Chapter 36

 

 

 

THE DAY of the party came, and many things happened. At about 9:30 in the morning, a U.S. Navy truck pulled up in front of the Palazzo. A Chief Petty Officer and five men unloaded a crate from it onto the sidewalk, and the Chief went inside and delivered a note for Major Victor Joppolo.

Major Joppolo was busy at his desk, and had not noticed the truck. He opened the note and read:

“Dear Major:

“The U.S. Navy is delighted to be able to do the U.S. Army a favor. Here is your bell...”

The Major jumped up and shouted: “Where is it?” Zito the usher said: “Where is what, Mister Major?” The Major said: “The bell! The bell! They have brought us our bell.” And he ran out on the balcony just in time to see the Navy truck pull away. He saw the crate sitting there on the sidewalk.

Major Joppolo shouted down to an M.P. in front of the Palazzo. “Hey, stand guard over that box, don’t let anybody walk off with that.”

The M.P. grumbled out loud, but not loud enough for Major Joppolo to hear: “From t1iC way them sailors was Joppolo gruntin’ and groanin’, don’t strike me that nobody’s goin’ to strut off with that thing.”

The Major hurried back inside, and he said to Zito: “How long did you say it took them to take the old bell down, Zito?”

Zito said: “They had to use six sets of block and tackle. It took them two days to get it down. Then one day to crate it.”

The Major said: “I can’t wait that long.”

He went to the phone and called up the Engineers. “Major Harvey, please... Major? This is Joppolo. Say, I wonder if you could arrange to do this town a big favor. We’ve got a delicate job to do, and I’m afraid the workmen we could round up to do it would take ages and maybe hack it. The job is raising a new bell on the clock tower of the Town Hall here. I guess it would take about eight men, and if you’ve got a good strong block and tackle, and maybe a tow truck to haul out the tackle and raise the bell... You can? That’s swell. Can they start right in? What time you think they could get here? Okay, I’ll be on hand at eleven thirty to tell them what to do. Don’t know how to thank you, Major.”

Major Joppolo was excited. He called up Lieutenant Livingston and thanked him for his part in getting the bell. “Why hell,” he said, “it ought to be up this afternoon. Maybe we can ring it for the party tonight. You’re coming, aren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Major.”

“Well, see you there, Captain. Thanks a hell of a lot “Don’t mention it. Say, there’s just one thing, Major.” “What’s that?”

“I’m a Lieutenant. It takes a long time to get to be a Captain in the Navy.”

“Is that a fact?” the Major said. “Well, you ought to be a Captain soon,” and he hung up.

He picked up the note and finished it:

“Thought you might be interested to know a little more about Corelli and the background o f the bell. Toot Dowling, who, by the way, was very generous to give up his bell - I don’t think it would hurt to write him a letter about it (U.S.S. Corelli, care Postmaster, New York) -Toot told me a little about Corelli. He said his full name was Vincent Corelli and he had a destroyer in the last war. I had it a bit wrong the other day. What happened was that Corelli was on escort duty in the North Atlantic, and this Italian freighter got in a hell of a storm and broke down. Corelli left his station with a convoy and he went and took off all the Italians with :breeches buoy although I don’t know how much you know about navigation, it was very dangerous to close with the freighter in that kind o f a storm. That was on November 12, 1917, Toot says. O f course Toot is an old classmate of mine and a lousy football player and I never know what to believe when he says it. But I think this dope is correct and hope you enjoy the noise it makes.

“If you ever get in any trouble, just come around to the Navy, and I’m sure they’ll be able to fix you up. “Yours for collaboration between the services, “Rock Robertson (Lt. Comdr., USN).”

Zito moved near to the desk while the Major read, and when he was finished, the usher said: “We have a new bell, Mister Major?”

“We have a new bell, Zito.”

“Is the tone good enough?”

“I hope so, Zito. I think so.”

“Is there some history to it?”

“Yes, Zito, I’ll tell you about it when the bell is up. Do you think I ought to make a little speech explaining the bell to the people here?”

“Oh yes, you should, Mister Major. The people of Adano will be curious about the bell.”

“Zito, do you think they will understand all that the bell means? I mean that it stands for the things that I believe in? Do you think I could explain, that to them?”

“I think so, Mister Major. I understand what you mean, and Zito is not very clever.”

