"JOURNEY TO ITALY" "Where are we?" "Oh, I don't know exactly." "How far is it to Naples?" "About a hundred kilometres, I think." "Do you mind if I drive?" "I'm afraid I'll fall asleep otherwise." "All right." "Fine." "If you wish." "Did you see that?" "It's incredible the way some people drive here." "Like madmen." "They should amuse you." "What noisy people." "I've never seen noise and boredom go so well together." "Oh, I don't know." "Uncle Homer lived here for 40 years without getting bored." "Uncle Homer was not a normal person." "I must write to my mother." "How long do you think we'll be here?" "Only a few days." "If what that Burton fellow wrote me is true, we shouldn't have any trouble in disposing of the property." "I'd never have come on this trip if I didn't think we could clean up this inheritance mess in no time." "Well, you know, that Burton, he seems to be such an attentive, orderly person." "How would he be such a good friend of Uncle Homer's?" "I can't say." "I only know that he was with him for a number of years, and that Uncle Homer trusted him completely." "Oh, is... is that a streak of blood?" "No, that's just a bug, squashed against the glass." "The air is full of insects." "Do you think there's any danger of catching malaria?" "They say not." "You know, I was just thinking what a fool I was, three months ago in London." "It would have been so easy for me to solve the Louis deal." "There were at least three solutions that were better than the one I chose and I just couldn't think of them." "And you think of them now?" "Now they seem very clear to me." "Ah, but what a shame John and Dorothy couldn't come with us." "Yes, it is." "If only you'd listened to me, we could have come by plane." "We would have been back home a week ago." "But I wanted you to take a rest." "It didn't occur to me that it would be so boring for you to be alone with me." "What's that got to do with it?" "I'm just bored because I've got nothing to do." "This is the first time that we've been really alone, ever since we married." "Yes, I suppose it is." "Good evening, sir." "Good evening, madam." "Good evening, sir." "Uh, good evening." "We have a reservation under the name of Joyce." "Yes, Mr Joyce." "Will you come this way, please?" "Good evening Mrs Joyce." "Good evening, sir." "Rooms 317 and 318." "Follow me, please." "Excuse me, sir." "There is some mail for you." "Oh, thanks." "Good evening, sir." " Shall we have something to drink?" " Yes." "But not here." "Let's go down to the bar." "At least there'll be some other people around." "Why?" "Would it be so terribly boring if we were to remain alone?" "No, I was thinking of you." "I don't think you're very happy when we're alone." "Are you sure you know when I'm happy?" "No." "Ever since we left on this trip, I'm not so sure." "I realise for the first time that we..." "we're like strangers." "That's right." "After eight years of marriage it seems we don't know anything about each other." "At home, everything seemed so perfect." "But now that we're away and alone..." "Yes." "It's a strange discovery to make." " Yes, sir." " Will you send off this wire, please?" " At once, sir." " Thank you." "Now that we're strangers, we can start all over again at the beginning." "Might be rather amusing, don't you think?" "Let's go down to the bar." " Well, I don't see why..." " Oh, look!" " Judy!" "How nice to see you." " Alex!" "Katherine!" " Are you here?" " I've been here for the day." "I've been living in Capri for the last three months." " But what are you doing here?" " Just a business trip." " Yes, a pleasure trip too." " Oh, how nice." "Look, we're just going to dinner." "Won't you join us?" " Oh, this is Leslie Harris." " How do you do?" " Miss Restelli and Paul Dupont." " Hello." "Hello." "Miss Sinibaldi and Miss Notari." " Hello." " How do you do?" "Well... shall we have a drink first?" "Yes, come on." "Have a drink with us?" "I never dreamt I would..." "I would run into you here." "Angelo, a glass of mineral water." "You know she broke her leg a month ago?" "We brought her to Naples to have the cast removed." "She'll be all right again tomorrow." " A dry martini." " Let's hurry with those drinks." "I'm starving." "Wake up, Alex." "Wake up." "It's terribly late." "I called that man, Mr Burton." "He'll be here in a little while to take us to the house." "Wake up!" "It's late!" "I must say, one sleeps well in this country." "I was dreaming about something." "I can't remember what it was." "Maybe the charming Judy we were so lucky to meet last night." " Maybe." " I've never seen you in such good form." " Do you know her well?" " Yes." "Well, I must get up." " Any tea?" " It's on its way up." "How silly of me:" "I never realised you were so interested in other women." "Oh, you didn't?" "Hello?" "Oh, tell Mr Burton that we'll be down in a few minutes." "And send up a porter." "Thank you." "He's already here." "There are two people who are interested in buying the property." "Too bad you want to sell it, though." "It's such a beautiful place." "Yes, so