane like a schoolmaster's rod,
on him to depart peacefully. Fearing a scene that the girl would
surely bor of, Freeman lcft at once, greatly annoyed.
The
padrona, that night, in a confidential mood, warned him not
to have anything to do with anybody on the Isola dal Dongo.
The family had a k-hjiőa-history and was known for its
(Wc*and trtckery.
Sunday, at the low point of depression after an after-
noon nap, Freeman heard a knock on his door. A long-legged
boy in short pants and a torra shirt handed him an envelope,
the corner embossed with somebody's coat of arms. Breath-
lessly, Freeman tore it open and extractcd a sheet of thin bluish
paper with a few iines of spidery writing on it 'You may some
this afternoon at six. Ernesto will accompany you. I. dal D.'
lt was already aftcr five. Freeman was overwhelmed, giddy
with pleasure
'Tu sei Ernesto?' he asked the boy.
The boy, perhaps eleven or twelve, who had been watching
Freeman with large curious eges, shook his head. 'No, Signore.
Sono Giacobbe.'
‘ Dov'é Ernesto?'
The boy pointed vaguely at the wind‘ow, which Freeman
took to mean that whocver he was was waiting at the !akt
front.
• Freeman changed in the bathroom, ernerging in a jiffy with
his new straw hat on and the seersucker suit. `Let's go.' He
ran down the stairs, the boy running after him.
At . the dock, to Freeman's startled surprise, Ernestot
ÁLA--4... -yu1( .1"
I
106 The Lady of the Lake
the family. Now a guide in another context, he was obviously
n unwilling one. m ludge from his expression. Perhaps a few
wise v..ords had subdued him and though haughty stift, he
settled for 2 show of politeness. Freeman greeted him
courteously. The guide sat not in the ritzy launch Freeman
had expected to see, but at the stern of an oversize, weather-
beaten rowbozt, a cross between a fishing dory and small life
boat. Preceded by the boy, Freeman cliinbed in over the
unoccupied part of the rear seat, then, as Giacobbe took his
place at the oars, hesitantly sat down next to Ernesto. One of
the boatmen on the shore gave them a shove off and the boy
began to row. The big boat seemed hard to rnanoeuvre, but
Giacobbe, working deftly with a pair of long. heavy oars, man-
aged with ease. He rowed quickly from the shore and towards
the island where Isabella was waitin
)
Freeman, though hei<rt6N t1Vbe o , contentedlovirw the
wide airy world, wasn't comfortable sitting so 1i‘ug
Ernesto, who smelled freshly of garlic. The talkative guide
W25 a silent traveller. A dead cheroot hung from the corner of
his mouth, and from time to time he absently_,polc'ed his cane
in the slats at the bottom of the boat; if there was no leak,
Freeman thought, he would create one. He seerned tired, as if
he had been carousing all night and had founcl no time to rest.
Once he removed his Mack felt hat to mop his head with a
handkerchief, and Freeman realizcd he was ball and looked
surprisingly old.
Though tempted to say something pleasant to the old man
— no hard feelings on this marvellous journey, Freeman had
no idea wherc to begin. What would he reply to A.fter
a time of prolonged silence, now a bit on edge, Freeman re-
uurked, 'Maybe I'd better row and give the boy a rest?'
'As you weesh.' Ernesto shrugged.
Freeman traded places with the boy, then wished he hadn't.
The oars were impossibly heavy; he rowed badly, allowing the
left oar to sink deeper into the water than the right,
tinis twisting the boat off course. It was like pulling a hearse,
and as he awkwardly splashed the oars around, he was mbar-
1
The Lady of the lake mi
rassedly aware of the boy and Ernesto, alike in their dark eye
and greedy beaks, a pair of add birds, openly staring at hirri.
He wished them far far away from the bcaiitiful illand and
in
exasperation pulled harder. By dint of deterrnined effort,
though his palms were painfully blistered, he began to row
rhythmically, and the boat went along more smoothly. Free-
man gazed up in triumph but they were no longer watching
hirn, the boy trailing a straw in the water, the guide staring
