Reeds in the Wind. Gracia Deledda

      "Oh - it's a party here?" He said, pulling his bicycle, to which a dusty suitcase was strapped, up the steps. “Right, I remember. The feast of Mary, isn't it? Ah, and that ... "

       He seemed to recognize the surroundings. Yes, there was the vestibule his mother told him about so oftenwould have. He pushed his bike towards it, brushed the dust off the suitcase with a handkerchief, and began to unbuckle it.

      Noemi thought: I have to get Auntie Pottoi, have to send to Efix ... How am I supposed to deal with everything on my own ? Oh, the others knew for sure that he was coming and left me alone.

      The embrace of the strange man who came from somewhere, from the wide world, filled her with secret fear; but she was well aware of the duties of hospitality and could not neglect them.

      "Occurs! Do you want to wash yourself We'll bring the suitcase upstairs later. I'll get a woman in a moment to clean our house ... At the moment I'm all alone ... and I really wasn't expecting you ... "

      She tried to cover up her poverty; but he also seemed to know about her, because without waiting for service, he carried his suitcase up to the room that Aunt Esther had already prepared for him, then came down again at ease and went to the well to wash himself. just like the servant.

      Noemi followed him with a towel under his arm.

      “Yes, I'm from Terranova. Incidentally, it drives very well on the road. Yes, I passed the church too, but I didn't notice anything about the festival. Yes, the village is extinct - and very crumbled, yes. «

      He answered all of Noemi's questions in the affirmative, but looked rather distracted.

       “Why didn't I write? Well - because after Aunt e Esther's letter I was n't in the clear. Outdo rdem I was sick and - and wuss te nich t been ... open, decided I before yesterday me; a friend drove away from me. Well, and so I left yesterday because the sea was so calm ... "

      He dried himself off and headed for the kitchen. Noemi followed him.

      So Esther wrote to him! And so he set off - like a party!

      He sat down on the old bench across from the mountain, which threw its bluish shadow into the kitchen, crossed his long legs, crossed his long arms on his chest and stroked them with his white hands . Noemi noticed that his stockings were green. A strange color for men's stockings! And while she turned on the fire, she repeated to herself :

      Ah - so Esther wrote to him secretly. Let her take care of him now!

      And she was almost afraid to turn around and squint at the young man's figure, so strange in every respect, who sat motionless on the bench, as if he would never get up from her again.

      Then he started talking about his journey, about the lonely road, and asked how far it was to Nuoro. There - he wants to go to Nuoro soon. To the manager of a large steam mill, a friend of his father's who had promised him a job.

       »How far is it to Nuoro by bike? I can not tell you that. A couple of hours. I rode to Nuoro once many years ago. The path is beautiful, yes, and so is the city; the air is good, the people friendly. There is no fever there either - with us, and everyone can work hard and earn money there. All foreigners have become rich there, while here everything lies dead. «

      "Yes, yes, that's right!"

      She got some eggs to bake a pancake.

      "You see, there is not even meat here every day, not to mention wine ... And what is the name of this mill manager? Do you know him?"

      No, he didn't know him. But if he went to Nuoro he would certainly find a job.

      Noemi smiled darkly and mockingly as she loosened the pancake in the pan. Finding a job is easy to say! There are so many job seekers!

      "So you've given up your post there?" She said hastily, without looking up.

      Giacinto did not answer immediately; Apparently he was very curious how the pancake would turn out, which she was now carefully turning.

      A few drops of oil fell into the embers, a cloud of mist spread across the kitchen; then the pan began to stew softly and Giacinto said:

      “Oh, it was so insignificant! And not even safe - and so responsibly. «

       He said no more, and Noemi asked no further questions. The hope that he would go to Nuoro soon made her gracious and patient. She set the table in the dining room next door, which was bare and damp like a tavern, and set the meal in front of him, apologizing for not being able to offer him anything else.

      "Here - with us it means to be frugal ..."

      Giacinto cracked nuts between his strong hands and listened to the peal of the herds as they passed behind the house. It was pretty dark already; the mountain now lay gloomy, and in the damp room with the green-spotted walls it was dead silent as in a secluded grotto. The colorful pictures that Noemi created of the festival made a great impression on him. He looked at her rather tired and sleepy, and her dark figure, which stood out sharply against the still light window, her full hair and her small hands resting on the wobbly table seemed to remind him of the wistful stories his mother had told him; for he began to ask about people in the village who had long since died or who were completely indifferent to Noemi.

      “Uncle Pietro? What kind of person is Uncle Pietro anyway? He's the richest here in the village, isn't he? How much can he have? "

      “Yes, he is rich, but a stubborn head ! And haughty like a peacock. «

      "He's lending money at usurious interest?"

      Noemi blushed because, although she was very tense with her cousin, she found it almost a personal insult that Giacinto dared to call a noble Pintor a usurer.

       “Who told you that? Oh, you should n't even say such a thing in jest. «

      “But the priest and his sister, aren't they usurers? Aren't they very rich too? How much do they have? "

      “No, what do you think of! Usury at most drives the Milese, but a permitted usury - thirty per cent, no more ... "

      “Oh, is that legal usury? And then what is more illegal? "

      Noemi leaned over the table and whispered: "A thousand out of a hundred - and sometimes even more."

      But instead of being astonished, Giacinto poured himself another glass of wine and said thoughtfully: “Hmm, usury has gotten out of hand too . Cardinal Rampollo's nephew went to the dogs in this way. «

      After supper he wanted to leave. He asked where the post office was and Noemi accompanied him out into the street and pointed to the little square in front of Milese's house in the distance.

      As soon as he was gone, she looked around shyly and went to old Aunt Pottoi's hut. The little door was open, but inside everything was dark, and only at the shy calls from Noemi did the old woman emerge from the dark background of the room with a burning pinewood in her hand.

      “It's me, Aunt Pottoi! You have to send someone to Efix right away. Giacinto has arrived ! And then you have to sleep with me today for eight. - I am afraid to be left alone - with a stranger. "

       “I'd like to fetch someone and send them to the estate. But I can't sleep with you; no, I will not let my little house bewitched by the wisp ... "

      And so that this shouldn't sneak in in her absence, she let the pine wood burn over the door.