The Nathaniel Hawthorne Library

The Marble Faun Chapter XXXVIII - Altars and Incense

In which a distressed young woman seeks solace within the opulent churches of Rome, finding herself both drawn to and alienated by the splendor and ritual of Catholic worship. Amidst the grand cathedrals and sacred art, she wrestles with her inherited beliefs and a yearning for spiritual comfort, encountering both the grandeur of faith and the limitations of earthly representation.

The Marble Faun Chapter XXXVII - The Emptiness of Picture Galleries

In which a young artist named Hilda descends from her lofty sanctuary to wander the vast galleries of Rome’s great palaces, finding her former fervour for the old masters diminished by a chill of spirit and growing weariness. She wrestles with a deepening sense of disillusionment and exile, haunted by memories of her native land and yearning for solace amid the splendid but cold magnificence that surrounds her.

The Marble Faun Chapter XXXVI - Hilda's Tower

In which we are invited once more into the labyrinthine heart of Rome, that city of faded grandeur and enduring enchantment, where the spirit may waver between weariness and a mysterious, inescapable attachment. Amidst the sultry summer and deserted galleries, Hilda wrestles with a profound and solitary sorrow, feeling the heavy weight of a secret that taints her innocence as she seeks silent solace in the quiet communion of doves and the tender image of the Virgin.

The Marble Faun Chapter XXXV - The Bronze Pontiff's Benediction

In which Miriam, summoned by a tremulous faith and a weighty purpose, meets Donatello amid the bustling piazza beneath the benignant gaze of the pontiff’s statue, where a solemn conversation unfolds concerning the bonds of love and the heavy shadows that entwine them. Kenyon’s calm counsel tempers their sorrowful union with visions of sacrifice and mutual elevation, as the trio find themselves silently blessed by the statue’s vast and maternal benediction.

The Marble Faun Chapter XXXIV - Market-Day in Perugia

In which two travellers enter the storied city of Perugia at dawn, wandering through its ancient streets and lively market square where the mingling of medieval grandeur and daily bustle paints a scene both strange and familiar to the observant eye. Amidst the vibrant crowd, they pause before a stately bronze statue of a pope, whose silent benediction seems to impart a quiet grace upon one of the friends, just as the cathedral bells herald the stroke of high noon.