dreamily into the distance.
After a while, as if having studied Freeman and decideel
when all was said and done, that he was-n't exactly a villaff, w
Ernesto spoke in a not unfriendly tone.
• Everybody yays how rcech ees America?' he remarked.
'Rich enough,' Freeman grunted.
. `Also thees ees the same with you' The guide spoke with a
half-embarrassed smile around his drooping cheroot butt.
'1'm comfortable,' Freeman replied, and in honesty added,
'but I have to work for a living.'
'For the young people ees a nice lift, no? I mean there ees
always what to eat, and for the woman cen the house maay
remarkable machines?'
' Many,' Freeman said. Nothing comes from nothing. he
thought. He's been asked to ask questions. Freeman then gave
the guide an carful on the American standard of living. and
he rneant living. This for wha tever it was worth to such as the
Italian aristocracy. He hoped for the bent. You could never teli
the needs and desires of others.
Ernesto, as if mernorizing what he had just heard, watched
'• Freeman row for a while. t
'ikre you in biziness?' he ultimately asked.
I, Freeman searched around and catne_upith lrt--of— .
'. public relations.'
Ernesto now threw away his butt. 'Excuse me that I ask.
' How much does one earn in thees biziness in America?'
Calculating quickly, Freeman replied, 4 1 pers-onaily average
i about a hundred dollars a week. That comes to about a quarter
1'`million lire every month.'
.
ackR The lady of the 1 ake
Frne.sto rcpcated the stun, holding onto his hat in the
breeze. The boy's cycs had widened. Frceman hitt satisfwil
'And your father?' Here the Fali& pausel, searching Free-
Ma n's face.
' What abotit asketlFreeman, tensing.
wtuit ecs bees tra je? .
' Was. dead — insurance,`
frnesto removed his respeetful hat, fetting the sunlight
hathe lris balti heati. They said nothing more until they had
reached the island, then Freeman, consolidating possible gain,
asked hien in a complimentary tant' whcrc he had learned his
English,
`Everywhere,' Ernesto replicd, with a wcary smile, and,
Freeman, alert for cach shift in prcvailing wind, felt that if he
hadn't made a bosoin fricnd, he had at least softened an enemy;
and that, on home grounds, was going good.
They landed anti watehed the boy tie up the boat; Freeman
asked Frnesto wherc the signorina was, 11w guide, now look-
ing tered by it alt, pointed his cane at the top terraces, a
sweering gestiire that seelnet1 to takc in the whole upper half
ot' the luseious island. Freeman hoped the man would not insist
on accvmpanying him and interfcring with his meeting with
the gini; but when he looked down from looking up without
sighting Isabella, both Ernesto and Ciaeobbe had made thetu-
selves scarce. Leave it ta the Italians at this sort of thing,
Freeman thought.
Warning himself to be careful, tactful, he went quickly
the stairs. At each ter[ace he glanced around, then ran up to
the next, his hat alrcady in his hand. He found her, after wan-
dering through profusions of flowers, whcre he had gucsscd
she would be, alonc in the garden behind thc palazzo. She was
sitting on an old stone bench mar a little marblc fountain,
‘4,, hose jets from the mouths of mocking elves sparkled in
10w sunlight.
Beholding her, the lovely face, sharply incised, yet soft in
its femininity, the dark eyes pensive, ltcr hair ioosely knotted
The Lady of the 1 ake ici)
at the Tiape of ber graceful neck. Freeman ached m his oar
blistercd fingers. She was wearing a linen blouse of some soft
• shade of red that fell gently upon her breasts, and a long,
slender black skirt; her tanned legs were without stockings
;
anti on her narrow fcct she ware sandals. As Freeman ap-
proached her, walking slowly to keep from loping. she brushed
back a strand of hair, a gesturc so beautiful it saddened hím,
bccausc it was gongi in the doing; and chough Freeman, on
this miraculous Sunday evening was aware of his indefatigable
'reality, he could not help thinking as he dwelt upon her lost
gesturc, that she might be as clusive as it, as evanescent; and so
