But although Don Ferrante spoke very distinctly, Donna Micaela seemed not to understand him at all.
He had to repeat to her that he had been in Catania the day before, and that he had succeeded in getting Cavaliere Palmeri into a brotherhood. He was to enter it in a month.
She only asked: “What does that mean? What does that mean?”
“Oh,” said Don Ferrante, “can I not have wearied of buying your father expensive wines from the mainland, and may I not sometimes wish to ride Domenico?”
When he had said that, he wished to go. There was nothing more to say.
“But tell me first what kind of a brotherhood it is,” she said.--“What it is! A lot of old men live there.”--“Poor old men?”--“Oh, well, not so rich.”--“They do not have a room to themselves, I suppose?”--“No, but very big dormitories.”--“And they eat from tin basins on a table without a cloth?”--“No, they must be china.”--“But without a table-cloth?”--“Lord, if the table is clean!”
He added, to silence her: “Very good people live there. If you like to know it, it was not without hesitation they would receive Cavaliere Palmeri.”
Thereupon Don Ferrante went. His wife was in despair, but also very angry. She thought that he had divested himself of rank and class and become only a plain shop-keeper.
She said aloud, although no one heard her, that the summer palace was only a big, ugly old house, and Diamante a poor and miserable town.
Naturally, she would not allow her father to leave her. Don Ferrante would see.
When they had eaten their dinner Don Ferrante wished to go to the Café Europa and play dominoes, and he looked about for his hat. Donna Micaela took his hat and followed him out to the gallery that ran round the court-yard. When they were far enough from the dining-room for her father not to be able to hear them, she said passionately:--
“Have you anything against my father?”--“He is too expensive.”--“But you are rich.”--“Who has given you such an idea? Do you not see how I am struggling?”--“Save in some other way.”--“I shall save in other ways. Giannita has had presents enough.”--“No, economize on something for me.”--“You! you are my wife; you shall have it as you have it.”
She stood silent a moment. She was thinking what she could say to frighten him.