tary al in Rome for more t  tient and turned from to tcors  passed, to discover ime, and t no tartled t time ing by signals and grimaces, no even  e out he Allies.

    atus er of known scars on him.

    So tors o  ty, after all, ing silence. A war hero.

    t . Revealing not enderness or subterfuge or knives. For more t said a  among patients and nurses in and out of tockrooms.

    But no tors in turned and came up to tal sold  it aken over by ted into a al after to it. In t of it torn apart by bombing. Unsafe. It  a temporary field al. But tient o leave.

    you force them down?

    Soo ill to be moved. e could   safely, of course, but noime to argue. She was in rough shape herself.

    Is she injured?

    No. Partial s rouble is, t make anyone do anytients are  of als. troops are going AOL before t sent back home.

    hich villa? he asked.

    It’s one t in t , a burned patient. t it is unrecognizable. tche face is asleep.

    ho is he? he asked.

    e don’t know his name.

    talk?

    tcors laugalks, alks all time,  doesn’t know who he is.

    here did he come from?

    t o Siag.  and  it one day, or per. t cs —none of tification. No leave ients t t  stronged, eac season. Outside t ty miles from Florence, in t someone to drive you up. It is still terrible out ttle.  dead, en. People  vices of war.

    Completely unsafe. t gone in t to clear it. treated burying and installing mines as t. A terrible place for a al. t. e need a good snoo clean up try.

    e need ravens.

    thank you.

    of tal into to open air for t time in mont of t rooms t lay like glass in ood t, , I need stom. I need gelato.

    difficult to fall asleep on train, so side. tment smoking. emple banging against to be on fire  cigarettes. iced t ery travellers around hemselves. She’s in rough shape herself.

    Gelato for tonsils, o onsils out. Saken one look at t adaptable and genial of curned into a stone of refusal, adamant. No one  of  t. S in, ” looked like. ill  a tonsil was.

    touc, t range. t times , cut next. At times  of his head.

    A scurry in the ceiling like a mouse.

    ood  t termittent pools of candleligter of footsteps as o surprised ing to  ient’s  loudness.

    As urned up t enlarged ter of lig very still, to hen crouched beside her like an uncle.

    “tell me onsil is.” aring at him.

    “I keep remembering ormed out of tal followo grown men.” She nodded.

    “Is your patient in t s until he spoke again.

    “I’ll see omorro tell me  need ss. Is tcrange journey I took in order to find you.” o table and sat dorembling. Needing table, to collect rain and o table just to see er a fees so tood t across t t made trompe ’oeil seem convincing. S flo onto her dress.

    t. ly over rees, to silver fisers outside. ter. An er ions along troyed gardens and orc neigaly.

    In tain talk tentatively.

    “Noaly you s more about Verdi.” “?” S s in tain.

    old me once you h him.” hana bows her head, embarrassed.

    Caravaggio  t time, peering doo the garden.

    “Yes, you used to love o drive us all mad ion about Giuseppe.  a man! t in every een-year-old.” “I ain.

    “You ones, grass in tcockinged feet, trade.

    “I to admit, somet t and my dad  for t ter in tain. tled er pipes w.

    t t o s h.

    “I’m glad to see you, Caravaggio. No one else. Don’t say you o try and persuade me to leave.” “I  to find a small bar zer and drink  a fucking bomb going off. Listen to Frank Sinatra singing. e o get some music,” ient.” “ill in Africa.” cing for o say more, but t tient to be said. ters.

    “Some of t of ts t precisely. So t foreigners tly. A lean face  s,  tery of ain gurgling in the villa.

    Maybe to come out of a o ed like a garden. As if all t remains is a capsule from t, long before Verdi, trade or —t arcect in teentury—and requesting sometisfying to frame t vista.

    “If you are staying,” so need more food. I ed vegetables,  quite saying it.

    “I lost my nerve,” he says.

    “I’ll come  togeteaco steal, s to do.” “You don’t understand. I lost my nerve.” “. t nigimes,  is asleep or even after sside one rim of tain looking up at stars, or serrace. In t difficult to stay indoors at nig of time  ly werrace looking for him.

    Satue of a count, upon s likes to sit, solemn and drooling  so claim  up by a family of owls.

    tory, Florence and s in tance. Sometimes ic to oo calm. In dayligices better ices tiffened arms above turns instead of just ts to somet s to him.

    “My patient t o t sky. “Yes.” “ere you a spy t quite.” able, more disguised from ient’s room looking do times  in to steal. alian and a t believe to use me. t four or five of us. I did ime. tally pograp?

    “I uxedo, a monkey suit, in order to get into ty, to steal some papers. Really I ill a thief.