might this illand be, and so, despite alt the days he had lived
through, good, bad and boring, that too often sncaked into his
thoughts — so, intim!, might he today, tomorrow. He went
towards her with a deep sense of the transitoriness of things,
but this feeling was overwlichned by one of pure joy when
she rose ta givc him ber hand
" ' Welcome,' Isahella said, hlushing; slic seemed happy, yet,
in ber rnanner, a little agitated to sec him — perhaps one and
the same thing — and he wantetl then and there to embrace her
but multi not work up the nerve. Although he felt in
her presence a fulfilment, as if they had already confessed
love for one another, at the same time Freeman sensed an
uneasiness in lier NViliCli trade him think, though he fought
the idea, that they were far away from love; or at least were
i approaching it through opaque mystery. But that's what hal>
pened, Freeman, who had often been in love, told himself.
Until you were favers you were strangers. k
1n conversation he was at first formai. '1 thank you for your
kinti note. I have been looking forward to seeing you.'
She turned towards the palazzo. 'N,fy people arc out. Thev
have gongi to a wcdding on another illand. May 1 show you
,something of the palace?'
He was at this news both1 p.eased and disappointed. He did
i inot at the ino m ent foci liké m ecting her family. Yet if she had
presented him, it would have !leen a good sign.
r;Z They walked for a white in the garden, then Isabella twk
lio The Lady of the Lake
Freeman's band and led hirn through a heavy door int° the
large rococo palazzo.
' What would you care to see?'
Though he had superficially been through two floors of the
wanting to be led by her, this close to hím, Free-
man replied, 'Whatever you wa n t me to.'
She took him first to the chamber where Napoleon had slept.
'It wasn't Napokon himself, wbo slept here,' Isabella ex-
plained. 1 He slept on Isola Bella. His brother Joseph may have
been hete, or perhaps Pauline, with one of her lovers. No one
is sure.'
' Oh ha, a trick,' said Freeman.
' We often pretend,' she remarked. 'This is a poor country.'
They entered the main picture gallery. Isabella pointed out
the Titians, Tintorettos, Bellinis, making Freeman breathless,
then a t the door of the roorn she turned with an emharrassed
smile and said that most of the paintings in the galiery were
copies.
`Copies?' Freeman was shocked.
'Yes, although there are some fair originals from the Lom.
bard school!
'All the Titians are copies?'
'Ali.'
This slightly depressed hiten. 'What about the statuary
also copies?'
'For the most part.'
The Lady of the Lake 111
biuish-green fabrfcs of woodland scene
unicoms and tigers disporting
themselves, though ín 50.n eS fc:
tere, the tiger killed the unicorn. Isabella hurried
pasi thís
and led Freeman into a room he had not been in
with tapestries of sombre scenes from the before, hung
hitet-no. One before
which they stopperi, was of a writhing
!eper.. spotted from head
to foot with pustulating sores
which he tore at with his nails
but the itch wen t on forever.
' What did he do to deserve his fa te?' Freeman
inquired.
• ' He falsoly said he could
'For that you go to hell ?'
She did not reply. The hall had become gloornily dark, so
they left.
From the garden close by the beach where
the raft was
anchored, they watched the water turn a?! colours. Isabella
fia little say about herse1f she seemed to be quite often
ps a'nd Freeman, concerned with the complexities of
- the future, though his bort contained found him-
self comparatively silent. - When the nrght was complete, as
the moon was rising, Isabella sajd she would be gone for a
moment, and stepped behind a s gii i7 hen she came forilL
Freeman had this utterly amazing vision of her, naked, but
before he could eves focus his eyes on her flowerlike behind,
she was already in the water, swimming for the raft. After an
nguished consideration of could he swirn that far or would
, he drown, Freelyawager to sec her from up close (she S