A few minutes before eleven o’clock the funeral procession of the three fishermen who had been killed in the explosion went through the Piazza. Major Joppolo went out onto the balcony to watch it. At the head of the procession there were three carts. The first two carried the bodies of Agnello and Merendino. Their coffins were small dinghies such as the fishermen used to get out to their boats, with the tops planked over. The third cart, which was for Sconzo, carried a dinghy which was not planked over, but was filled with flowers.

Long before eleven thirty, Major Joppolo was out on the sidewalk beside the crated bell, waiting for the Engineers to come. He poked and shoved at the crate affectionately, as if there were something delicious to eat inside it.

The gang from the Engineer battalion was surprisingly on time. The Major explained the job, pointing to the top of the clock tower.

“How long do you think it will take?” he asked the old buck sergeant in charge.

“Well,” the sergeant said, “some days the boys gets cramps in their stomachs and they claim they shouldn’t ought to hurry when they has the cramps. Other days they don’t get no cramps. It all depends.”

“How long do you guess?”

“We’ll have it for you today or tomorrow. It all depends.”

“Try to finish today, will you?”

“It all depends,” the sergeant said, and he turned furiously on his men, who slowly gathered themselves for work.

Major Joppolo went to lunch at noon. Sergeant Borth was already in the Albergo dei Pescatori when the Major arrived. The Major sat down with Borth, as he often did, in spite of his rank.

He told Borth about the bell, and his excitement about it gave Borth something to tease.

“You’re worse than the first day we came here,” the Sergeant said.

“How am I worse?” the Major said. “You’re so damn sentimental.” “Oh, cut it out, Borth.”

Borth’s teasing cut a little deep. “No, I’m serious,” he said. “There’s a war going on. Fishermen get blown up in the harbor here. Children get run over in the streets. There’s one case of malaria in every six people. And you can’t think about anything but tinkling a bell.”

Major Joppolo said: “I’m worried about those fishermen, Borth. I could get in trouble over that. Do you think I was guilty of carelessness about it? You know I forced the Navy to let them go out.”

Purely by way of teasing, Borth said something he had cause to regret later: “Sure,” he said, “you could catch hell for that. You could get sent back to the States.”

And Major Joppolo said: “They wouldn’t do that, they couldn’t.”

Borth said: “Why the hell couldn’t they? I heard about a fellow in airborne who got sent home just for getting drunk.”

Major Joppolo said: “They couldn’t, Borth, there’s so much to do here. Think if they got somebody bad in this town. Think if they got a dope like that fellow up at  ID Pontebasso.”

Borth said: “You don’t like yourself much, do you?” Major Joppolo said: “Oh lay off, Borth, sometimes you aren’t funny.”

At 12:25 Zito came running down to the Albergo dei Pescatori to tell the Major that the bell was uncrated. “It looks nice,” he said.

The Major tried to get Borth to go up with him to look at the bell, but Borth said: “This eggplant is so good, I don’t see how I could leave it.”

So the Major went up with Zito. On the way the usher said: “Before I forget it, Mister Major, the officials are very anxious to meet with you at four o’clock. They said it was important.”

A moment of worry showed itself on the Major’s face. “Is it about the fishermen, Zito?”

Zito said: “I am the usher, Mister Major, the officials do not tell me what is on their minds. “ Then Zito seemed to think better of what he had said, and he added: “No, it is not about the fishermen.”

The Major said: “Oh, so the usher has ways of finding out what is on the officials’ minds?”

Zito just smiled.

There were quite a few people standing around watching the Engineers working on the bell. One of them was the ancient Cacopardo. Because he had spoken to the Major about the bell on the very first day of the invasion, he had appointed himself a kind of supervisor of the work, although none of the Engineers could speak Italian.

As soon as the Major came up, Cacopardo said: “I have sent for Guzzo, the bell-ringer at the Church of San Angelo. He will be able to tell just by looking at it whether it is a good bell. If it is not, you will of course have to send it back. “

The bell stood on the sidewalk just where the N avy men had put it down. The crate had been peeled down from around it.

It was bronze, and the men of the Corelli had taken the trouble to polish it, so that it was like gold in the midday sun. On one side there was this inscription:

U.S.S. CORELLI

America ed Italia.

When Cacopardo saw the Major reading the inscription, he asked: “Who is this man Corelli, and how does he happen to get his name on the bell of Adano?”

The Major said: “I will tell you later, when the bell is hung.” Then he got a little stone out of the street and tapped it against the side, but of course there was only a dead sound, since the bell was sitting on wood. “I wonder how the tone is,” the Major said.

