After the Pardon

After the Pardon by Matilde Serao is about a housewife named Maria and her lover Marco, who is an ambassador to the English Embassy. Maria struggles with her jealous passion for Marco, who in turn, despises her husband. Excerpt: "The woman gazed at that almost deserted space, at the immense solitary church, rendered cold by the light of the moon, and the solitude of her desolate spirit and desolate heart became more profound and intense. "Maria," said a voice at her shoulder. She turned suddenly. The young man who had called her took her two hands and kissed them one after the other with tender gallantry…"