Having written her letter, and put her lips to the enclosure, she
addressed the envelope in a bold hand and with a brave flourish: "All'
Illustrissimo Signor Davide Rossi, Camera dei Deputati."
"You'll post this immediately I am gone, Sister," she said.
Elena pretended to put the letter away for that purpose, but she really
smuggled it down to the Major, who despatched it forthwith to the
Chamber of Deputies.
"And now I'll go to sleep," said Roma.
She slept until mid-day with the sun's reflection from the white plaster
of the groined ceiling of the loggia on her still whiter face. Then the
twelve o'clock gun shook the walls of the Castle, and she awoke while
the church bells were ringing.
"I thought it was my dream coming true, Sister," she said.
The doctor came up at that moment in a high state of excitement.
"Great news, Donna Roma. The King...."
"I know!"
"Failing to form a Government to follow that of the Baron, appealed to
Parliament to nominate a successor...."
"So Parliament...."
"Parliament has nominated the Honourable Rossi, the King has called for
him, the warrant for his arrest has been cancelled, and all persons
imprisoned for the recent insurrection have been set at liberty."
Roma's trembling and exultant eyelids told a touching story.
"Is there anything to see?"
"Only the flag on the Capitol."
"Let me look at it."
He helped her to rise. "Look! There it is on the clock tower."
"I see it.... That will do. You can put me down now, doctor."
An ineffable joy shone in her face.
"It was my dream after all, Elena."
After a moment she said, "Doctor, tell the Prefect I am quite ready to
go to Viterbo. In fact I wish to go. I should like to go immediately."
"I'll tell him," said the doctor, and he went out to hide his emotion.
The Major came to the open arch of the loggia. He stood there for a
moment, and there was somebody behind him. Then the Major disappeared,
but the other remained. It was David Rossi. He was standing like a man
transfixed, looking in speechless dismay at Roma's pallid face with the
light of heaven on it.
Roma did not see Rossi, and Elena, who did, was too frightened to speak.
Lying back in her bed-chair with a great happiness in her eyes, she
said: "Sister, if he should come here when I am gone ... no, I don't mean
that ... but if you should see him and he should ask about me, you will
say that I went away quite cheerfully. Tell him I was always thinking
about him. No, don't say that either. But he must never think I
regretted what I did, or that I died broken-hearted. Say farewell for
me, Elena. Addio Carissima! That's his word, you know. Addio
Carissimo!"