“Guzzo will know,” Cacopardo said.

In time the bell-ringer came. He was almost as old as Cacopardo. His hands and forearms looked very strong, but the rest of him looked as if it were long overdue.

Cacopardo called him to the center of the crowd and told him to examine the bell. The old bell-ringer walked round and round the bell, looking at it. Then he leaned over and ran the flat of his hand from top to bottom. Then he stood up and seemed to read the inscription over and over. He looked once up at the top of the clock tower, where some engineers were rigging a hoist. He asked that the bell be turned over and when some of the engineers had turned it up on its side, he looked inside.

He stood up finally and shrugged his shoulders and said: “It is all right.”

Cacopardo was delighted. He said to the Major: “I know old Guzzo. He does not exaggerate. When he says something is fair, he means it is perfect. The bell will be very good.”

“I’m glad,” the Major said.

At a few minutes past one o’clock, Major Joppolo went home to his villa to take a nap. He wanted to save up some strength for the party - but he also wanted to think a little about his speech about the bell.

He lay down on his bed. At first his thoughts were confused, because he was excited. But gradually the thoughts began to sort themselves out, and everything came very straight to Major Joppolo.

He would say a few words, he thought, about the removal of the old bell. Then he would tell about how the people of Adano had interested him in trying to get a new one. Then a few words about Corelli, and what he had done for Italians in the last war, and then the meaning today of the inscription on the bell, America ed Italia, America and Italy, and then perhaps something about the Americans’ Liberty Bell. After talking about it that day, the Major had been curious about the Liberty Bell, and he had written a letter back to Amgot headquarters inquiring about it, and now he would be able to explain the crack, and he would tell the people of Adano the inscription on that bell, the words from Leviticus : “Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.”

And then everything was wonderfully clear in the mind of Victor Joppolo. He knew exactly what he would say. Words came to him which were beautiful and were the truth about the new bell and its meaning for Adano, and about what he, Victor Joppolo, wanted for the people of Adano. The words were as clear as anything can be, and as true.

At about two o’clock the courier came by motorcycle from Vicinamare. From his office Sergeant Borth saw him throw the pouch onto the sidewalk in front of the Palazzo. Mail, even official mail, was enough of an event so that Sergeant Borth got up and went across to the Palazzo and up to Major Joppolo’s office to see what there was.

There was nothing for Sergeant Borth, but as long as Major Joppolo was out, Sergeant Borth decided to riffle through what there was.

In time he came on a paper addressed to Major Joppolo. He read it:

“I. You are authorized to proceed by first available transportation to A.F.H.Q., Algiers, via port of Vicinamare.

“2. Reassignment o f station will be made by A.F.H.Q.

“3. Reason for this order is that reference (1) did wilfully and without consultation countermand orders issued by General Marvin, 49th Division, re entry o f mule carts into town o f Adano. “

And the order was signed by General Marvin. Sergeant Borth folded the order, put it in his pocket, and left the building. He went directly to the M.P. command post in the Fascio.

He said to Captain Purvis: “The Major’s been relieved.”

Captain Purvis said: “What the hell do you mean?” “Just what I said: he’s been ordered back to Algiers for reassignment.”

“What the hell for?”

“Insubordination. Countermanding an order by Marvin about mule carts. I guess it was after that affair of the mule the General shot outside town.”

Captain Purvis had forgotten all about the report he had sent to Division. Now that he remembered he didn’t -havev the courage to say anything about lt. All he said was: “What a hell of a note.”

Borth said: “I’ll say it’s a hell of a note. The Major’s just begun to accomplish things in this town.” Captain Purvis said: “Yeah, I guess he has.” A suspicion crossed his mind: this fellow Borth had a way of knowing too much. “How did you know he was ordered out?”

Borth said: “I saw the order up in the Major’s office.”

“Does the Major know about it, then?”

“No, the Major’s out. I have the order in my pocket. I took it. I’m not going to tell him about it until after the party tonight.”

The Major got back to his office at about a quarter to four. He went through the courier mail and worked for a few minutes on a report to Colonel Sartorius. Promptly at four Zito came in and said: “Will you see the officials now?”

“Yes, Zito.”

Now when the officials came in - old Bellanca first as usual, then the others, Gargano, Saitta, D’Arpa, Rotondo, Signora Carmelina Spinnato, and Taghavia - Major Joppolo could see by their cheerful expressions that there was to be no unpleasantness in this interview.