I understand." "But we must sell." "I've become very fond of the place." "You see, I arrived there during the war." "It was all locked up, practically deserted." "The moment I saw it, I requisitioned it immediately." "It kept it from being robbed and ruined." "One day, Uncle Homer arrived." "He had taken refuge in Capri, where he was constantly being watched by the police, practically interned, poor fellow." "That's right." "We had no news from him for the whole duration of the war." "It was madness to want to stay here in an enemy country." "Oh, I don't think he had such a bad time in Capri, really." "He had many friends." "Everybody liked him." "Homer was the kind of a man you..." "you couldn't help liking, you know?" "After the Allies had broken through the Gothic line," "I was transferred to Venice." "That's where I got engaged." "Homer had become just..." "just like a father to both of us." "Ah!" "There's the house right up there." "The white one." "Do you see it?" "They're here!" "Madam, they've arrived." " Welcome." " Welcome." "Welcome." " This is Natalia, my wife." " How do you do?" "Please go on in." "I'll take care of the baggage." "Please come in." "This way, please." "You see, this is one of the drawing rooms where your uncle dined when he had guests." "And we used to set up a large table right here." "I never knew my uncle had such good taste." "And now this way, please." "Oh, this is beautiful, isn't it?" "Oh, in there are the kitchen and the pantry." "Please." "Look at her, Tony." "Doesn't she look like Lydia?" " Oh, no, I don't think so." " The profile." "Much better looking, of course." "Aren't they lovely?" "Those are French porcelains." "They are vieux Paris." "Come!" "I want you to see the terrace." "There's the Vesuvius." "Ever since the eruption of 1944, there's been a period of calm." "Ah, but the temperature is beginning to rise a little, though." "That white back there, behind the hill, that first hill, is Pompeii." "There's Castellammare, Torre Annunziata..." "Resina is over there." "And Naples..." "There's Ischia, the isle of Capri." "And that large strip down there is the..." "Sorrento peninsula." "Beautiful, isn't it?" " Oh, yes." " Right." "This way, please." "A Neopolitan painter of the 19th century." "Palizzi." "Quite famous." "Here we have sunshine all day long." "It was your Uncle Homer's favourite corner." "And here are your bedrooms." " And this will be your room, Mrs Joyce." " Oh, very nice." "Ah, the baggage." "Put it here, eh?" " Thank you." " Brava!" " Are you having your lunch here?" " Yes." "I'll have things ready in an hour." "Thank you very much." " Do you like it?" " Yes, delicious." "Of course, if you're going to stay here for a while, we'll have to do something about getting servants for you." "Well, if you can find somebody." "Just for a few days." "Only a few days?" "We can't stay very long." "Our government doesn't make it possible for us to stay abroad for very long." "10 pounds a day for a month, you know." "Yes, I know." "I was very lucky." "I came here right after the war as soon as I got out of the army." "Then we got married." "This wine is excellent." "Then Uncle Homer gave us hospitality here in the hunting lodge." "I found something to do in Pompeii." "The excavations, you know." "I had taken a course in archaeology." "You... you must come out there someday." "We certainly will." "I'm so anxious to see Pompeii." "I don't seem to be able to quench my thirst." "How about you?" "Me?" "No." "Did you notice, I hardly touched the food?" "I can't understand what it is." "Perhaps it's all this garlic and oil." "I've quaffed down a whole bottle of wine." " Watch yourself." "It might make you ill." " No." "Where's everybody gone to?" "I heard somebody talking inside the house." "I think I'll go and see what's going on." "Oh... excuse me." "I'm sorry to trouble you." "Well..." "I'm terribly thirsty." "It's this food, you know." "I'm not used to all those sauces." " But what do you want?" " Something to drink." "If you're feeling sick, go have a bicarbonate." "Eh, well, but I just want you to fill it up." "I understand." "You 're feeling sick." "But what do you want me to do?" "This wine is excellent, you know, but I'd just like you to fill it up." "Take a bicarbonate." "I can't give you one." "I don't have any." "But... you misunderstand me." "I want..." "I want to fill it up with wine." "He doesn't understand you." "What confusion!" "Take him to Signor Tony." "He will understand what he is saying!" "Go!" "OK." "We don't have any." "Come with me." "Come!" "Come!" "Come!" "Come!" " How dare you speak to me like that?" " Come with me to Signor Tony." "Come!" "Come!" "Come." "Come with me." "I don't want to be responsible for this." " Yes, what is it?" " Excuse me." "The gentleman doesn't understand me." "He's feeling sick." " I think he wants a bicarbonate." " She says she doesn't understand you." "I'm dying of thirst." "I'd like to have a drink." "The gentleman would like some wine." "How am I supposed to understand him?" "Waving