His face fel!? sitting on the rafUlhowing her breasts to the rnoon) she fi
'Is something the matter?' his clothes behind the shrub where her delicate things Jay, and
• walked down the stone steps into the v?arin water. He swam
' Only that I couldn't telt the fake from the real.'
wkwardiy, hating the picture he must make in her eyes,
' Oh, but many of the copies arc exceedingly heautiful.'
Isabella said. 'It would take an expert to telt they weren t Apollo Belvedere slightly niaimed; and stiN suffered visions of
dwvirnin in twelve feet of water. Or suppose she had to jump
originals.*
to rescue him? However, nothing risked, nothing gained, so
'1 guess live got a hat to learn,' Freeman said. he splashed on and made the taft with breath to spare, his
At this she his band and he felt better.
remarked as they traversed the long worries a] ways greater t ha n t heir cause.
But thet1511§-eks'»d were But when he had pulled himself up on the raft, to his dis•
hall hang with them, which darkened as the sun set,
genuine and valuable. They rneant little to Freernan: hong may, isabella was no loDger there. He caught a glimpse of her
 s t z The Lady of,t1t1..,,?ke
Ii-n-
on the shore, ISking behind the shrub. Nursing gloorny
thoughts, Freeman rested a while, Éhen, when he had sneezed
twice and presupposed a nasty coll, jumped into the water
and splashed his way back to the islaneb. Isabella, already
clothed, was waiting with a towcl. She threw it to Freeman
as he came up the steps, and withdrew while he dried himself
and dressed. When he came forth irt his seersucker, she offered
salami, prosciutto, cheese, bread, and red wine, from a large
platter delivered from the kitchen. Freeman, for a while
angered at the runaround on the raft, relaxed with the wine
and feeling of freshness after a bath. The mosquitoes behaved
long enough for hirn to say he loved her. Isabella kissed him
tenderly, Éhen Ernesto and Giacobbe appeared and rowed him
backto Stresa.
Monday moming Freeman didn't know what to do with
L -
himself. He awoke with ;És'_tI es4e;n6Yie s, enormously patent,
many satisfying, some burdensome; they ate hím, he ate them.
He felt he.should somehow have made every minute with her
better, hadn't begun to say half of what he had wanted — the
kind of man he was. what they could get out of life together.
And he regretted that he hadn't g9tten—quickly to the raft,
stift excited by what might have happened if he had reached
it before she had left. But a rnernory was only a mernory —
you could forget, not change it. Ön the other hand, he was
pleased, surprised by what he had accomplished: the evening
alone with her, the trusting intimate sight of her beautiful
body, her kiss, the unspoken promise of love. His decire for
her was so splendid it hurt. He wandered through the after-
glittering islands
noon. dreaming of her, staring often at the
in the opaque lake. By nightfall he was exhausted and went
to sleep oppressed by all he had lived through. • hastcn things. It was done every day. Thus he decided,
It was strange, he thought, as he lay in bed waiting to sleep,
worries he was worried most about one.
that of all his buzzing
If Isabella loved hirn, as he now felt she did or would before
very long; with the strength of this love they could conquer
jr8 a'td a good handful,
their problesm as they arose. He ar
stirred up, in alt probability, by her family; but life in
the
• t.(.
The Lady of the Lake 1'3
U.S.A. was considered by
many Italians, including aristocrats
(eke why had Ernesto been sent to sniff out conditions
4
a fine Éhing for their ma there?)
rriageable daughters;eGi v en
r thisou
t ,,voked adr:
ditional advantaae, things would somehow
especially if Isabella, an
independent girl, gazed a little eagerly
at the szar-spangled shore. Her family would give before
in her eges. No, the worry that flight
troubled hím most was the lie
be had told her, that he wasn't a Jew.
confess, say He could, of course,
she knew Le•in, not Freeman, man of adventure.
'but that might ruin all,in ce it was quite clear she wanted
nothing to do with a Iew, sor wh.y, a( first sight. had
50
she asked
searching a question? Or he might admit nothing and iet
her. more or less, 6nd out after she had lived a while in
the
States and seen it was no «íme to
be Jewish; that a man's
past was. it could safely be said, expendable. Yee t th"
es ti eat.
ment, if the surprise was upsetting, might cause recrirnina-
, tions la ter on. Another solution might be one he had thought
of often: to change his name (he had considered Le Vin
but preferred Freernan) and forget he had ever been bora
Jewish.
There was no question of hurting family, or being embar-
rassed by them, he the only sor; of both parents dead. Cousins
lived in Toleda, Ohio, where they would always live and never
bother. And when he brought Isabella to America they could
skip N.Y.C. and go to live in a place like San Francisco, where
nobody knew him and nobody 'would know'. To arrangesuch
details and prepare other minor changes was why he Sguted
on a trip ot two home before they were rparried; he was pre-
pared for that. As for the wcdding itself, since he would have
to rnarry her here to get her out of Italy, it woidd probilbdy
have to be ín a church, but he would go along with that to
although it did not entircly satisfy hím; not 50 mueh the
denial of being Jewish what had it brought hím but bead•
— as the lie to the
1 . 'aches, inferiorities, unhappy memories?
.beloved. At first sight love and a Iie; it lay on his he3rt Iike
k
i sore. Yet, if that was the way it had to her it was the way.
a. ••n••~""' "'"
 The Lady of the Lake t t I
114 The Lady of the Lake
ar‘oke the next mornIng, heset by a swarm of donbts Iram, draw?) by an old elect -tic locomotive moved slowly
When Nyould he see thrwigh th e town and more sluwly up the slope of the moun-
tonrerning his plans and tain. They rade for cluse to two hours, watching the laki fait
Isabella again, Ici alune marry her? (I When ?' he had whis-
eteil before getting int° the b.oat, and she had vaguely prom as the mountains rose. Isibella, apart Írompointing to some-
i l l i ng
1 17ss. rFrie man brunght
Itow and [hen, avas again silent. withdrawn, bot Free-
Ised. 1 .Soon. ) %on was brutal!y 91
1
1-lad itr, 1te asked hím- min, allowing lier her own rate at flowering. for a marment
nothing and Freeman grew without plans, was practically contented. A long volt far an
seli, been constructing a hö1'e1ess fantasv, Nvislt sedueing
ertrlless loorney; bot tlw tram at llst came ta a stop and they
probabilitv? \Vas he inventing a situation that didn*t exist,
wa1ked thrunit a field thick with wildflowers, up the slope
namely, her feeling far hím, the possibility uf a future with
to the summit of the möttntain. Thotigh the tourists followed
lier? He was desperatelv casting abont for something to keep
. 1-nock suunded in'a crowd, the mountnin top was brniii and they stood near
his mood from turning dark blue, when its edge, to all intents and purposes ilone. Below them, orr
thought, becnitse she often •ame tip
his Jour. The padrona, the green undulatíng plains of Piedmont and 1 ri mbardy, serem
his unspenkable
for rine unimportant thing nr another, but
Giarubbe holding furth the lake''s were sc:ittered, eault a mirror refietting whose fate? Anti
joy it was (upid irr short [Ilus 111[1,11 in the distance ruse a ring of astortishing snow clad Alps.
familiar envelope. 51w would meet hitt], Isabella wrote. at -