Old Bellanca spoke: “We have something we wish to give the Mister Major.”

D’Arpa could not resist saying in his high voice: “We wish to give the Mister Major a Mister Major.” The others snickered.

Bellanca said: “Please get it, Zito.” Zito went out. First the usher came back carrying an easel. He went out again. Then he brought in Lojacono’s portrait of the Major.

It was really good. When the Major saw it, he stood up in delight. He said: “So that is why you wanted my picture taken!”

Gargano posed as if with one hand on a camera and the other squeezing a shutter bulb and tried to imitate the cracked voice of old Spataforo: “Young man, you are vain. All you want is to look at your face.”

This time when all laughed, the Major laughed with them.

Old Bellanca cleared his throat. The group were silent, as if they had been called to order. The Mayor said: “I was for so many years just a Notary here in Adano, I never made speeches, I do not intend to begin now. But these others have asked me merely to tell you, Mister Major, that this picture may not be the best picture that was ever painted, although it is very good for Lojacono, but even if it were very bad, we would still give it to you, because we wished to show you that -”

Old Bellanca was very embarrassed. He cleared his throat again and said: “What these others asked me to tell you was that this portrait - “

The old Mayor looked at the others in despair. Gargano stepped forward and said: “What the Mister Mayor wishes to say is that the eyes” - Gargano made those circles with his thumbs and forefingers and put them up to his own eyes - “the eyes of the portrait are honest.”

D’Arpa said, pointing at the picture: “In the chin there is strength.”

Gargano grabbed one of his own ears with one hand and pointed at an ear in the picture with the other: “In the ears there is alertness.”

Saitta the street-cleaner said approvingly: “In the fix of the hair there is neatness.”

And finally old Bellanca remembered enough of his coaching to say. “In the cheeks there is a sympathetic warmth.”

Then Gargano said, and this time his hands stayed still by his sides, in proof of his absolute sincerity: “And you can see in the picture that that man wishes that each person in the town of Adano should be happy. That is a very big thing in a face.”

Old Bellanca said: “Lojacono has painted a good picture. We wanted you to have it.”

“Thank you,” Major Joppolo said. That was all he had time to say, for the officials of Adano left the room quickly. In any case, it was all the Major was able to say.

A little before five the sergeant in charge of the Engineers working on the bell came in and said: “We run into a snag, sir.”

“What’s that?”

“The rod the bell’s supposed to hang by, it’s too big for this here bell, we got to get another.”

“Will you be able to find another?” “Sure. But it’s going to slow us up some.” “How much?”

“It’s all according to how long it takes us to find this new rod. I don’t know how much work we got to do to put it up when we find it. It all depends.”

“Can you finish this afternoon, do you think?”

“Not hardly, sir. But we can have it for you easy by morning.”

A little after seven o’clock, Gargano went out to round up the children who were shouting for caramels.

He took Rotondo and two other carabinieri and the police truck. They drove down the Via Umberto the First, and there they found the children out in force, shouting: “Caramelle! Caramelle!” at every vehicle that passed.

Even when the police truck passed, going down the street to turn around at the Via Favemi, the ch children shouted: “Caramellel Caramelle!”

Their shouting at the police truck gave Gargano an idea.

When the truck had turned around and came up the street on the side where the children were and stopped there, Gargano told the others to open the back and let down the little ladder there. And he stood up near the back of the truck and shouted: “Come little children and get your caramels!”

At first the children were frightened by the police truck and drew back. But Gargano beckoned with both hands and shouted: “Come, children, we will have a regular picnic of caramels. First come, first served. Come with Gargano for the feast of caramels!”

The children wavered. They looked at each other and wondered.

Gargano made motions of putting things in his mouth. “Huge piles of caramels! Come little children to the picnic. No shouting. No scrambling. just eating! Come with Gargano.

It was the son of an official, the clean little Saitta boy, who allowed himself to be persuaded first. He said to the children nearest him: “I am going. Gargano is a friend of my father. He will give us caramels without any work.” And he ran toward the police truck.

“Good little boy!” Gargano shouted. “Neat little boy! Clever little boy! You will have the most caramels because you were first.”

Now there began a general rush for the truck. As the children fought for positions at the ladder, they squealed: “Caramelle! Caramelle!”

Then one of the children shouted: “Think of our friends who are not here tonight, they would hate to miss this.”

Another said: “We are selfish not to call them.”

