The Aspern Papers Chapter II

In which a gentleman, seeking tranquillity and the simple delight of a garden in Venice, gains tentative access to a grand but somber old house inhabited by two reclusive English ladies whose life is marked by a curious blend of pride and penury. The scene is quietly charged with an undercurrent of wistful hope and measured advances, as the visitor endeavours to negotiate a stay amidst the shadows of past renown and present solitude.