THE LAW INEVITABLE
BY
LOUIS COUPERUS
TRANSLATED BY
ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS
THORNTON BUTTERWORTH, LIMITED
15 BEDFORD STREET, LONDON, W.C.2
1921
CHAPTER I
The Marchesa Belloni's boarding-house was situated in one of thehealthiest, if not one of the most romantic quarters of Rome. Onehalf of the house had formed part of a villino of the old LudovisiGardens, those beautiful old gardens regretted by everybody who knewthem before the new barrack-quarters were built on the site of the oldRoman park, with its border of villas. The entrance to the pensionwas in the Via Lombardia. The older or villino portion of the houseretained a certain antique charm for the marchesa's boarders, while thenew premises built on to it offered the advantages of spacious rooms,modern sanitation and electric light. The pension boasted a certainreputation for comfort, cheapness and a pleasant situation: it stood ata few minutes' walk from the Pincio, on high ground, and there was noneed to fear malaria; and the price charged for a long stay, amountingto hardly more than eight lire a day, was exceptionally low for Rome,which was known to be more expensive than any other town in Italy. Theboarding-house therefore was generally full. The visitors began toarrive as soon as October: those who came earliest in the season paidleast; and, with the exception of a few hurrying tourists, they nearlyall remained until Easter, going south-ward to Naples after the greatchurch festivals.
Some English travelling-acquaintances had strongly recommended thepension to Cornélie de Retz van Loo, who was travelling in Italy byherself; and she had written to the Marchesa Belloni from Florence.It was her first visit to Italy; it was the first time that she hadalighted at the great cavernous station near the Baths of Diocletian;and, standing in the square, in the golden Roman sunlight, whilethe great fountain of the Acqua Marcia gushed and rippled and thecab-drivers clicked with their whips and their tongues to attract herattention, she was conscious of her "nice Italian sensation," as shecalled it, and felt glad to be in Rome.
She saw a little old man limping towards her with the instinct of aveteran porter who recognizes his travellers at once; and she read"Hotel Belloni" on his cap and beckoned to him with a smile. He salutedher with respectful familiarity, as though she were an old acquaintanceand he glad to see her; asked if she had had a pleasant journey, if shewas not over-tired; led her to the victoria; put in her rug and herhandbag; asked for the tickets of her trunks; and said that she hadbetter go on ahead: he would follow in ten minutes with the luggage.She received an impression of cosiness, of being well cared for by thelittle old lame man; and she gave him a friendly nod as the coachmandrove away. She felt happy and careless, though she had just thefaintest foreboding of something unhappy and unknown that was going tocome to her; and she looked to right and left to take in the streetsof Rome. But she saw only houses upon houses, like so many barracks;then a great white palace, the new Palazzo Piombino, which she knew tocontain the Juno Ludovisi; and then the vettura stopped and a boyin buttons came out to meet her. He showed her into the drawing-room,a gloomy apartment, in the middle of which was a table covered withperiodicals, arranged in a regular and unbroken circle. Two ladies,obviously English and of the æsthetic type, with loose-fitting blousesand grimy hair, sat in a corner studying their Baedekers before goingout. Cornélie bowed slightly, but received no bow in return; she didnot take offence, being familiar with the manners of the travellingBriton. She sat down at the table