Alt, he murntured, and fel) silent.

[IK° &duck in the piazza where the electric (nin tank off for
' We say Here,' Isahella sáid, ' " Ml pezzo tii paradiso caduta
Mottarone, front whose summa one saw the beautiful
panorama of lakes and Inoturtaltis in the region. Would he d'il cie l°
' You Ca' nt say it again.' Freeman was deeply rnoved by the
share this with her?
»honolt he had qualual tlw morning's anxiety, Freeman enblimity of the distant Alps. She named the white peaks
from telt !kosa to the jungfratt. Gazing at thern, he felt he had
wa thete at one pan,, smnking impatiently. Ilis sort rose as she
s
gruwn a hend tllier and was inspired ta accomplish a fent meri
appeared, but as she tante towards him 1w noticed she was
wnttld wonder at_
fut quite looking at hint (irt the distance he could see
Clacohbe rowing away) her face neutral, inexpressive. He 'Isabella —' Freeman torned to ask her to marry hím; but
she was standing lpart ÍromItim, lier face pale.
was at first coneerned, l,ttt she had, after all, written the leltet
Puinting ta the snowy motintains, ber hand rnoving in a
to hitit, so be •Ontlered a-irat hol nacis she had had tv walk un
gentle arc. she asked, 'Don't those peaks — those seven — look
to get off the island. ile nin« sumetime driring the day tirop
the word 'elope' to see if she savourvd it. l ttt whatever was
1ike a terroralt r'
iLike a what?' Freenian politely inquired. le had a sudden
bothering lier, immediately shuok off, SIie s mil e d as
she greeted Ilim; 1w lioped for her lips bot gut instead her polite frightening rentembrance of lier seeing him f)3keti as he Cartle
, (Jut of the lake and lelt constrained to teli her that cirturn-
fingers. Iltese kissill in broad daylight spies ti 11
papa) an ti the shyly witbdrew her hand. 51w was wearing eision was de rigueur 1n stateside hospitals; but he didn't dare.
ik surprised hím, though Ite para liercredit brr resisting foolislt
Slte may not have notived.
5 - 1114e Illoilse and skirt she had wenn *I ike a seven-brant-herl tandelabrum holding white randles
un Sunday, bey boarded the tram with a dozen tunrists and tIn the 5ky ?* Isabella asked.
I umething lile urat.'
tud alone un the nyelt s•at in front; es a reward for managing
!his shoi pi-imitted beduin to hold heT 11111(1. H e s i g h e d. Th e 't )r tio yott see the Virgin's crown adorned with 'elvek?'
.

