The Marble Faun Chapter XVIII - On the Edge of a Precipice

In which a small company of friends muse upon the symbolic abyss beneath the ruins of ancient Rome, reflecting on the fragile veil of happiness and the somber legacies of history as they wander near the Tarpeian Rock overlooking the city. Amidst their contemplations and song, an ominous and solitary incident transpires in a shadowed courtyard, casting a sudden chill upon the evening’s serene air.