Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [8]
Borth and the usher Zito came back. Borth said: “It’s nifty, Major. All the records are intact. They tell everything. There are lists of anti-Fascists and lists of those who were enthusiastic and the others who were lukewarm. There’s a dossier on each important person. It’s perfect. Who are these guys?”
Cacopardo said: “Cacopardo is my name, at your service, sir. Cacopardo is sulphur and sulphur is Cacopardo.”
Borth said: “I remember that name. In the records it says Cacopardo’s crazy.”
Craxi said: “That is true. He thinks that bells are more important than food.”
Borth turned on Craxi in mock anger. “And who is this?”
Craxi was apologetic again: “I am anti-Fascist. Craxi. I believe in food for the moment.”
Major Joppolo said: “They are arguing which is more important, food or restoring the bell. Since we obviously can’t do anything about the bell just now, food is our concern.”
Craxi looked very proud of himself, but Cacopardo turned to Zito and said: “We will leave this matter to the son of Rosa who was the wife of Zito. What do you say, small Zito, do you consider the food or the bell more important?”
Surprisingly Zito said: “I think the bell.”
Major Joppolo was interested by this. He leaned forward and said: “Why, Zito?”
Zito said: “Because the tone of the bell was so satisfactory.”
“No,” said Cacopardo, “it is because of the history of the bell. When the bell spoke, our fathers and their fathers far back spoke to us.”
Even Craxi was swept into this argument. “No,” he said, “it was because the bell rang the times of day. It told us when to do things, such as eating. It told us when to have the morning egg and when to have pasta and rabbit and when to drink wine in the evening.”
Zito said: “I thing it was the tone which mattered. It soothed all the people of this town. It chided those who were angry, it cheered the unhappy ones, it even laughed with those who were drunk. It was a tone for everybody.”
Giuseppe came in bringing the priest. Father Pensovecchio was grey-haired and cheerful, and as he approached the group around the Major’s desk he made a motion with his right hand which might have been interpreted either as a blessing or as a Fascist salute.
After the introductions, Major Joppolo said to the priest: “Father, we are speaking of the old bell which was taken away.”
Father Pensovecchio said: “That is the disgrace of this town. I have in my church a bell which is just as loud as the one which was taken away, though not so sweet and much younger and altogether meaningless as a bell. Any other bell would have done as well in my belfry. I wanted to send my bell. But the Monsignor would not permit it. The Monsignor is the uncle of the Mayor. He has reasons for doing the things he does -” Father Pensovecchio crossed himself, indicating that the things which the Monsignor did were somewhat ugly; “ - but in this case I believe he was wrong.”
Major Joppolo said: “Why was this bell important, then?”
The priest said: “This bell was the center of the town. All life revolved around it. The farmers in the country were wakened by it in the morning, the drivers of the carts knew when to start by it, the bakers baked by it, even we in the churches depended on that bell more than our own bells. At noon on the Sabbath, when all the bells in town rang at once, this bell rose above all the others and that was the one you listened to.”
Cacopardo, who was old enough not to have reverence for anything, said: “I think that even the Monsignor regrets the sending away of the bell, because he used to regulate his fornication by it.”
Craxi said: “I am certain too that he regulated his eating by it, as everyone else did.”
Major Joppolo said to Borth in English: “We’ll have to try to do something about getting another bell.”
Borth said: “It’s ridiculous. There are lots of things more important than this bell. Get them some food and don’t forget that alleyway.”
Major Joppolo said: “All the same, the bell is important