the sea was drowsily
patting the shore round the foot of Monte Cofano and along by happy
Bonagia, swaying idly in and out of the harbours of Trapani and among the
islands--Levanzo, Favognana, and distant Marettimo. Berto need not have
whispered the word; but it was a secret--it was the name of his lady.

Soon after Christmas he announced in the most open manner, that is to say
on a post-card, that the preliminaries were over and that his engagement
to Giuseppina had been made public; I sent congratulations to them both
and he replied in a letter which, omitting the formalities, runs thus in
English:

I, on my part, and Giuseppina, on hers, are extremely contented
because we both love you with that love which is strong and powerful
enough to raise the heart and to transport us above the breathable
air; and, as our thoughts frequently fly to you, our distant English
friend, we make you a proposition, but you will understand that we
lay no obligation upon you and we do not ask you to take any trouble.
Here it is in two words: It is our most vivid desire that you should
become our compare: that is, that you should hold the tazza
containing the ring at our wedding. I repeat, it is our most vivid
desire that you will accede to our request for this honour and we
shall be most grateful to you if you will content us. It is for you
to send your answer which we await with anxiety.

Now, I cannot be more dear to Berto than he is to me--I am not sure about
the breathable air, but he is one of the best fellows I know--so I wrote
saying I was more flattered, honoured, and pleased by his request than I
could express in words. Moreover, it fell out very conveniently because
the ceremony was to take place in the following April at a time when I
intended to be in Sicily. Then came the difficulty about the wedding
present, and whether there was any special duty for a compare to perform
besides holding the ring. I remembered Ignazio's ash-tray and asked
whether perhaps I ought to bring something of the kind from London.
Berto replied that the tazza is a sacred object belonging to the church
and is lent for the ceremony and, as I did not seem to know much about
it, he kindly informed me that the customs of his country on the occasion
of a wedding are as follows:

The father and the mother of the bridegroom and the father and the
mother of the bride invite the relations and fri