    No great patriot. No great  made my skills official. But one of t a camera and  t in mid-step, ep, tter’s noise making me jerk my o. So suddenly everyture was dangerous. Some general’s girlfriend.

    “All pograpaken during t labs, capo, and so t part of any list, to be filed ao tory. So it meant o try and steal t film back someient, o dip o t, leaning fore against t of the hand on her own cheek.

    So  a swing as she ground.

    Moments before sleep are s of t into to il times, uations. Caravag-gio ance given ive, a drama, and a stolen image.

    y in a car. It crunc of tomobile purring, serene as ink . For t of t tograped to pograpion. No s existence . o tress to an officer, ravel nortuscany. t of tigated.

    Four er, ed by tops at t.  t the square moons of window. A palace of war-women.

    A car beam—like somet of a s up tep, seeing t same  ands turned in surprise at t t reveals s so a corner of the room and disappear.

    t kno t to break a neck—tohe bed?

    inue, oion, anoto suggest collecting a t as one tinkers ed bicycle. ords are tricky told ricky t.

    urning and s for anot of lig emerges out of till an arro, and toucting of . to understand. to of irony, just a contract anding, so o t into t.

    Finding . ered tly passed t seventeentury murals along ts in a gold suit. t past guards o be revealed as an innocent. ripped completely and left hes in a flower bed.

    airs to to laug some privacy, so  at  ation, alfresco,  it? Or seduction a cappella~?

    One long air and one at ty yards aoo many yards arical , c suspicion and scornfully by tries, t a section of mural to peer at a painted donkey in a grove.  falling asleep, tumbles and immediately pulls ogeto a military gait.

    ray left o te from a tz ed saints on tuesday during to save  on tiles looking for a pograph of himself.

    s  as if looking for ends to use it as a key to let o t is being guarded. Laugaggers back, peeved at o t room humming.

    eps out onto tiful nig and so ter t. Printless foot. Sory old someone’s c this image of himself on a piece of film.

    In tely a. o c in order to feel anytouc even a grain of light.

    s to  and souc of marble. one ands ts sling. taneously as urns is seen by t.

    Caravaggio cs across from o rying to read rying to figure t to do. c, searcrace.  and looks back at less, clear as any river, unimpeac lost in to  tcilting ion as a dog one or pitc is not s across from  of t like, and in  look, slim, tanned olive from all t in try, she reminds him of his wife.

    Nourn around and evoke every move of  of  of  on  during t.

    s able, c. ill prefers to eat alone, ts y, al vanity. Sing s on one of ty-six steps by t a fork or a knife in sigo eat like someone from t. In ubble-beard, in , salian finally in ices this more and more.

    c toronto before t in deceit against toa or er of his friend.

    But noo ccs to set in motion, is interested only in  seems so tairs.

    During meals s opposite tc.

    ta Cal in Pisa, o see a  stood alone on top of ttlements, linked by colour to te marble of to, ts roug of anot from t t o be accepted. Yet sed it most of all among tal. At midnig stood  and t it . S five or five-ty and t six to see its silte and groail. Every nig s.

    Even t it t t of ts mad logic of a tower leaning like a person in shell shock.

    tal buildings lay in old monastery grounds. topiary carved for too careful monks ients among t s seemed t only one remained permanent.

    Nurses too became ster. t blood t never stopped, as if to believe in notrusted notling a mine broke ta Cal er t told her.

    A we lion.

    It ime after t sient—someone  and dark, a pool for er,  patient in to return o ty of tals. All tal ports, suco and Marina di Pisa, are noisroops ing to be sent  s and returned it to ting nurses. t over everyold it ion. t desertion. I ay er and food. Sairs to tient, and told ay as well.

    o turn oo  o  it cool he valley of his fingers.

    how old are you?

    ty.

    ted to be carried oo tance.

    A friend of my fated to die  is.   himself.

    does your father do?

    he is

    .. he war.

    You’re in too.

    S kno er a montting  first  by t t t ients and doctors and nurses and equipment and ss and to back doo Florence and to Pisa. Sed aablets, as cures, trucks. Good-bye, tters to a close.

    Beo t of ty miles a of ty of Florence,  of t one of t door en a nightingale.

    t to protect inants from tress, t of tatues blo days of stle demarcation bets of to o garden  could come only to someone e of te of ter. Someday t.

    Caravaggio came into tco find ting able.  see ucked in under he bare shoulders.

    S still or asleep. itable.

    Caravaggio stood t. It  yet daable wood.

    “illed illness. “o moan so t be reached.

    ain at first about touchen lay his bandaged hand on her shoulder.

    S stop s sorroo excavate everything.

    Sill, tood up against  of table.

    “Dont touco try and fuck me.” t,  ering tc.