1r
x6 The Lady af the Lake The
i it all depends how yo u • beIla got into the boat and Giacobbepushed
Maybe the crowu' he faltered, LiaY a
i off twi
he b k
t h o :e can:
t. Sh;a rwee mveadn
10ok a t it.' f ro m af2r'
w e nt bac k to his pensione in 2
They left the mountain and went &Nini to the water. The, turrnoil, huri where
-as faster going down. Át the lake front, as the> it hurts - in his drearns, thinking he should have noticed he-
tram ride w fore how worn her Mouse arád sidrc were, should
were waking for Giacobbe to come with the rowboat, Isabelta, have sere
confession to rnake, more than he had. It was this thP - 1
her eyes troubled, told Freeman she had a
-
94i called hiinself a
He, still eager to propose, hoped she wiould finally say she loved damn fool for making up fairy tales - F,getnan M bay!"ith
,

not del Dongo. It is Isa. Ital ki a rist95

theF,10enc . He thought of taking off for Yenire
hint. Instead, she said, ilvly nallie or r e7-béit his'h(art ache d for love of her, and he
bella della Seta. The del Donos have not been cm the istand could
in years. We are the caretakers of the palace, rny fathet, 'not forget that he had orisrnali -- the simple_hope of
1
finffing a girl worth IT14 rrying. 11 th thed'esire-had developed cm-
brother and L We arc pajor people•'
Flications, the fault was most!) , his own. After an hour in his
'Caretakers?' Fteeman was astortished. 3
roo m, burdened by a n overpowering londiness, Freernan lelt

'Yes.' h e rwtjave. her. She mustn't get away from him. So INhu if
`Ernesto is your father?' His voice rose.
th alotr &'\kud become a caretaker ? She W25 2 na tora!-born
She nodded. --- -
queen,wi i eTher hy del Dongo or any °Éber name. So she had
t Was it his idea for you to say you were sornebody else?'
I asked him to. He has wanted rne 1- tied to him, but so had he to her; _they were Tlits on that score
' No, mine. He did what l' rid his conscience was calm. He fett things wou[TheeasTer
o CoAmerica, but undor the right circumstances.'
to g re ' ,II a round now that the air had been cleared.
iSo you had to pretend,' he said bitterly. He was mo Freeman ran down to the dock: the sun had set and the
greatly disturbed than he could account for, as if he had been . -boatmen were bone, swallowing spaghetti. I-se was consider-
expecting jut this to happen• '!Ing untying one af the rowboats and Ilying tomorrow, when
She blushed and turned away. 'I was not sere o the dr. be caught sight of sotneone sitting on a bench - Ernesto, in his
cumstances. I wanted you to stay unta I knew you better.' bot winter hat, woking a cheroot. He was resting his wrists
' Why didn't you sas so?' oa the handie of 1115 CO ne, his chin on them.
e be finn i ng. I said what I .,\:' 'You weesh a boait ?' the guide asked in a not unkindly tone.
...

