She buys some of the images, while the young man’s eyes drink in all the works of art in the hall. She asks him if he would like to see their collections. Yes, that he would. And she herself goes with him and shows him.
He is so delighted with what he sees that she thinks that he must be a real artist, and she says to herself that she will not forget him. She asks where his home is. He answers: “In Diamante.”--“Is that far away?”--“Four hours in the post-carriage.”--“And with the railway?”--“There is no railway to Diamante, signorina.”--“You must build one.”--“We! we are too poor. Ask the rich men in Catania to build us a railway!”
When he has said that he starts to go, but he turns at the door and comes and gives her his almond-blossoms. It is in gratitude for all the beautiful things she has let him see.
When Donna Micaela opened her eyes she did not know whether she had been dreaming or whether perhaps once some such thing had really happened. Gaetano could really have been some time in the Palazzo Palmeri to sell his images, although she had forgotten it; but now the almond-blossoms had recalled it.
But it was no matter, no matter. The important thing was that the young wood-carver was Gaetano. She felt as if she had been talking to him. She thought she heard the door close behind him.
And it was after that that it occurred to her to build a railway between Catania and Diamante.
Gaetano had surely come to her to ask her to do it. It was a command from him, and she felt that she must obey.
She made no attempt to struggle against it. She was certain that Diamante needed a railway more than anything else. She had once heard Gaetano say that if Diamante only possessed a railway, so that it could easily send away its oranges and its wine and its honey and its almonds, and so that travellers could come there conveniently, it would soon be a rich town.
She was also quite certain that she could succeed with the railway. She must try at all events. It never occurred to her not to. When Gaetano wished it, she must obey.
She began to think how much money she herself could give. It would not go very far. She must get more money. That was the first thing she had to do.
Within the hour she was at Donna Elisa’s, and begged her to help her arrange a bazaar. Donna Elisa lifted her eyes from her embroidery. “Why do you want to arrange a bazaar?”--“I mean to collect money for a railway.”--“That is like you, Donna Micaela; no one else would have thought of such a thing.”--“What, Donna Elisa? What do you mean?”--“Oh, nothing.”