    “and?” “ love ied yourself to a corpse for some reason.” “. I t. Are to protect t even care!” “I can love y-year-old o love a g!” Caravaggio paused. “You o protect yourself from sadness. Sadness is very close to e. Let me tell you take in someone elses poison— t—you ead store it  er t   ston pocket of ary sries to imagine een cypress trees.

    As to , like er, t moving. he plum being swallowed.

    dribble,  reacs o suck it. Let me tell you about plums, he says. hen I was a boy...

    After t niger most of t taken a dead man’s o use it. So o ing above all te and er on ts t arted to appear coming doorey.

    Eac so tline of aken from a dead soldier, someone who had died under her care.

    A pair of tennis s saken from ot on t s in,  nohings.

    ure ant planets, eacude. Caravaggio, ill and causing o give o. o  trust talked  o o ionsed from professional or personal robberies.

    S about Caravaggio—some people you just o embrace, in some o bite into to remain sane in to grab tc like a droo t. Otreet to about to hs. As an uncle he had been a disappearer.

    Caravaggio urb you by simply enfolding you in er.

    But no of t Englishman.

    t t patients, s fall apart at tences all to toercil tered Florence and t farther sea near Pisa.

    In tal sient for t time. A man ification consumed in a fire. Parts of annic acid, t o a protective sed ian violet. to recognize in him.

    Sometimes ss several blankets and lies under t t slides onto t o sleep truly pleasurable state. If ser s ebooks and favourite cat and e in bed. Strangers and lovers  past the locked door.

    to rest o receive all aspects of t judgement. A batenderness toenderness to the self.

    ary blankets. Sient moved in a.

    soronto so read t. It o a fire escape  in her arms.

    In aug. Nos,  gestures  country trained at omen’s College al and t overseas during t was in

    t Canadian Infantry Division s aly, and troyed bodies o tals like mud passed back by tunnellers in ter ttle of Arezzo, roops recoiled, s by ter t rest, stress he world around her.

    of to cut  concerned  cutting it aation of its presence during till in  for  to make sure trands and turned again to face the wounded.

    S  darker ss about ain people sient’s face and discover er on Danfortients. Reason  miger of blood moved up try.  oronto anymore in reac tors, nurses, civilians.  closer to to soldiers.

    S t ime I co see Franklin D.

    o me.

    S kept bleeding. S sransported a ton of metal out of t sravelled nort s died sook tennis s tly too big for  sable.

    oug later. Sly from tiredness. S a furious exion to feed a patient  or didn’t  to, co s. Sed notic, just bread, meat. One of totaco tal and in ime s and ter, ichoke.

    It range sleeping in teries, or  of t orderlies ance. toned building and side into spring or er or summer, seasons t seemed arc sat like old gentlemen t tep outside ed air t smelled of noted moonlig came orm.

    ract only until deat or past augo be a nurse. But cutting ract, and it lasted until tors, one ients. taly moved fart  behind.

    tions of some local victory, someive in too Florence or Rome or any otal, ient,” o y of ensive burns. Sold tal   for y from brigands.

    Sill refused to leave, got out of  frock s ennis sepped a till t s in t ed to learn, groo, and urn a. ttle z in to . Sed to save  faceless man wwo h.

    In  dress sion. S into t do, and s t up sloto. It  even so seemed a luxury. So look at  o move it back to arm’s length, her hand wavering.

    Sctle portrait of ients being broug into t in taff. Only till indoors. S t. o rying to recognize herself.

    Darkness betalk in his familiar slow drawl.

    “It y late at nig Craaurant. Do you remember, hana?

    Everyone o stand and sing a song. Your fatta, friends, and you said you ed to as  time. You ill at sche song in a French class.

    “You did it formally, stood on tep up onto table betes and the candles burning.

    “ ‘Alonson fon!’ “You sang out, your left o your . Alonson fon!  kno kno , but you kne.

    “t over so it almost touce in t you, miraculous  so distinct, flaions, and t touc almost toucood up at table into able. Like gloves.” “ jumping from a  old you about, ograp .” S me do it.” S of  pockets. S, but in t t luminous.

    As seps backe coming out of ill oo catco postpone t not his eyes.

    ogeto les in  she holds seems firm, healed.

    “I tell you I o negotiate for  me.” “?” “All to  move. Don’t drift a is a strange time, tment.” “Yes.” o cup ter-moon.

    “t of ly  it is no trick, t w looks like a gill is w away. owards her blouse.

    S in t ugs it softly towards him.

    “I toucton like t of you al Pimpernel, and in my dreams I stepped onto t roofs s, pencil cases, s music off some Forest o t you? You liked t tense?” “It seems unimportant notern of leaves rolls off him.

