Ностромо
Chapter 4
HehadcookedforhiminLombardythroughthewholecampaign;onthemarchtoRomehehadlassoedhisbeefintheCampagnaaftertheAmericanmanner;hehadbeenwoundedinthedefenceoftheRomanRepublic;hewasoneofthefourfugitiveswho,withthegeneral,carriedoutofthewoodstheinanimatebodyofthegeneral’swifeintothefarmhousewhereshedied,exhaustedbythehardshipsofthatterribleretreat.HehadsurvivedthatdisastroustimetoattendhisgeneralinPalermowhentheNeapolitanshellsfromthecastlecrasheduponthetown.HehadcookedforhimonthefieldofVolturnoafterfightingallday.AndeverywherehehadseenEnglishmeninthefrontrankofthearmyoffreedom.HerespectedtheirnationbecausetheylovedGaribaldi.Theirverycountessesandprincesseshadkissedthegeneral’shandsinLondon,itwassaid.Hecouldwellbelieveit;forthenationwasnoble,andthemanwasasaint.Itwasenoughtolookonceathisfacetoseethedivineforceoffaithinhimandhisgreatpityforallthatwaspoor,suffering,andoppressedinthisworld.
Thespiritofself-forgetfulness,thesimpledevotiontoavasthumanitarianideawhichinspiredthethoughtandstressofthatrevolutionarytime,hadleftitsmarkuponGiorgioinasortofausterecontemptforallpersonaladvantage.Thisman,whomthelowestclassinSulacosuspectedofhavingaburiedhoardinhiskitchen,hadallhislifedespisedmoney.Theleadersofhisyouthhadlivedpoor,haddiedpoor.Ithadbeenahabitofhismindtodisregardto-morrow.