that bottle around!" "I thought he was sick." "Obviously, the poor woman couldn't understand you." "It seems you weren't making the right gestures." " Well, what gestures should I make?" " Well..." "Picking up a bottle, you should do like this." "Yes." "Well, what do I do for a bottle of mineral water?" "That's simple." "The gentleman would like a bottle of mineral wafer." "All right?" "I'll close it." "Everybody's asleep." "It might be the middle of the night." " Are you asleep too?" " Almost." "Oh, it's so nice in the sun." "Why don't you sit down too?" "Temple of the spirit" "No longer bodies" "But pure ascetic images" "Do you remember poor Charles?" " Charles who?" " Charles Lewington." " Lewington?" " Mmh, he died two years ago." "Oh, and... you just heard about it?" "No, I knew the day after his death." "Two years ago." "Lewington." "I don't seem to be able to remember the fella." " Where did we meet him?" " At the Hooper-Smiths." " Was he a lawyer?" " No." "No, he was a poet." "He was thin, tall, fair..." "So pale and spiritual." "He was stationed here in Italy during the war." "Right here, as a matter of fact." "Oh, yes, I think I remember him." "He was at... one of..." "Arthur's concerts." "He had a fit of coughing and had to leave the auditorium." "Oh, yes, he was very ill." "Something he caught during the war." "You know, that young man started me thinking about something." "About what?" "That you can learn more from the way a man coughs than from the way he speaks." " What did Charles's cough tell you?" " That he was a fool." " He was not a fool." "He was a poet!" " What's the difference?" "Charles wrote some wonderful poems." " I must get one of his books." " Well, you won't find any." "He was too young to have any of his books published." " Then how did you know about them?" " He read them to me." "I even copied some." "Temple of the spirit" "No longer bodies but pure ascetic images" "Compared to which mere thought seems" "Flesh, heavy, dim..." "He wrote them here in Italy, while he was in the war." "I never knew you were such great friends." "Oh, I knew him before I met you." " Were you in love with him?" " No." "But we got on terribly well together." "I saw a great deal of him at Copping Farm." "Then he got desperately ill." "I couldn't even visit him." "For almost a year, I didn't see him." "Then on the eve of our wedding, the night before I left for London," "I was packing my bags when I heard a sound of pebbles on my window." "And the rain was so heavy that I couldn't see anyone outside." "So I ran out, into the garden, just as I was." "And there he stood." "He was shivering with cold." "He was so strange and romantic." "Maybe he wanted to prove to me that in spite of the high fever he had braved the rain to see me." "Or maybe he wanted to die." "How very poetic." "Much more poetic than his verses." "Alex!" " Alex, may I take the car?" " Yes, of course, go ahead." " Good morning, Mrs Joyce." " Good morning." " Where are you going?" " To Naples." " Well, what's your hurry?" " No, I'm in no hurry." "Well what is it then?" "Well, if you need the car I can borrow Mrs Burton's." "I've already told you I don't need the car." "I'm waiting here to see the people that are interested in buying the villa, and I think it might be a good idea if you were here too." "Oh, but why?" "Well, I don't know, I think it might be a good idea." " You can leave after they've seen it." " No, then I'd be too late." "I want to go to the museum and they close at four o'clock." "I..." "I don't want to miss anything." " Aren't you going to have some lunch?" " I've had a sandwich." "Well, I better get started." "Is this the museum that your friend..." "What was his name?" " ...described in his verses?" " Maybe." "I hate him." "The brute!" "Watermelons, very fresh and cheap!" "He thinks he understands life." "He ought to be punished for his pride, his self-assurance." "Ah, this must be it." "Come!" "Come up to clean!" "'Morning." "Do you have a guide, Madam?" "No." "I haven't got one yet." " Do you wish to visit the art gallery?" " Yes, that would be fine." " Very well." "Did you buy a ticket?" " No." "You go inside." "I'll get the ticket." "Just a second." "This way, please." "Many years ago, this was a cavalry barracks." "In 1700, King Charles made a museum of it." "The museum is very important." "At one time, there were secret rooms, with paintings of Pompeii." "There are groups of sculptures here from many famous collections:" "Capodimonte, Herculano, Pompeii, and so forth." "This is the famous group of dancers." "They were found in a villa at Herculano." "Observe the harmony of their movements." "The fourth one looks just like my daughter, Marianna." "This satyr was in the villa at Pompeii." "It is a pagan divinity that was found in the woods." "It is a good thing they exist no longer." "They were very dangerous." "This is the drunken faun." "He is about to fall asleep." "Sleep is a wonderful habit." "Here, we have a young discus thrower." "A Greek." "And here are the emperors." "This