    “You used to be like tists  nig on in treet. Like trapped to t of liging doo ty parks. You took me to t place, t cafe” ock exc dropping and rising, five cents, ten cents. People unes. Do you remember?” “Yes.” “alk back ’s getting cold.” “t pickpockets are born  t need to go as deep into a pocket. t distance of orees.

    “ to you?” “to do it. t it renc. t in one of ts o table legs.  off my t of t any poommasoni. S, kneionality or ient was sing.  go of Caravaggio and cairs, ennis ser.

    to tcore off a section of bread and followed airs.

    As os became more frantic. epped into taring at a dog—tunned by to Caravaggio and grinned.

    “I  seen a dog for years. All ts . Seered to must o  turned into a man. Caravaggio collected t the room.

    I ient said, t t be Poliziano’s room. t  is ter coming out of t  ancient fountain. It is a famous room. t here.

    It , long before t a nunnery. took it over.

    I t protege of Lorenzo. I’m talking about

    In Florence, in Santa trinita Cing of t, ay.

    It  midnight and he was wide awake again.

    Okay, tell me, s, take me somec s name was.

    It ics and ts and colonial padded stockings and er, not mucer, and ties. Poliziano translated e a great poem on Simonetta Vespucci, you know her?

    No, said hana, laughing.

    Paintings of ion at ty-tanze per la Gios-tra and tticelli painted scenes from it. Leonardo painted scenes from it. Poliziano ure every day for two ernoon. e wed and joined Savonarola.

    t was my nickname when I was a kid. Pico.

    Yes, I t ain in the young Michelangelo.

    ted do four books of Cicero. ted a giraffe, a roscanelli dres. t in t of Plato and argued all night.

    And t of treets: “Repentance! t ao be elegant, fame, t to er the graves. Pico’s bones were preserved.

    Poliziano’s o dust.

    ened as turned tion glued in from ot great maps lost in to’s statue, , ts across tood on ture. Pico docion.

    er into a bohe war.

    doery  s to  of grass snipped dohis.

    to be a man  ill did not feel o go h his aging.

    o coo late, grabbing table, upsetting the carafe of wine.

    Your name is David Caravaggio, right?

    to table. At one point  in  ried to run  topped, dropping to do more. table slid out and fell against , and all its contents, and  per ommasoni picked up to ? ill  sure.

    As able, to  clearly and slipped table leg, flinging to dro to t to step out of ther cuff.

    Blood every  by producing envy. But t   table tion into  slowed him.

    ood up dizzy above table. tommasoni, teleperrupting tommasoni, ically o t t him go, so perhaps he was wrong.

    to Spirito to tion  Brunellescoitute, er him.

    Suddenly  ting o revealing tact. o a side street, not looking back, never looking back. ed a street fire so ancar cauldron so black smoke rinita Bridge. traffic, rade of then lay back. No sounds.

    Earlier, s, t of tanks and jeeps.

    As  of t  filled er. er.

    ter of to but couldn’t even nudge it. Ligo to ts of which were on fire.

    old ory later t evening sopped torturing you because tting out of ty, blo.” “I don’t knoold t? tant po t room. tcening to t  of to t to e in it.

    t forty-five,  time of darkness, her.

    So t in one of the high shelves.

    t up from ly pulled free t candle o t out t out of ture, iced onto . As if ed to slip into ating its climate and light.

    Sood by tcoug. In darkness, in any liger dusk, you can slit a vein and the blood is black.

    So move from tropired. Srode do doairs and  out onto terrace of trying to discern tepped a tiff so t tting in t air.  kno evenings nourning a few here was no sign of him.

    S t covered to a corner of t in after  of fish.

    No lighunder.

    Sanding in front of t looking doed to play, just co a skeleton. Ser eac of notes as if bringing  of er to see inued, placing doune. Ss of ood in front of ill in the changed room.

    on tinuing aug sised on any surface, a kitcable, a o ty centre on Saturday mornings and play t all  o tcable and ter. t time scs s day ter. You opened up t a full glass of er, and a monter ty. old  t pianos, never in bars. S but  first t it was perhaps mice.

    A ligorm , and s amazed, relieved any be it  a quick glimpse of urban and t  guns. tal table several montcient could ified the weapons.

    one pure Italian. A villa romance.  ableau, t over and t brigning slipped itself into t ipake my sugar to tea

    ..

    Do you knohe words?

    t from to intricacy, tumbling into  split open notes and angles from tnut of melody.

    ake my sugar to teaAll take ake my sugar to tea.

    t  and ning and ter to it, filling up ted to o ruggling to remember ting it under a kitcap and using it to able free of tes, tcer y  still unable to reac, so so stand,  pedal and tronome ticking.

    S  to end to give up t, ra. So t sop now.

    Caravaggio did not see all turned  in tchen making up sandwiches.