One said: “Antonino the son of Ugo is not here. I’ll get him,” and the child ran off.

Another said: “Wait for me. I’m going to get Romano.” Another said: “Where is the red-head Occhipinti? Wait while I get him.”

Little Erba, who was just as stupid as his father, said: “Someone is not here who ought to be. Who is it? Who is it?”

As the children ran off for their friends, Gargano said: “Hurry! Hurry! We haven’t much time. There is a party for grownups as well as for children tonight. Gargano hasn’t much time for the caramels. Hurry!”

Little Erba said: “Who is the one I am thinking of? Who is the one who wears a blue suit?”

The ones who had run off began to trickle back with their friends. All the children in the truck still squealed: “Caramelle! Cararnelle!”

But little Erba kept muttering about the one who was left behind. just as the last of the ones who had run off came back, he shouted: “Cac, Cac, it is something, it is Cacopardol” He hurried down the ladder and said: “Wait for me! The Cacopardo who wears blue! He holds my hand! I must get him. Wait!” And little Erba ran off.

Gargano got impatient. It was already seven twenty, and the party was scheduled to begin at seven thirty, and already couples were walking down the street toward Quattrocchi’s house.

Little Erba ran two blocks and then realized that he had no idea where Cacopardo lived. He shouted the name, but no one answered. He looked for someone to ask, but there was no one in sight. So he started home to ask his father.

Gargano could wait no longer. He ordered the truck to go.

Now the children were shouting in unison. “Caramelle! Caramell!”

The truck diove off toward the police station, where there was not a single piece of candy.

The committee of hosts stood waiting in the entrance hall of Quattrocchi’s house. Old Bellanca was there, ex officio, and Cacopardo, the only resident of Adano who owned a swallow-tail coat and the only one who would wear one if he had it, and the fat Craxi, who appeared to have exceeded his limit of three bottles of wine for dinner, and Signora Carmelina Spinnato, representing as well as she could the fair sex, and the white-haired Lojacono, who was included because he had done such a good picture. The ones of the committee who were absent were Tomasino, out of respect for the dead fishermen, and Gargano, who was otherwise engaged.

It was ten minutes after starting time, and the guest of honor had not arrived. Giuseppe, who had arranged the whole thing, hovered in the background, saying over and over: “The Mister Major will be here any minute now.”

The Mister Major was at that minute calling for Tina, and Tina, in the way of all women, either was not ready or was not willing to admit that she was ready.

Finally, at a quarter to eight, Tina came out of her room. She was dressed in a flimsy white blouse and a huge red taffeta skirt.

Major Joppolo’s slight annoyance at being kept waiting dissolved at once. “This was worth waiting all night for,” he said.

Tina curtsied gravely. She gathered some of her skirt on her left arm and reached with her right hand for Major Joppolo’s arm. He offered it to her and the couple left, shouting good-byes to Tomasino and Rosa, who was beady with perspiration from helping her daughters get ready.

On their way down the Via Umberto the First the couple heard two small children crying. In the darkening evening they could just make out two little figures huddled on the curb on the other side of the street. They crossed.

They found the ragged little son of Erba and the welldressed grandson of Cacopardo sitting with their arms around each other crying hard.

Major Joppolo crouched down and patted the boys’ backs and asked what the matter was.

Between sobs, little Erba managed to say: “We were too late - for the feast - of the caramels.”

Little Cacopardo said: “Too late.” “For the what?”

Little Erba said: “For the picnic of caramels. We - we - are the only ones - who were left behind.”

Little Cacopardo said: “All the other children.” Major Joppolo remembered what he had told Gargano to do, and he said: “Well, never mind, we’ll take you instead to a grownup party. Come with us.”

So the Major and Tina walked on toward Quattrocchi’s house, each holding a little child by the hand. When they entered the house, the fat Craxi, who had a little too much wine in his belly, rushed forward in amazement. “Son of Mary!” he exclaimed. “He has a family! Two fine little boys” - he patted the youngsters on the head - “and a beautiful -”

He gulped when he saw that the “wife” was Tina. “Mister Major,” he said, “why did you not tell us?” But by this time the rest of the committee had come forward, and the confusion of their greetings overwhelmed Craxi’s confusion. Old Cacopardo took both his well-dressed little grandson and the ragged little Erba by their hands, and kept them with him all evening.