is Caracalla." "He built the famous public baths in Rome." "He killed his brother right in his mother's arms." "This is Nero." "You must have heard of him." "He had the face of a baby, but he was a madman." "He burned Rome and killed his whole family, even his mother." "Tiberius." "He spent almost all his life on the isle of Capri, because he liked to live well." "He was a little crazy too." "He used to feed his slaves to the fishes." "Funny emperors, don't you think, lady?" "This is the Venus I like most." "She is not as young as the others." "She is more... more mature." "Don't you agree, lady?" "Perhaps." "I wouldn't know." "And over here is the marvellous Farnese Hercules." "It was found in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome." "It is over ten feet tall and 2,200 years old." "It shows Hercules resting on a club." "It looks like everybody takes a rest around here except me." "Oh, it's wonderful." "Down there is the famous Farnese bull, carved out of a single block of marble." "It's over 12 feet high." "And it was restored by Michelangelo." "It's said to be the largest marble group in the world." "This group represents the sons of Antiope, Amphion and Zethus, who to avenge their mother tied the cruel Queen Dirce to the horn of an angry bull." "To think that those men lived thousands of years ago and you feel that they are just like the men of today." "It's amazing." "It is as if Nero or, or Caracalla, Cesar or Tiberius would suddenly tell you what they felt." "And you could understand exactly what they were like." " Then they're not ascetic figures." " No, not at all." "Poor Charles." "He had a way all his own of seeing things." "What struck me was the complete lack of modesty with which everything is expressed." "There was absolutely no attempt to..." " Come in." " Come in." "I'm so sorry to trouble you, but an old friend of your Uncle Homer phoned, his dearest friend, in fact, the Duke of Lippoli." "He would like to meet you." "'Course I told him that you weren't at home and could he please call later." "Well, when he calls again, I'd like to talk to him." " Might be rather fun to meet him." " Yes." " Very good, then." "Good night." " Good night." "Let's go and eat." "Why don't we try to enjoy our vacation?" "Well, if we don't, it's your fault." "You don't realise how mean you can be sometimes." "It's more than anyone can stand." "Did those people come to see the house?" "Yes." " What did they decide?" " Nothing." "Nothing?" "They're going to make me an offer on Thursday." "What kind of people were they?" "Rather talkative." "What..." "What was that?" "How dare you say that!" "Quiet!" "Get out of here!" "They're getting married in a week and they're always fighting." "It's jealousy." "How could anyone be jealous before marriage?" "Well, the time just before marriage is a very delicate one." "Oh!" " Duque de Lippoli?" " Yes." " Second floor." " Thank you." "Thank you." "Good evening." "Very happy to meet you." " How do you do?" " Hello." " Please, do come in." " How do you do?" "Please." "I'm so glad you could come." "We've been looking forward to meeting you." "I didn't know Homer had such a beautiful niece." "These are all friends of Homer." "I want you to meet the Duchesses of Montalban... the Duke of Marino." "Come, Mrs Joyce." "Would you like something to drink, Mr Joyce?" "And may I introduce the Count and Countess of Trebisonda," "Prince and Princess Melissa" "Mrs Joyce." "Won't you sit down, please." "Thank you." "That old joker Homer kept it a secret that he had such a beauty in the family." "He had a mania for keeping secrets." " Even his death." " Yes." "We found out about it quite a while after he'd been buried." "We'll get even with him up there someday." "We'll pay him a surprise visit." "And I bet he'll pretend to be really surprised." "What an unusual home you have." "And so comfortable." "That sounds to me like one of those compliments that hide the usual reproach:" "Dolce farniente." "I'm sorry, I don't understand." "How do you say in English, Dolce farniente?" "It is impossible to say it in English." "Perhaps I could translate it, "How sweet it is to do nothing."" "Oh, I understand." "They say that all Neopolitans are loafers." "Now I'd like to ask you:" "Would you say that a shipwrecked man is a loafer?" "In a certain sense, we're all shipwrecked." "You have to fight so hard just to keep afloat." "Well, it looks like a very pleasant shipwreck to me." "Especially when I look into your eyes." "They're like stars in the night." " Do you like Naples?" " Well, I haven't seen very much yet." " When did you arrive?" " Three days ago." "Did you come by plane?" "No, we... motored down." "Like something to drink?" "All right." "Brandy?" "Yes, please." "Have a good time?" "No." "That's strange." "It's a long time since I've seen you in such a good mood." "You seemed pretty gay yourself." "Well, what did you want me to do, look bored?" "Why don't you admit that you did have a good time?" "I don't even want to talk about it." "All those Italians