I Malavoglia by Giovanni Verga

Author:Giovanni Verga
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781907650642
Publisher: Dedalus
Published: 2012-01-16T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XI

Once, on his amblings, ’Ntoni Malavoglia had seen two young men who had set sail a few years earlier from Riposto in search of their fortunes, and who were now coming back from Trieste, or perhaps Alexandria, the one in Egypt, anyhow from a long way off, and they were spending at the wine shop more freely than compare Naso, or padron Cipolla; they would sit astride the tables and tell jokes to the girls, and they had silk handkerchieves in every jacket pocket; so that the whole village was in a state of ferment.

The only people at home that evening when he returned were the women, who were changing the brine in the barrels, and chatting in groups with the neighbours, sitting on the stones; and meanwhile they were passing the time by telling stories and riddles, just about good for the children who were listening wide-eyed, half-dazed with sleep. Padron ’Ntoni was listening too, keeping an eye on the dripping of the brine and nodding approval at those who told the best stories, and at the children who showed as much judgement as the adults in explaining the riddles.

‘The really good story,’ ’Ntoni then said, ‘Is the one about the foreigners who arrived to-day, with so many silk handkerchieves it hardly seems possible; and they don’t even look at their money when they take it out of their pockets. They’ve travelled half the world, they say, and Trezza and Aci Castello put together are nothing in comparison. I’ve seen as much too; and out there people spend their time enjoying themselves all day long, instead of sitting around salting anchovies; and the women are dressed in silk and laden with more rings than the Madonna of Ognina, and they go around the streets stealing all the handsome sailors.’

The girls blinked, and padron ’Ntoni too pricked up his ears, as when the children explained the riddles:

‘When I’m grown up,’ said Alessi, who was carefully emptying the barrels and passing them to Nunziata, ‘If I get married, I want to marry you.’

‘There’s plenty of time,’ said Nunziata, very gravely.

‘There must be big cities like Catania; the sort of place where you get lost if you don’t know them; and you feel stifled always walking between two rows of houses, without seeing sea or countryside.’

‘Cipolla’s grandfather has been there too,’ added padron ’Ntoni; ‘and he got rich there. But he didn’t come back to Trezza, and he just sends money to his children.’

‘Poor thing,’ said Maruzza.

‘Let’s see if you can guess this one,’ said Nunziata; ‘two shiners, two prickers, four hooves and one licker.’

‘An ox,’ said Lia quick as a flash.

‘You already knew it, you got there so fast,’ said her brother.

‘I’d like to go there too, like padron Cipolla’s father, and get rich,’ added ’Ntoni.

‘You leave all that be,’ said his grandfather, pleased because of the barrels he could see in the courtyard.

‘Now there are anchovies to be salted.’ But la Longa looked at her son with a heavy

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