The party started out to be a success from everyone s point of view. The people of the town were immensely happy: they had not had such a time for years. Giuseppe, the organizer, basked in constant congratulations. There was enough champagne to suit Captain Purvis and too much to ermit him to molest any pretty girls. Craxi perpetuate his happy glow. The lazy Fatta had three drinks and then went into an empty room and fell asleep. Afronti Pietro, the loud-voiced cartman, was encouraged to shout a song for the entertainment of the guests. The maidenly Laura Sofia got Captain Purvis aside after he was fairly far along and smothered him with kisses. Nicolo and his sweetheart danced together. Sergeant Borth, who seemed to be in a terrible mood at the beginning of the party, did not move from the wine bowl, and gradually he mellowed and attached himself to the glowing Craxi.

And Major Joppolo and Tina managed quite early in the evening to slip out onto a balcony.

Tina said: “Are you happy?”

Major Joppolo said: “You asked me that the last time we were on a balcony together.”

Tina said: “I was just making conversation then.” “What are you doing now?”

“I’m asking you: are you happy?” The light place in the night that was Tina’s face turned up toward the Major’s.

“Of all the happy days I’ve had in Adano,” the Major said, “this has been - and still is - the nicest.”

“Then tell me what you promised the other day you would tell me.”

“Tell me first: have you decided what you felt about Giorgio?”

Tina said: “No.” Major Joppolo thought he detected a coquettish note in the way she said it, but then she added: “I’ll never know now.”

He said: “Why not?”

She drew away a little and said in. a very small voice: “Because I know how I feel about you.”

He went to her and without touching her said: “That was all I wanted to tell you, Tina. I know how I feel, too. I am very fond of you. I am only really happy when I am near you.”

He wanted to kiss her, but she said: “What’s that?”

He said: “What’s what?”

She said: “That noise, can’t you hear it?”

There was a murmur on the air. It had been there for some time, but the murmur of the party inside had swallowed it. Now the murmur outside seemed to be growing.

“What do you suppose it is?” he said.

“I’ve never heard anything like it,” she said.

He pointed off to the left and said: “It’s over there. What’s over in that direction?”

“Well,” she said, “there’s the Church of the Orphanage, and the house of Cacopardo, and Zapulla’s bakery, and the police station -”

“The police station!” Major Joppolo took Tina’s hand, and said: “Come with me.”

They walked to the police station, and all the way the murmur seemed to grow on the night air. By the time they got close, it had clarified into the wailing and shrieking of many children.

When the Major and Tina went in, they saw all the children weeping and shouting angrily at Gargano. He stood on the stairs to the second floor. His face was covered with sweat. He was trying, with gestures and at the top of his voice, to explain to them why there were no caramels in the police station. But the terrible guilt of his lies would not be forgiven by the children.

Major Joppolo pushed his way through the crowd of children and went up three or four stairs. When the children saw the Mister Major, they started stamping and shouting in unison: “Caramelle! Caramelle!”

The Major held his hand up. Gradually the noise subsided. He waited until there was silence, all except for the catching of breath that children do when they have been crying.

And now the Major made the last public speech he would ever make in Adano. He didn’t know that it would be his last, but he made it simple and right, and if he had planned a farewell speech, he couldn’t have done better.

“Children of Adano,” he said, “I am sorry to have to tell you that there are no caramels here.” There was a brief wail of protest.

“I’m afraid that you have been misled. But I’m sure that Gargano didn’t mean any harm when he told you that there would be caramels here. He told you that so as to be sure that you would come, because he had something very important to tell you.

“Gargano, may I tell them?” Gargano nodded. “Children, you know the little Calvi boy who was hit by the truck last night? Do you know why he was hit? Pasquale son of Gigante do you know why he was hit?” Pasquale son of Gigante was one of the larger boys who had teamed up to outwit the others. He shook his head.

“Massimo son of Zupi, do you know why?”

This boy, another of the team, also shook his head. “I know,” a small voice said, and a small hand went u.

“Why, Marco?”

Marco son of Manifattura, one of the smaller ones who had been cheated, said: “Because he was selfish.” “Marco is right. Marco says that the Calvi boy was killed because he was selfish. Marco, you are exactly right. That is what Gargano wanted to tell you, isn’t it, Gargano?”

That was not just what Gargano had in mind, but he nodded absently.

“The Calvi boy would never have been killed if he and Pasquale and Massimo and the other big ones had not been selfish. If they had not tried to get everything for themselves, no one would have been hurt, and all would have had some candies.