milling around you." "What were they doing, telling you funny stories?" "Jealous?" "Is that what you think?" "Ever since we realised how little we meant to each other, you..." "You've done everything you could to make things worse." "And what about you?" "You haven't said a word or made a gesture to try to save what little is left of our marriage." "But why should I make the effort all alone?" "Because it's your fault." "The whole thing is your fault." "I think you ought to know that it didn't take me long after we were married to realise what was wrong." "There was always criticism in your eyes, criticism until it crushed me." "Nonsense." "But it is rather surprising to hear you say that what I felt was important to you." " What do you mean?" " Exactly what I say." "You accuse me of criticising you." "Well, it isn't true." "'Course there are a few things which I don't like about you." "I know that." "Your lack of a sense of humour, your ridiculous romanticism." "But when I was reduced in rank from your wife to a mere hostess for your friends, then to handling your public relations, you seemed quite pleased." "Now look, I don't want to talk about this anymore." "You know, I'm getting absolutely sick of this crazy country." "It poisons you with laziness." "I want to get back home." "Back to work." "Oh, at last that big word." "I haven't heard you mention it for some time: "work."" "I expect you to be talking about duty next." "Do the words "work" and "duty" mean nothing to you since you've been here?" "Don't be a hypocrite." "Now that's enough." "I think the best thing for us is to stay away from one another." "I'm going to Capri to wait there for the answer of the people that are interested in the house." "I'm sure you'll find Capri terribly exciting, now that your friends are there." "Now you have such lovely friends." "Alex!" "To Capri." "To have a good time." "If he thinks he can make me jealous." " Who died?" " Don Pasquale." "A good man." "He thinks I'm going to give in." "Thinks I'll run after him." "He's mistaken." "I've learned a great deal from him." "He'll see." "He'll see." "To the left of the Acropolis is the cave of the Sibyl." "After the Greeks and the Romans, this place was transformed into a fortress." " Ah, a fortress." " Yes, a fortress, that's what I said." "After abandoning the ancient city of Troy," "Aeneas landed here on this very beach." "In the last war, the British troops landed here." "Really?" "British troops landed here?" "Yes, right here." " And where did they stay?" " All around here." "This is the entrance to the caves of the Sibyl, the Cumaean Sibyl." "Oh, but it's enormous!" "Listen to the echo." "Oh!" "Yes, I hear it." "Wonderful." "In ancient times, you could hear it much louder when the walls were covered with bronze." "Oh!" "It's extraordinary." "Oh!" "Now, at the end, there are the rooms of the Sibyl, and these were her baths." "This way, lady." "The Christians made them over into catacombs." "You see, lady, it is here that lovers came to question the Sibyl..." "When they wanted to know what the course of their love would be." "Temple of the spirit" "No longer bodies" "But pure ascetic images" "Lady..." "Lady..." "Don't you want to visit the rooms of the Sibyl?" "No, thank you." "Some other time." "Excuse me, lady." "You see these holes?" "It is there that the Saracenes tied their prisoners." "Allow me." "This is the way they would have tied a beautiful woman like you." "What's this crazy woman doing?" " Where is the temple of Apollo?" " It's up there." "But I'm not coming, it's too windy." "Goodbye." "Silly old fool." "All men are alike." "I hate you." "Cynical." "Cruel." "Anything needed here?" "Have a sandwich, Judy?" " Some more?" " Yes." " And for you?" " Thank you." "There." "When I decided to leave my husband, I had no problems." "The only important thing was my freedom." "You seem to have a lot of problems, a lot of questions on your mind." "It's because you love her, and you're jealous." "Jealous?" " What time is it, darling?" " 10:30." "10:30?" "it's late." "Come on, everybody." "We have a rule here never to go to bed later than 10:30." "Oh." "Well, thank you... very much." " Goodbye." " I had fun." " Good night." " Good night." "Good night." " Come on, honey." " Come along, now." "Let's go." " Thanks for coming, Alex." " And you must come again sometime, eh?" "Thanks for the party." " Bye!" " Good night." " Good night." " Good night." " Hey, wait for me." " Well, come on, then." " Good night." " Bye." "Are you taking Marie home?" " Yes, of course." " All right." "Good night." " Do you mind if I lean on you?" " No, not at all." "Thank you." " Do you want to go home right away?" " Yes." " What a beautiful sky." " Yes, it is." "It's a pity that I can't leave my window open." " Night air is bad for me." " Oh." "But I leave the shutters open." "And when I wake up in the night, I can see the stars through the window." "Well, that's a very lovely way to look at the stars." "This is where I live." "Good night." " Shall I see you