Volume I Part 19 (1/2)
Entertaining feelings of gratitude for my kind host, and disposed to listen attentively to his poem, I dismissed all sadness, and I paid his poetry such co edof his idylls, and I had to s the the infliction cheerfully The day passed off very agreeably; the housekeeper surrounded me with the kindest attentions--a proof that she was s idea, I felt that, by a very natural systeood priest thought that the day had passed like lightning, thanks to all the beauties I had discovered in his poetry, which, to speak the truth, was belowvery slowly, because the friendly glances of the housekeeperfor bedtime, in spite of the miserable condition in which I felt myself morally and physically But such was my nature; I abandoned myself to joy and happiness, when, had I been rief and sadness
But the golden time came at last I found the pretty housekeeper full of compliance, but only up to a certain point, and as she offered some resistance when I shewed e to her char, very well pleased for both of us that it had not been carried any further, and I sought my couch in peace But I had not seen the end of the adventure, for the nextcaresses upon her, and if she did not abandon herself entirely, it was only, as she said, because she was afraid of soood priest, and at night, the house-keeper no longer fearing detection, and I having on my side taken every precaution necessary in the state in which I e passed two
Friar Stephano anorance combined with knavery under the veil of simplicity He made me look at the ales, preserves, and chocolate; every nook and cranny of his holy garment was full of provisions
”Have you received money likewise?” I enquired
”God forbid! In the first place, our glorious order does not permit me to touch h to receive any when I a, people would think themselves quit of me with one or two sous, whilst they dive me ten times as much in eatables
Believe ht myself that what this monk called wealth would be poverty to me He offered to share withto honour him so far
The tartan touched at the harbour of Pola, called Veruda, and we landed
After a walk up hill of nearly a quarter of an hour, we entered the city, and I devoted a couple of hours to visiting the Ro been the rand buildings except the ruins of the arena We returned to Veruda, and went again to sea On the following day we sighted Ancona, but the wind being against us ere compelled to tack about, and we did not reach the port till the second day The harbour of Ancona, although considered one of the great works of Trajan, would be very unsafe if it were not for a causehich has cost a great deal of money, and which makes it some what better I observed a fact worthy of notice, namely, that, in the Adriatic, the northern coast has many harbours, while the opposite coast can only boast of one or two It is evident that the sea is retiring by degrees towards the east, and that in three or four more centuries Venice must be joined to the land We landed at the old lazzaretto, where we received the pleasant inforht days, because Venice had admitted, after a quarantine of three ue had recently been raging I requested a room for myself and for Brother Stephano, who thanked me very heartily I hired fro to pay for the hire at the expiration of our quarantine The uessed that without hiht have starved, he wouldenerous custo from me that I did not know, he, as well as Captain Alban, went to a great deal of trouble to find it, and I could hardly keep downto be excused for having left it behind, and assuring me that he would take care to forward it to me in less than three weeks
The friar, who had to remain with me four weeks, expected to live at my expense, while, on the contrary, he had been sent by Providence to keep h for one week, but it was necessary to think of the future
After supper, I drew athat I should be in need of everything until , I said, to fill the post of secretary of ined when I saw the blockhead delighted at the recital of my misfortunes
”I undertake to take care of you until we reach Rome; only tell me whether you can write”
”What a question! Are you joking?”
”Why should I? Look atbut my name True, I can write it with either hand; and what else do I want to know?”
”You astonish ht you were a priest”
”I am a monk; I say the mass, and, as a matter of course, I must kno to read Saint-Francis, whose unworthy son I am, could not read, an that is the reason why he never said a mass But as you can write, you will to-morrow pen a letter in ive you, and I warrant you we shall have enough sent here to live like fighting cocks all through our quarantine”
The next day he ht letters, because, in the oral tradition of his order, it is said that, when a monk has knocked at seven doors and has met with a refusal at every one of thehth with perfect confidence, because there he is certain of receiving ale to Rome, he knew every person in Ancona devoted to the cult of Saint-Francis, and was acquainted with the superiors of all the rich convents I had to write to every person he named, and to set down all the lies he dictated to , that, if he signed himself, his correspondents would see that the letters had not been written by hie of corruption, people will esteem only learned es and quotations, even those addressed to ladies, and I remonstrated in vain, for, when I raised any objection, he threatened to leaveto eat I made up my mind to do exactly as he wished He desired me to write to the superior of the Jesuits that he would not apply to the Capuchins, because they were no better than atheists, and that that was the reason of the great dislike of Saint-Francis for them It was in vain that I reminded him of the fact that, in the time of Saint-Francis, there were neither Capuchins nor Recollets His ansas that I had proved ht a , but I wasin that I was amazed Wine was sent froh for us during all our stay, and yet I drank nothing but water, so great was h was sent in every day for six persons; we gave all our surplus to our keeper, who had a large faratitude for the kind souls who bestowed their charity upon him; all his thanks were reserved for Saint-Francis
He undertook to have ive itto fear, as everybody ell aware that the monks of his order never wear any kind of linen
I keptmyself to visitors The persons who did not coruities cleverly worded, which I took good care not to point out to hireat difficulty that I tried to persuade him that those letters did not require any answer
A fortnight of repose and severe diet brought an to walk in the yard of the lazzaretto froht; but the arrival of a Turk from Thessalonia with his fa been given to him The only pleasure leftthe yard I soon saw a Greek slave, a girl of dazzling beauty, for whom I felt the deepest interest She was in the habit of spending the whole day sitting near the door with a book or some embroidery in her hand If she happened to raise her eyes and to meet mine, she modestly bent her head down, and sometimes she rose and went in slowly, as if sheat ure was tall and slender, her features proclai; she had a very fair complexion, with beautiful black hair and eyes She wore the Greek costu voluptuousness
I was perfectly idle, and with the teiven me, was it likely that I could feastdesperately in love? I had heard her conversing in Lingua Franca with her master, a fine old man, who, like her, felt very weary of the quarantine, and used to co in the yard only a short tireat teirl, but I was afraid she ain; however, unable to control er, I deter the letter, as I had only to let it fall froht have refused to pick it up, and this is the plan I adopted in order not to risk any unpleasant result