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42 WOMEN IN ITALY.
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
- A And Very That Striking Of Land Diffe...
lovers , servants were dispensed with ., and the young lady in conjunction with her mother , had to perform , every menial office for
themintending selves . 1 It that seemed the ' Bella however Perug that iana nature , ' should had enact been the very domestic far from ' s
part , for in the _discharg-e of her imposed duties , she -was constantly committing some piece of awkwardness . Everything that came into
her hands had a tendency to fall , the dinner napkins especially , which she shook _oiitside the back window to free from crumbs , and the
towels which she hung upon the window sill to dry , illustrated the principle of gravitation with the most provoking frequency . The
mischief done in this respect was , however , fortunately of easy remedy . Into the small courtyard on which the windows looked ,
people -were passing and repassing frequently , for it was connected with a small Cafe , immediately under the apartments the widow
and daughter occupied , and thus , as the distance between the ground floor and the first floor was but small , it was an easy matter for any
good natured individual to throw back the dropped article , to the fair hands from which it had unluckily slipped . So weeks stole on ,
but practice did not certainly make perfect in the young lady ' s case , the illustrations of the principle of gravitation continued to be
exhibited in spite of chidings froni the mother , and strong utterances of self reproach on the daughter ' s part . But at length came a day
when the cause of the young lady ' s incorrigible awkwardness was made clear . The mother discovered , to her anger and shame , that
she had been the dupe of an ingenious artifice . In every one of the towels and napkins thrown back so good naturedly to the beauty ,
from the court beneath , a missive from a lover had been enclosed , and through the same means , pen , ink and paper , to be employed
furtively if possible , had been obtained . Under the mother ' s watchful eyes , a close correspondence had been maintained . But
though thus out-manoeuvred for a time , the anxious parent ' s projects were successful in the end . "Whilst still residing at Leghorn , there
appeared a noble and wealthy aspirant for the ' Bella Perugiana ' s ' hand . Wealth and rank ; what more could any heart desire ? At
least so thought the mother ; and the daughter—whatever were her thoughts upon the matter , they must . remain unknown— "but willingly
or unwillingly , as the case might be , she was taken back to Perugia the affianced bride of the wealthy Count .
From a marriage effected in such a manner , it cannot otherwise happenbut that evil must follow . Whether blinded by the seduction
, of riches , or under the pressure of compulsion , she yielded her hand to her wealthy suitor , her career is almost equally sure to be sinful
and unhappy . Bound to a man she did not love , whose person and manners were probably distasteful to her , with her heart and fancy
filled by the image of her deserted suitor ; with an empty mind , with time hanging heavy on her hands , an adept in deceit and artifice
, what likelihood is there that she , and such as she , should resist the
corrupting influences of the society into which she is thrown . Sad
42 Women In Italy.
42 WOMEN IN ITALY .
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Citation
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English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), Sept. 1, 1858, page 42, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01091858/page/42/
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