"You judge us from a foreign standpoint, dear friend," said Don Camillo,
"and forget our love of a pageant. The Princess says our poor are always
demonstrating. We are all always demonstrating. Our favourite
demonstration is a funeral, with drums beating and banners waving. If we
cannot have a funeral we have a wedding, with flowers and favours and
floods of tears. And when we cannot have either, we put up with a
revolution, and let our Radical orators tell us of the wickedness of
taxing the people's bread."
"Always their bread," said the Princess, with a laugh.
"In America, dear General, you are so tragically sincere, but in Italy
we are a race of actors. The King, the Parliament, the Pope himself...."
"Shocking!" said the little Princess. "But if you had said as much of
our professional agitators...."
"Oh, they are the most accomplished and successful actors, Princess.
But we are all actors in Italy, from the greatest to the least, and the
'curtain' is to him who can score off everybody else."
"So," began the American, "to be Prime Minister in Rome...."
"Is to be the chief actor in Europe, and his leading part is that in
which he puts an end to his adversary amidst a burst of inextinguishable
laughter."
"What is he driving at?" said the English to the American Ambassador.
"Don't you know? Haven't you heard what is coming?" And then some
further whispering.
"Wait, only wait!" said Roma.
"Gi-gi," said the Princess, "how stupid you are! You're all wrong about
Roma. Look at her now. To think that men can be so blind! And the Baron
is no better than the rest of you. He's too proud to believe what I tell
him, but he'll learn the truth some day. He is here, of course? In the
Countess's room, isn't he?... How do you like my dress?"
"It's perfect."
"Really? The black and the blue make a charming effect, don't they? They
are the Baron's favourite colours. How agitated our hostess is! She
seems to have all the world here. When are we to see the wonderful work?
What's she waiting for? Ah, there's the Baron coming out at last!"
"They're all here, aren't they?" said Roma, looking round with flushed
cheeks and flaming eyes at the jangling, slandering crew, who had
insulted and degraded David Rossi.
"Take care," he answered, but she only threw up her head and laughed.