DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.55699#0145
THE CAMPANILE.
113
until the shadows of evening had begun to descend.
They neither sought nor permitted any intercourse with
the few persons who resided in their neighbourhood, nor
were they ever known to receive any communications by
letter. The whole occupation of the elder stranger ap-
peared to be devoted to her young and suffering companion,
whose health seemed to be slowly consuming under some
mental disease.
In the early part of the spring which followed their
arrival at Ravenna they were, as usual, taking their
almost twilight walk in the Pineta, when they were sud-
denly confronted by one of a numerous pack of wolves,
which had been driven even thus far from the mountains
by the severity of the past winter. In general these ani-
mals fled at the appearance of the human figure, but the
wolf which now crossed the path of the strangers was
famished with hunger. As they stopped, it eyed them
intently, and then crept towards them with that stealthy
pace which too surely marked its design. The elder
lady turned in terror and fled ■, but the younger, with
more presence of mind and apparently with little fear
for her own safety, kept her place. The wolf naturally
made her who retreated his prey, and springing upon
her, threw her to the ground. It needed not the shrieks
of the victim to bring to her assistance her young com-
panion, who, with a courage which the nerves of few
men could have furnished, threw her delicate and wea-
ponless arms round the body of the furious animal, and
attempted to drag him from his prey. As she struggled
with him for victory, her beautiful countenance, which
usually wore a look of deep melancholy, assumed an ex-
i
113
until the shadows of evening had begun to descend.
They neither sought nor permitted any intercourse with
the few persons who resided in their neighbourhood, nor
were they ever known to receive any communications by
letter. The whole occupation of the elder stranger ap-
peared to be devoted to her young and suffering companion,
whose health seemed to be slowly consuming under some
mental disease.
In the early part of the spring which followed their
arrival at Ravenna they were, as usual, taking their
almost twilight walk in the Pineta, when they were sud-
denly confronted by one of a numerous pack of wolves,
which had been driven even thus far from the mountains
by the severity of the past winter. In general these ani-
mals fled at the appearance of the human figure, but the
wolf which now crossed the path of the strangers was
famished with hunger. As they stopped, it eyed them
intently, and then crept towards them with that stealthy
pace which too surely marked its design. The elder
lady turned in terror and fled ■, but the younger, with
more presence of mind and apparently with little fear
for her own safety, kept her place. The wolf naturally
made her who retreated his prey, and springing upon
her, threw her to the ground. It needed not the shrieks
of the victim to bring to her assistance her young com-
panion, who, with a courage which the nerves of few
men could have furnished, threw her delicate and wea-
ponless arms round the body of the furious animal, and
attempted to drag him from his prey. As she struggled
with him for victory, her beautiful countenance, which
usually wore a look of deep melancholy, assumed an ex-
i