“Now we don’t want any more children killed in this town. You don’t want any more of your friends to be killed, I’m sure. So from now on this is how we will handle the candies. I am going to appoint a committee, and the committee will take down the names of all the children who want caramels, and they will appoint two children to collect the candies carefully each evening as the trucks go through town. The American soldiers will go on throwing candies, of that I’m certain. The two collectors will put the candy in a box, and the committee will give out the candies in order, according to the names on the list. That means that everyone will have some, and no one will be hurt.

“For the committee I want Marco and Pasquale -” A voice shouted: “Pasquale will be selfish, he will put some of the candies in his pocket instead of in the box.” The Major said: “I don’t think he will. Pasquale and Massimo and Eliodoro and Elisabetta.”

And then the Major added: “I want you to be happy together. I want all of you to have as much as you can of what you want, without hurting anyone else. That is what I want in Adano.”

The Major left and Gargano took the children home. On the way back to the party, Tina said: “Now I know why I love you.

Major Joppolo said: “Why?”

“Because of what you want for Adano. That’s why everyone here loves you. There is no one here who will say a bad word about you, and that’s a rare thing in Adano. “

The Major said: “And I know why I like you.” “Why?”

“For a very selfish reason: because you make me feel as if I were almost important.”

“Oh, you are,” Tina said, with just enough mockery in her voice.

When the Major and Tina got back to the party. Giuseppe met them, wringing his hands and making desperate faces. “Mister Major, where have you been? I have been looking for you on all the balconies and in all the bedrooms.

“That was hardly necessary, Giuseppe,” the Major said. “What did you want?”

“Fat Craxi and your Sergeant, they are misbehaving. I can’t do anything with them.”

The Major said to Tina: “Wait here,” and he went off with Giuseppe to find Craxi and Borth.

They were in the library. If there had been other guests in the room, they had left. Craxi and Borth were alone, and quite drunk.

When the fat Craxi saw the Major, he said to Borth: “Shall we relieve nature on the leg of the Mister Major?” Borth said: “Have you any left?”

Craxi said boastfully, beating himself on the chest: “If I wanted, I could relieve myself for two hours, and then I would still be able to pass wind for fifteen minutes. Shall we do it on the leg of the Mister Major?”

Borth said: “No, only on the enemies of Adano. He is a friend.” Suddenly Borth began to cry.

Major Joppolo said sharply: “Borth, behave yourself.” When the Major spoke so angrily, fat Craxi tiptoed out of the room, and Giuseppe followed him to keep an eye on him.

The Major and Borth were alone. The Major spoke -again: “Behave yourself or go home.”

Borth was drunk because of the Major. He had never been drunk in uniform before. But when the Major spoke so angrily, that streak of contrariness in Borth which made him tease people so much, which made him always laugh at serious people and deflate pompous ones, came out in him. He said thickly: “You can’t boss me around.”

“Sergeant Borth,” the Major said, with obvious emphasis on the word Sergeant.

“Don’t Sergeant me,” Borth said; “you have no ‘thority to boss me.”

I have just as much authority as I ever had, and if you don’t behave -”

“Oh no you haven’t,” Borth said. “You can’t boss anybody, not in Adano ..”

“Borth, you’re drunk. Now behave.”

“Joppolo, you’re fired. You been relieved. You’re nobody round here.” And Borth began to cry again. “Borth, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but

I-„

The Major broke off and went over to Borth and took him by the arm, to try to lead him out.

“Take your hands off me,” Borth said. He reached in his pocket and said: “Here, read that.”

Major Joppolo read the order recalling him from Adano.

“Where did you get this?” he asked.

Borth was crying again. “Your desk. I wanted to keep you from seeing it until after the party.”

The Major walked out of the room.

Victor Joppolo put up a beautiful front for the rest of the evening, until the very moment when he was saying good night to Tina just inside her front door. Then he put his arms around her and said miserably: “I’m so unhappy.”

Tina pushed back and looked at his face. She put her hands on his shoulders and said: “But I thought you were so happy?”

The Major was in control of himself again. “I am,” he said, “I’m sorry.”

“Is it because of your wife?” Tina asked.

“No, Tina, it’s nothing.” Then, in the shadow of the stairway of her house, he kissed her tenderly and said: “Till I see you again.”

She was frightened and she said: “What is the matter? Why did you say good-bye instead of good night? What is the matter?”

“Nothing, Tina. Good night, Tina.”