Volume I Part 24 (1/2)
”I will buy you one, dear”
”Then buy mine,” I said; ”I will let you have it for twenty ounces, and you can give me a note of hand payable to bearer in payive it him to redeem my debt”
”Your snuff-box, my dear abbe, is worth twenty ounces, but I cannot buy it unless you agree to receive payhted to see it in my wife's possession, and she would keep it as a re that I would not accept his offer, said that she had no objection to give me the note of hand
”But,” exclailishination? He would never enter an appearance, and ould have the snuff-box for nothing Do not trust the abbe, reat cheat”
”I had no idea,” answered his wife, looking at ues of this species”
I affected a h to be often guilty of such cheating
When a h to throw him into despair, and as little to enhance his joy to the utmost There was but one bed in the room where supper had been served, and another in a s out of the room, but without a door The ladies chose the closet, and the advocate retired to rest before one to bed; I looked atht But the reader ot into the bed, that it creaked loud enough to wake the dead I waited, however, quite motionless, untiltold me that he was entirely under the influence of Morpheus, I tried to slip out of the bed; but the infernal creaking which took place whenever I moved, wokeain Half an hour after, I tried a second tiive it up in despair
Love is theof Gods; in the midst of obstacles he seems to be in his own element, but as his very existence depends upon the enjoyment of those who ardently worshi+p hi, little blind God contrives to bring success out of the ht, and had nearly gone to sleep, when suddenly we hear a dreadful noise Guns are fired in the street, people, screa up and down the stairs; at last there is a loud knocking at our door The advocate, frightened out of his slumbers, asks me what it can allto be allowed to sleep But the ladies are treht I remain very quiet, the advocate jumps out of bed, and runs out of the room to obtain a candle; I rise at once, I follow him to shut the door, but I slaives way, and the door cannot be reopened without the key
I approach the ladies in order to cal theht, and that we should then know the cause of the tuIrather too heavily upon h the bottom of the bedstead, and we suddenly find ourselves, the two ladies and ether in a heap on the floor The advocate coets up, I obey the prayers ofmy way, reach the door, and tell the advocate that I cannot open it, and that he et the key The two sisters are behind e that I have addressed o to the other side, and there I am better received But the husband returns, the noise of the key in the lock announces that the door is going to be opened, and we return to our respective beds
The advocate hurries to the bed of the two frightened ladies, thinking of relieving their anxiety, but, when he sees them buried in their broken-down bedstead, he bursts into a loud laugh He tells me to come and have a look at them, but I am very modest, and decline the invitation He then tells us that the alar suddenly the Spanish troops in the city, and that the Spaniards are running away In a quarter of an hour the noise has ceased, and quiet is entirely re-established
The advocate coain, and was soon asleep As for me, I was careful not to close ot up in order to perfore my shi+rt; it was an absolute necessity
I returned for breakfast, and while ere drinking the delicious coffee which Donna Lucrezia had ht, better than ever, I remarked that her sister frowned on er when I saw the cheerful, happy countenance, and the approving looks of h the whole of my body
We reached Rome very early We had taken breakfast at the Tour, and the advocate being in a very gayhi that a son would be born to him, I coet the sister of e her hostile attitude towards me I addressed to her so many pretty compliments, and behaved in such a friendly ive the fall of the bed As I took leave of the day
I was in Roood wardrobe, pretty well supplied within experience, and with excellent letters of introduction I was free, e in which a man can have faith in his own fortune, provided he is not deficient in courage, and is blessed with a face likely to attract the sympathy of those hebetter than beauty--a striking expression which almost compelled a kind interest inI knew that Roin fro, and reach the very top of the social ladder This knowledge increasedof self-esteem which, on account of my inexperience, I could not distrust, enhanced wonderfully my confidence in myself
The man who intends to make his fortune in this ancient capital of the worldall the colours of the atmosphere that surrounds him--a Proteus apt to assume every for; close, inscrutable, often base, so a part of his knowledge, indulging in one tone of voice, patient, a perfect master of his own countenance as cold as ice when any other ious at heart--a very co the above requisites--he ion in his mind, that is to say, on his face, on his lips, in his manners; he must suffer quietly, if he be an honesthimself an arrant hypocrite The man whose soul would loathe such a life should leave Rome and seek his fortune elsewhere I do not knohether I a myself, but of all those qualities I possessed but one--na, heedless young fellow, a pretty good blood horse, but not broken, or rather badly broken; and that isthe letter I had received froi The learned monk enjoyed the esteereat consideration for him, because he disliked the Jesuits, and did not put a h they deeh to despise hireat attention, and expressed hiht ht befall htly He asked me what I intended to do in Rome, and I answered that I wished him to tell me what to do
”Perhaps I may; but in that case you , you understand, not anything, of what interests you, or of what happens to you”
”Don Lelio has likewise given ratulate you; the cardinal's influence in Roreater even than that of the Pope”
”Must I deliver the letter at once?”
”No; I will see hi, and prepare hi, and I will then tell you where and when you are to deliver your letter to the cardinal Have you anyone year”
”That is well Have you any acquaintances?”
”Not one”