signor bernardo cignolesi took his watch from his pocket and looked at signor manfredi guido.
“it is, i think, the exact hour,” he said.
they were small and dapper italians, these two, who had been appointed by the late duca di corleone as the executors of his will and the keepers of the letter.
the whole party was assembled in miss mason’s studio. the wedding was over. paul and sara had plighted their troth. the blessing upon them had been pronounced. and when the last words of it had died away the church had been suddenly filled with music, the notes of a violin joyous and sweet, a wedding song for the two, a song that had never before been played.
it was michael’s tribute to them both. the organist alone had been taken into the secret, and the man, who was a very true musician, listened to the song with his eyes full of tears.
“it is michael,” sara had whispered. and no one had moved till the music had ceased.
but now they were all in the studio, eating wedding cake and drinking champagne, which pippa had never tasted before and which made her gasp. she was wearing a little pendant paul had given her. it was gold and shaped like a tulip, and it held in its chalice a blue sapphire.
and it was exactly an hour from the time the blessing had been pronounced that signor bernardo cignolesi said to signor manfredi guido:
“i think it is the exact hour.”
and signor manfredi guido took a sealed envelope from his pocket, and holding it in his hand the two crossed together to sara, who was standing by paul, her radiance and magnetism filling the whole place.
“allow us,” said signor guido, speaking for himself and his co-executor, “to give into your possession the letter addressed to you by the late duca di corleone. and now permit me to kiss your hand and wish you all happiness, thanking you at the same time for your hospitality.” he raised her hand to his lips, and signor cignolesi followed his example. then bowing and smiling the two dapper little men returned to their glasses of champagne.
sara broke the seal of the envelope and drew out the paper it contained. it was a letter in the late duca’s handwriting, and addressed to herself.
she crossed slowly to miss mason’s large oak chair and sat down while she read it.
“my dear,” the letter began, “if ever you read this letter it will be on the day that you have given yourself into the keeping of the man you love. therefore, will you permit me, from the regions of the peaceful dead, to offer to you my felicitations?
“it is possible that since my death there have been moments when you have thought of me, if not with anger, at least with vexation. i knew i ran the risk of incurring this sentiment on your part when i drew up my will.
“may i now give you my reasons and my excuse for my action? i will be as brief as possible:
“when you married me, my dear, you were able to bring me a certain quiet affection, a very true courtliness, and an entire faithfulness. love had not entered your life. you did not, then, know its meaning. i was not the man to teach you. i knew it, and yet i was selfish enough to take you. my excuse is simply that i loved you. you gave me what you had then to give, and it made me happy. if i longed for more i knew it was not withheld, but simply, at the time, non-existent.
“i realized, however, what one day you would have it in your power to give. and knowing that, i determined that the best should come to you and be asked of you. hence my will. total surrender of all worldly possessions for love. love seeking you for your sake alone. my dear, was i wrong? i may have been. i leave it now for you to judge me. i wanted you, because i loved you, to have the gift of love in your life.
“and now that you have it i, from the quiet regions to which i shall have attained, send my offering to you and the man of your choice. signor cignolesi will give you another packet. in it you will find a deed leaving you the whole and sole possessor of the casa di corleone on the banks of lake como.
“you loved it, and i loved to see you there. if the spirits of the departed are allowed to return to earth, mine will come there to see you in your happiness. and remember, my dear, that in it i shall rejoice, for i believe that the only thing that could mar the peace to which, please god, i shall attain, would be your sorrow.
“therefore, my dear, live joyously in the casa di corleone. and when on sunny days you sit in the shadow of the orange trees, and your children come running to you across the courtyard, god grant that my spirit may be there to see it.
“and may his blessing be upon you; and the blessed virgin and all the saints have you in their keeping,
“giuseppe di corleone.”
sara looked up. her eyes were misty. she signed to paul to come to her.
“read it,” she said. “giuseppe was a generous man, and a very true courtier.”
and when paul had read it he kissed sara’s hand. then he came back to the table and every one saw that he had something to say.
“my wife,” he said simply, “has just received a gift from one who we know is at peace. it is the gift of a home she loves—the casa di corleone. and the offering comes from the duca di corleone.”
he bowed his head gravely, as did all the other occupants of the studio, while sara, pippa, barnabas, and the two dapper little italians, made the sign of the cross. and so they all for a moment paid tribute to the memory of a true and generous man.
then, of course, came a babel of congratulations, and paul was called upon for a speech.
“speeches,” said paul smiling, “are not very much in my line. my wife and i thank you all very much for being here to-day, and we know that throughout our lives we can count on the true friendship of all present. there is one toast, ladies and gentlemen, i would like to propose. it is to one who has been, and is, the best friend of many of us. ladies and gentlemen let us drink to aunt olive in bohemia.”
and everybody got to their feet, and there was a good deal of applause, and a good deal of laughter, but the eyes of some of them were a little dim, as were the eyes of the old lady who sat there smiling, and thanking god in her heart for his wonderful gifts of love and happiness.