tomorrow?" " Oh, yes." " What time?" " At... eleven?" "All right." " Good night." " Good night." "This way, Madam, please." "This little crater formed during the last eruption." "You can see the boiling lava." "On this part, Madam, the crust of the earth is only 12 feet thick." " But isn't it dangerous?" " No." "Now I'll show you something very interesting, the mystery of ionisation." " What is it?" "What does it mean?" " Well, it's a very interesting phenomenon." "If you will watch now, I'll show you." "All you have to do is light a torch and the smoke increases everywhere, not only where we are now, but in all the craters." "Wait, I..." " I must take a photo for my husband." " Yes, yes, as you wish, Madam." "I'm ready." "There, here we are." "Now you see." "Look!" "Look at the smoke in that corner." " Did you see what a cloud of smoke?" " Yes, that's right!" " The smoke increase is not only here..." " And way over there, too." "...but everywhere, all over the hill." "Oh, that's... that's incredible!" " This is extraordinary." " Isn't it?" "And look over there." "Observe down here." "All right now, stand over there, please." "And now, Madam," "I'll show you the same effect of ionisation produced by a cigarette." "Yes, feel the heat at this opening." " And now, watch." "Watch!" " It's hot." "Now look." "Look." "You see?" "Not only here but all over." "All over the hill, at the same time." "The smoke increases over all the area." "Once more." " May I try?" " Of course, try yourself." " Let me hold it." " Thanks." "This way, Madam, please." "This is another site you must not miss." "This is the small Vesuvius, called "the Pocket Vesuvius"." "It is one of the most interesting spots in this area." "In that corner, there are the boiling cinders and lapillus." "You'll see." "Young man, come here." "Stir there." "Now look at that corner." "Look, look!" "The lapillus, you see?" "Pompeii, you know, was destroyed by a rain of burning lapillus and cinders." " Like these?" " Exactly." "And now, if you will come this way." "Follow me, please." "Good morning!" "Bonjour!" "I'm a little late." "It doesn't matter." "I'm very patient." " Where are we going?" " Well, would you like to go for a little walk?" "It'd be good for my leg." "Which way should we go?" " Let's go this way." " All right." " Feeling better?" " Yes, thank you." "Although I slept very little last night." " Oh?" "Why?" " Oh, I don't know." "I feel so alone in my house." "It seems kind of dead without that disorder or something that a man leaves behind." "The doors and the closets creek strangely, seem to make sounds I never heard before." "And even the noises outside seem louder, clearer." "Footsteps in the streets or..." "or a voice, or a child shouting, or a radio in the distance." "Fate is really strange." "Such a big world." "To think that I might never have met you." "You know, when I first saw you, I hardly noticed you." "And now, your happiness is really quite important to me." "But I am happy." "Very happy." "Everything is all right with my husband now." "I've been so nervous for the past few days." "You can't imagine the letters we wrote each other." "You see, he doesn't write very much, but when he wants to really hurt someone, he can do it with one phrase." "But everything is all right, now." "He is coming back to Capri tonight." "They'll bring the hot water for your tea right away." "Thanks." " Did you have an interesting day?" " Oh, yes, very." "Did you see anything new?" " Well, I saw the sulphur springs." " Strange place, isn't it?" "Tell me, did you imagine that Naples was like this?" "Oh, I can't say." "Not quite as it is, perhaps." "You haven't the faintest idea what Naples is like." "I must show you." "Tomorrow, if you wish, we can go together to visit the Fontanelle." " What is that?" " It's a... it's a catacomb, where they gather skeletons from ancient cemeteries." "Sounds very dismal." "Dismal?" "Quite the contrary." "These are the skeletons of people who died two, three, and even four hundred years ago." "Can you imagine?" "I don't think it sounds very amusing." "But that's because you've never been to the place." "You wouldn't believe it, but quite a few people go there." "There are many people who have chosen a skeleton, assembled it properly, take care of it lovingly, bring fresh flowers every so often, and keep a lamp in front of it." "But what is the meaning of all that?" "Oh, it's pity, I guess." "These poor dead are abandoned and alone." "They have no one to look after them, no one to pray for them." "Well, I don't understand." "I just can't understand it." "I know, it's difficult to understand, but..." "but you'll see for yourself." "That must be the boat from Capri." "Oh, yes, that must be it." "Is your husband coming back tonight?" "Oh, I don't know." "I don't think so." "He didn't phone me." "Oh, I have a terrible headache." "Ah, it's the sirocco." "The dampness in the air." "Now if... if they would bring me the water for my tea, I could take an aspirin." "I'll see what's delaying them." "There doesn't seem