'Perhaps I wasn't serious in th e ame time I wish ed

thougt you wanted to Lear. }fitt th s 1.., vkviÉll all my heart. Ilid Isabella send y
ou?
h
you to stay. I thought you would be dearer to me after a 'No.'
rt'z
,.. , H e came because she was unhappy. Freeman ' guessed - rn2y.
ing. There+s r,rnd:s e his
a father for you, a real magFici,a,n h is
tben she cr ►
'Clearer how?' n for
ereeyes searched 1 ttpe
ii;iip le7 nce. He w
irI
aves his stick and up pops
'I don't really know.'
dropped her glance. said. wanted CO say ro.otc t •r oG ec remi said Ernesto.
`I'm not hiding anything,' he
• •
: saki Freeman. He bad almot added 'falba',
.111 ro !est. E[nesto
but warned hismelf not to. üt had caught himself. As if guasing the
That's whn t I wa s afraid °•' for bh of the boa enjoyi ng th<
• with the boat and steadie d it k li
d ttle sadly. But he sat ac the stern
to dar t
Ciacobbe had COIT1C
sister. They were alike as the proverbial peas
Italian faces, the Ivliddie Ages looking out of their eyes. 151.
118 Tbe Didy of the Lake The Lady of the bke s ig
Irt the rniddle of the lake, seeing the mountains surround- bodice, arousing Freeman, though he was thoroughly onn.
Ing it lit in the Tast glow of daylight. Freeman thought of the fused as to her inteni. When she reveiled her hreists — ht
*?:lenorah' in the Alps. Where had she got the word, he won- eould have wept at their heatity (now recalling 2 tomer in-
vitation to gaze 3c (hm. bilidt5 1!?,1 arrived roo bit
dered, and decided anywhere, a book or pieture. But wherever sin th e
she had. he must settle this subject once and for all tonight. rjfr) — to his horror he cfiscern 7-
tatiooed on the &ott and
When the boat touched the Joel:, the polc [mon rost. tender 1111 a hltsish line of distorted numhers.
Ernesco tied up. and handed Freeman a fla_slilight. 'Buchenwaid s ' Isabella said, 'when I was 2 litcle girl. The
1
Een the fardal.' he said tiredly, pointing with his cone. Fascists sem us there. The NA zis chd it.'
Freeman groaned, incensed at the crucity, stunned by the
' Don't wait up.. Frecman hastened to the garden at the
lake's edge. where the roots of trees hung like hoary beords desecration.
bove the water; the flosidight didn't work. but the moon dl can't nurry you, We a re jews. Nly past is meaningful to
and his memory were enough. Isabella, God bless her, was [ne. I treasuir what I suffered for.'
standing at the low wall 2mong the mooniit st3tuary: %tags, lews.' he muttered, g— yon? Oh, w )i y .....
r Aw.iy
-.4, r'" you keep

tigers and unicorns, poets and pointers. shepherds with pipes, tliís from lile, too?'
and playful shepherdesses, gazing at the light sliimmering un 't cini no! wish 10 tell you something you would not wel-
come, t thought at eine [line it was possible you wrre 1 hnped
—

Sh r ws wr•2 ring v liitc, [lie' figitrr of a future bride; perhaps hu( was wrong:
tc an altatd wedding dress — he would not be surprised Isabella '''‘‚ 1 W (tied brOke'nly. I Lb(rn, I I anti '
— —

I k woyd tor her hreasts, to chitch. kiss ot suckle them:

if a hasd m e ,down, (he way they saved clothes in this poor
evinitry. lir: had pirosont thoughts of buying lier sonir nifty hu( sir had steppel a mong the statues, and when he vainly --> it".4 1( P4-4/4
outfits. sought lirr in the veiled mi« that ila(1 rím-it from thi± lAke, stiii
She v•3s motionlesl, lier back towArds hiiiti though —
"Hitig her name, Free un eminaccdoniy moonlit stotte«
.
couid pictutr brr hfr,..orti hrrociiing. When lie SAici itiX)d eVe 1.j."' ‘•ji,i0
# _„,4414
nin& his light strow, fltc torned to hint witli a swert
-/‚ f
mik. I1r tcndrrly kined ber thi% she irt 1111I1 110, 50fill ill'e
Pl‚-
PlUrning thr
•roge,d byr whisr.ird.
•To vfivnn 17,99411er Frrernan off :tionatrly /melyet!
havitostir t() ri m r ry you.'
She z.ed at him witlt Gyes moistly then carte
vift. Inevluble Ihunder lAte
"Uh>, ih• ► Irl l 11•? . sise'l ming: for n lir ask1itp
PlUt thirn rrnsbkil with the fc_ir of at (IIC 111A
ing ho.r. ‚#) I rrrtnan on;wered. Iir my. 1, hí; Kall? prif ' I 10W
miny tv/s ‚Dalt . nrYrr ? W117 dr) yfill periitt with ItILII f()01131)

t
hoxii)-*e !Ko ri yq+) wete: S1r Wiy $iie toributioned brit