The Call of the Blood - Page 73/317

He held a glass full of wine to Delarey's lips. Delarey drank.

"But you've got a man's voice, Gaspare!" he said, putting down the glass

and beginning to get into his clothes.

"Per Dio! Would you have me squeak like a woman, signore?"

Delarey laughed and said no more. But he knew it was not Gaspare's voice

he had heard.

The net was drawn up now for the last time, and as soon as Delarey had

dressed they set out to walk to the caves on the farther side of the

rocks, where they meant to sleep till Carmela was about and ready to make

the frittura. To reach them they had to clamber up from the beach to the

Messina road, mount a hill, and descend to the Caffè Berardi, a small,

isolated shanty which stood close to the sea, and was used in summer-time

by bathers who wanted refreshment. Nito and the rest walked on in front,

and Delarey followed a few paces behind with Gaspare. When they reached

the summit of the hill a great sweep of open sea was disclosed to their

view, stretching away to the Straits of Messina, and bounded in the far

distance by the vague outlines of the Calabrian Mountains. Here the wind

met them more sharply, and below them on the pebbles by the caffè they

could see the foam of breaking waves. But to the right, and nearer to

them, the sea was still as an inland pool, guarded by the tree-covered

hump of land on which stood the house of the sirens. This hump, which

would have been an islet but for the narrow wall of sheer rock which

joined it to the main-land, ran out into the sea parallel to the road.

On the height, Delarey paused for a moment, as if to look at the wide

view, dim and ethereal, under the dying moon.

"Is that Calabria?" he asked.

"Si, signore. And there is the caffè. The caves are beyond it. You cannot

see them from here. But you are not looking, signorino!"

The boy's quick eyes had noticed that Delarey was glancing towards the

tangle of trees, among which was visible a small section of the gray wall

of the house of the sirens.

"How calm the sea is there!" Delarey said, swiftly.

"Si, signore. That is where you can see the light in the window from our

terrace."

"There's no light now."

"How should there be? They are asleep. Andiamo?"

They followed the others, who were now out of sight. When they reached

the caves, Nito and the boys had already flung themselves down upon the

sand and were sleeping. Gaspare scooped out a hollow for Delarey, rolled

up his jacket as a pillow for his padrone's head, murmured a "Buon

riposo!" lay down near him, buried his face in his arms, and almost

directly began to breathe with a regularity that told its tale of

youthful, happy slumber.