to be much that a foreigner can do to amuse himself in this town." "There are a few nightclubs, sir." "Yes, I've tried them but..." "I'm not much impressed." "Did you visit the one on the left as you go out of the hotel, about two blocks?" " No, I haven't seen that one." " There is a floor show there." "It's a little better than the rest." "I must investigate." " How much do I owe you?" " That will be 3,000 liras, sir." " Thank you." " Good night." "Good night, sir." "Good evening." "Good evening." "Do you want me?" "I'm afraid I don't understand Italian." "OK." "You shameless, brazen hussy." "What did you say?" "If you speak fast, I don't understand." "Slowly." "What did you say?" "Oh, nothing." "Nothing important." " Cigarette?" " Thanks." "Two night ago, a friend died." "A woman friend." "32 years old." "In a nightclub." "She put her head on the table." "And she died." "But how?" "What of?" "It was her heart." "She had a baby seven months ago." "I'm sorry." "If you didn't call me just now," "I think I would have thrown myself into the sea." " Isn't that a little extreme?" " Maybe." "But it is what I would have done." "Now look here." "After all, there are lots of..." "Listen." "Where do you want to go?" "To your home?" "Are you in a hotel?" "Where do we go?" "Nowhere." "Just forget it." "I'll take you for a drive and then I'll drop you off wherever you want to go." "Alex!" "Alex!" "Yes?" "What is it?" "I..." "I just wanted to make sure it was you." " Who did you think it was?" " I was sound asleep." "I..." "I had so much sun and air today that I was dead tired." "I fell asleep almost immediately." "How well one sleeps here." "Well... then..." "I..." "I woke up with a start when I heard a noise." "I didn't know..." "I..." "I didn't know that you were coming back tonight." "Well, as you see, here I am." " Did you have a good time?" " Not bad." "What boat did you come back on?" "The one that leaves at five o'clock." "Oh." "Five o'clock?" "What did you do until now?" "I was in Naples." "Oh." "Anything else you want to know?" "Of course not." "Then I... have your permission to go to bed?" "Of course." "Thank you." " Good night." " Good night." " Will you do me a favour?" " Yes." "Have someone call me at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning." "And don't let anyone disturb me until then." "I haven't been sleeping very well the last few nights." "All right." " Good night." " Good night." "I can't remember if I was supposed to wake Alex before leaving." "I guess not, though." "He said something about wanting to sleep until eleven." "Sleep is always good for one." "Let him sleep." "Oh, by the way, did he enjoy Capri?" "Not very much, I'm afraid." "Oh, what a beautiful Madonna!" "Ah, there's some marvellous ones." "Oh, let me tell you about a foreigner who was standing on the sidewalk one day here in Naples." "Suddenly, he noticed that everybody was tipping their hats and waving to him." "He couldn't understand his sudden popularity until he realised he was standing in front of one of those Madonnas." "How many expectant mothers you see here." "There are hundreds of them in the streets of Naples." "Count them in this space alone." "Two... three... four... five... and another one down there: six." "Now I'm sorry I took the car." "Maybe he needed it." "Oh, look there." "Look at that donkey." "Oh, what a load he's carrying, and he's so little." "But they're very strong." "It's a tough breed." "The food here is spicy isn't it?" " Why?" "Aren't you feeling well?" " Oh, yes, I was thinking of my husband." "How beautiful the children are." "I really think they are very beautiful here." "Is your husband also fond of children?" "Oh, I don't know." "I think so." "But one never knows what he's thinking." "My brother died in Greece, during the war." "He was buried there, so I often come here to pray for him." "It consoles me a little." "I pray for something else, too." "I want so much..." "I want so much to have a child." "You understand me, don't you?" "Yes." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Oh, good morning." " Morning." "See you later." " I see you took the car." " I didn't know you needed it." "Well, you might have asked." "I didn't want to wake you up." "And I was in a hurry." "Why?" "What could possibly be so urgent?" "Another ruin, immortalised by Charles?" "I'm getting thoroughly sick of these love..." "How can you make such a fuss, just because I took the car?" "It's not only that." "Everything you do nowadays seems so utterly senseless." "You've become quite intolerable." "All right, then, if that's the way you feel, let's do something about it." "All right." "Let's get a divorce." "Good morning!" "I've come to pick you up." "We should be leaving for Pompeii immediately." "Oh, well that's impossible." "I..." "Oh, but you can't miss this." "It's a special occasion." "Something that's happened very rarely since they've been excavating at Pompeii." "They're going to make a cast of the hollow place that has been left in the lava by a human body!" " I'm