Volume I Part 25 (1/2)
”I suppose you will often think me rather too severe; but you are not likely to confide everything to , without any exception”
”Allow me to feel somewhat doubtful; you have not told me where you spent four hours yesterday”
”Because I did not think it orthmy journey; I believe theht sort of people for me to visit, unless you should be of a different opinion”
”God forbid! It is a very respectable house, frequented by honest people They are delighted at having made your acquaintance; you are much liked by everybody, and they hope to retain you as a friend; I have heard all about it this ular guest”
”Must I cease my visits at once, and without cause?”
”No, it would be a want of politeness on your part You o there once or twice every week, but do not be a constant visitor You are sighing, my son?”
”No, I assure you not I will obey you”
”I hope it may not be only a matter of obedience, and I trust your heart will not feel it a hardshi+p, but, if necessary, your heart reatest eneree”
”We often iine so; but distrust the animism of your dear Horace You know that there is no middle course with it: 'nisi paret, imperat'”
”I know it, but in the faer for lad of it, because in that case it will be all the easier for you to abstain from frequent visits Remember that I shall trust you”
”And I, reverend father; will listen to and follow your good advice
I will visit Donna Cecilia only now and then” Feeling ainst ht have done, and turned hi
I dined at the cardinal's palace and sat near the Abbe Gama; the table was laid for twelve persons, who all wore the costume of priests, for in Roht a priest and as there is no law to forbid anyone to dress like an ecclesiastic that dress is adopted by all those ish to be respected (noblemen excepted) even if they are not in the ecclesiastical profession
I felt verythe dinner; acity As we rose from the table, the Abbe Gama invited me to spend the day with him, but I declined under pretence of letters to be written, and I truly did so for seven hours I wrote to Don Lelio, to Don Antonio, tofriend Paul, and to the worthy Bishop of Martorano, who answered that he heartily wished himself in my place
Deeply enaive her up appeared to me a shameful action In order to insure the happiness ofto be the executioner of my present felicity, and the torainst such a necessity which I judged fictitious, and which I could not aduilty of vileness before the tribunal of i, if he wished to forbid ht not to have said that it orthy of respect; my sorroould not have been so intense The day and the whole of the night were spent in painful thoughts
In the reat book filled with ministerial letters from which I was to compile for my amusement After a short time devoted to that occupation, I went out to take my first French lesson, after which I walked towards the Strada-Condotta I intended to take a long walk, when I heard myself called by my name I saw the Abbe Gama in front of a coffee-house I whispered to him that Minerva had forbidden me the coffee-rooms of Rome ”Minerva,” he answered, ”desires you to form so abbe telling aloud, but without bitterness, a story, which attacked in a most direct hing and echoing the story Another, being asked why he had left the services of Cardinal B, answered that it was because his eminence did not think himself called upon to pay hihed outright Another came to the Abbe Gama, and told him that, if he felt any inclination to spend the afternoon at the Villa Medicis, he would find hiirls ere satisfied with a 'quartino', a gold coin worth one-fourth of a sequin Another abbe read an incendiary sonnet against the government, and several took a copy of it Another read a satire of his own composition, in which he tore to pieces the honour of a family In the middle of all that confusion, I saw a priest with a very attractive countenance come in The size of his hips made me take him for a woman dressed in men's clothes, and I said so to Gama, who told me that he was the celebrated castrato, Bepino delta Mah that I had taken hiirl The impudent fellow looked me full in the face, and said that, if I liked, he would shehether I had been right or wrong
At the dinner-table everyone spoke to iven proper answers to all, but, when the repast was over, the Abbe Gama invited me to take coffee in his own apartuests I had met orthy and honest men, and he askedthe company
”I flatter ,” said the abbe, ”you are flattering yourself You have so conspicuously avoided the questions put to you that everybody in the room noticed your extreme reserve In the future no one will ask you any questions”
”I should be sorry if it should turn out so, but was I to expose my own concerns?”
”No, but there is a s”
”Yes, the reat difficulty to hit it exactly”