There was no rhythmic regularity in the music they made, no steadiness,
no--no-She listened passionately, instinctively bending down her head sideways.
It seemed to her that she was listening to a drunken man rowing. Now
there was a quick beating of the oars in the water, then silence, then a
heavy splash as if one of the oars had escaped from an uncertain hand,
then some uneven strokes, one oar striking the water after the other.
"But Gaspare is a contadino," she said to herself, "not a fisherman.
Gaspare is a contadino and--"
"Gaspare!" she called out. "Gaspare!"
The boat stopped midway in the mouth of the inlet.
"Gaspare! Is it you?"
She saw a dark figure standing up in the boat.
"Gaspare, is it you?" she cried, more loudly.
"Si."
Was it Gaspare's voice? She did not recognize it. Yet the voice had
answered "Yes." The boat still remained motionless on the water midway
between shore and shore. She did not speak again; she was afraid to
speak. She stood and stared at the boat and at the motionless figure
standing up in it. Why did not he row in to land? What was he doing
there? She stared at the boat and at the figure standing in it till she
could see nothing. Then she shut her eyes.
"Gaspare!" she called, keeping her eyes shut. "What are you doing?
Gaspare!"
There was no reply.
She opened her eyes, and now she could see the boat again and the rower.
"Gaspare!" she cried, with all her strength, to the black figure. "Why
don't you row to the shore? Why don't you come to me?"
"Vengo!"
Loudly the word came to her, loudly and sullenly as if the boy were angry
with her, almost hated her. It was followed by a fierce splash of oars.
The boat shot forward, coming straight towards her. Then suddenly the
oars ceased from moving, the dark figure of the rower fell down in a
heap, and she heard cries, like cries of despair, and broken
exclamations, and then a long sound of furious weeping.
"Gaspare! Gaspare!"
Her voice was strangled in her throat and died away.
"And then, signora, I cried--I cried!"
When had Gaspare said that to her? And why had he cried?
"Gaspare!"
It came from her lips in a whisper almost inaudible to herself.
Then she rushed forward into the dark water.