sorry, but we..." " Oh, please, you must come." "Imagine that you actually see the shape of a man just as he was then, the moment he was surprised by death." "It's an extraordinary experience." "Very few people ever get a chance to see it." "I must insist." "I'm sure that you'll..." "you'll thank me for it afterwards." "All these are new excavations." "It's on this spot that they found a hollow space." "When the men find hollow ground, they make a number of holes, and through these, they pour plaster." "The plaster fills out the hollow space left in the ground by the body which has disintegrated." "The shapes of bodies or objects buried for over 2,000 years are reconstructed this way." "Look, you can begin to see something!" "What is it?" "Let's see." "It looks like a leg." "Yes." "There's an arm." "And there are two more legs." "Well... it must be a group." "In the house of Menandro, they found the remains of nine people." "There's the head." "You can see the skull with the plaster clinging to it." "And now the skull bones and the teeth, both remarkably well-preserved." "Two people, just as they were at the moment they died." "A man and a woman." "A man and a woman." "Perhaps husband and wife." "Who knows?" "May have found death like this together." " What's happened to Mrs Joyce?" " I don't know." " Is there anything I can do?" " No, I'll talk to her." "Catherine!" "What's the matter?" "What's happened to you?" "Oh, Alex, this is too much." "I can't stand it anymore." "Please take me home." "I want to go home." "I don't want to stay here any longer." "Well, if that's what you want, but..." "We can't really leave these people like this." "They've been very kind, and this isn't something they do every day." "We owe them some kind of explanation." "Well, you explain to them." "Say I'm sick or something." "All right." "Look, my life isn't feeling very well." "If you'll excuse us, I think I'll take her home." "Oh, I'm terribly sorry." "Do you want me to show you the way out, or take you somewhere where she can rest?" "Come, I'll show you." "No, no." "It's better if I go myself." "She doesn't want anyone around just at the moment, if you understand." "But she'll be all right, and we'll probably be back in a few minutes." "All right." " Is this the way out?" " Yes, that's right." "You know, I understand how you feel." "I was pretty moved myself." "But you must try to pull yourself together." "Oh, did it affect you the same way?" "I..." "I've seen so many strange things today that I didn't have the time to tell you about." "There are many things that I didn't tell you." "I'm sorry I answered you in such a stupid way when I came back this morning." "Why?" "Our situation is quite clear." "We've made our decision." "You don't have to make any excuses." "Don't you want to look around a little, as long as we're here?" "No." "Nothing here that brings back old memories?" "Oh, stop it!" "Must you continue to..." "to harp on it?" "I'm sick and tired of your sarcasm." "We have decided to get a divorce and that settles it." "Life is so short!" "That's why one should make the most of it." "Look, I've been thinking." "Perhaps I ought to leave immediately." "You seem to like it here, so why don't you stay on until you've sold the house?" "I'll take the plane back to London." "I think the best thing to do is to talk to a lawyer and start proceedings." "Maybe what is wrong with our marriage is that we... we didn't have a child." "Well, you didn't want a child." "And now I agree with you." "You were quite right." "You had much more foresight than I did." "Imagine what it would be like to have a child involved in this." "It would make the divorce even more painful." "Painful?" "Is it going to be painful for you?" "Well... more complicated." "What in the world is going on?" "Look at all these people." "Look at the children." "Ah, this is awful." "We won't get through for hours." "Alex, listen." "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" "Are you suddenly getting sentimental?" "Listen, Cathy, we've been honest with each other up till now." "Don't let's spoil everything." "How can they believe in that?" "They're like a bunch of children." "Children are happy." "Alex, I don't want you to hate me." "I don't want it to finish this way." "Oh, Cathy." "What are you driving at?" "What game are you trying to play?" "You've never understood me." "You've never even tried." "And now this nonsense." "What is it you want?" "Nothing." "I despise you." "Well, come on." "Let's get out of this crowd." "A miracle!" "It was a miracle!" "Alex!" "Alex!" "Alex!" "Alex!" " Alex, I don't want to lose you!" " Catherine." "Catherine, what's wrong with us?" "Why do we torture one another?" "When you say things that hurt me, I... try to hurt you back, don't you see?" "But I can't, I can't any longer, because I love you." "Perhaps we get hurt too easily." "Tell me that you love me." "Well, if I do, will you promise not to take advantage of me?" "Yes." "But tell me." "I want to hear you say it." "All right." "I love you."