Volume I Part 75 (1/2)
Nature had operated, and the es its sphere when pleasure is her teacher She went to bed, and as she knew that she had no longer anything to conceal from me, her modesty was not alarmed when she undressed herself inis unpleasant in the hot weather, so she stripped to the skin and soon fell asleep I did the saed ht of the great incantation I knew that the operation to unearth the treasure would be a complete failure, but I knew likewise that it would not fail because Javotte's virginity was gone
At day-break the girl rose and began sewing As soon as she had finished the robe, I told her topoints, on which I painted so, one hour before supper, I got into the bath, and Javotte joined reat zeal the same ceremonies that I had done for her the day before, and she was as gentle and docile as possible I spent a delicious hour in that bath, enjoying everything, but respecting the essential point
My kissesthat I had no objection to her caresses, she loaded me with them I was so pleased at all the a, that I ic operation depended upon the amount of pleasure she enjoyed She then made extraordinary efforts to persuadethe liot out of the bath highly pleased with each other
As ere on the point of going to bed, she said to me,
”Would it injure the success of your operation if ere to sleep together?”
”No, reat incantation, it is all I require”
She threw herself inwhich I had full opportunity of adth of her constitution as well as my own restraint, for I had sufficient control over h the last obstacle
I passed a great part of the following night with Franzia and Capitani in order to see with s which the worthy peasant hadin the yard, I heard distinctly heavy blows struck under the ground at intervals of three or four minutes It was like the noise which would be e copper mortar I tookdoor of the cellar, holding a dark lantern in my hand I saw the door open slowly, and in about thirty seconds closing with violence I opened and closed it myself several times, and, unable to discover any hidden physical cause for the phenouery at work, but I did not care ain, and, placing myself on the balcony, I saw in the yard several shadowsabout They were evidently caused by the heavy and damp atmosphere, and as to the pyra over the fields, it was a phenomenon well known to me
But I allowed my two companions to re watch over the treasure
That phenohout southern Italy where the country is often at night illuminated by those norance has called night spirits, or will-o'-the-wisps
Dear reader, the next chapter will tell you how ood laugh at s
CHAPTER XXII
The Incantation--A Terrible Storinity Is Saved--I Give Up the Undertaking, and Sell the Sheath to Capitani--I Meet Juliette and Count Alfani, Alias Count Celi--I Make Up My Mind to Go to Naples--Why I Take a Different Road
My great operation had to be perfor to all established rules, I would have had to wait until the next full nomes raise the treasure to the surface of the earth at the very spot on which my incantations would be perforh that I should not succeed, but I knew likewise that I could easily reconcile Franzia and Capitani to a failure, by inventing some excellent reasons for our want of success
In the ician, in which I took a real delight I kept Javotte at work all day, sewing together, in the shape of a ring, some thirty sheets of paper on which I painted the , which I called eoic ith the branch of olive brought by Franzia from Cesena Thus prepared, I told Javotte that, at twelve o'clock at night, when I ca The order did not seeiveive her every satisfaction
The hour having struck, I ordered Franzia and Capitani to stand on the balcony, so as to be ready to come to me if I called for the ar white robe, the work of a virgin's innocent hands I allowhair to fall loosely
I place the extraordinary crown onthe sceptre with one hand, the wonderful knife with the other, I go down into the yard There I spreadtheround it three ti down there, I remain a few minutes motionless, then I rise, and I fixfrom the west, whilst fro loudly What a sublienius I should have appeared in the eyes ofa short time before taken notice of the sky in that part of the horizon, I had announced to them that my operation would be attended by that phenomenon
The cloud spreads with fearful rapidity, and soon the sky seems covered with a funeral pall, on which theevery moment
Such a storm was a very natural occurrence, and I had no reason to be astonished at it, but so to creep into ht soon increased at the sight of the lightning, and on hearing the claps of thunder which succeeded each other with fearful rapidity and seemed to roar over my very head I then realized what extraordinary effect fear can have on the mind, for I fancied that, if I was not annihilated by the fires of heaven which were flashi+ng all aroundThus was I ad my own deceitful work! That foolish reason preventedthe circle in spite of the fear which caused me to shudder If it had not been for that belief, the result of a cowardly fright, I would not have reht would no doubt have opened the eyes of my two dupes, who could not have failed to see that, far froician, I was only a poltroon The violence of the wind, the claps of thunder, the piercing cold, and above all, fear, made me treht proof against every accident, had vanished: I acknowledged an avenging God who had waited for this opportunity of punishi+ngme, in order to put an end to my want of faith The complete immobility which paralyzed all my limbs seemed to me a proof of the uselessness of my repentance, and that conviction only increasedof the thunder dies away, the rain begins to fall heavily, danger vanishes, and I feelSuch is man!
or at all events, such was I at thatso fast that, if it had continued pouring with the same violence for a quarter of an hour, the country would have been inundated As soon as the rain had ceased, the wind abated, the clouds were dispersed, and the moon shone in all its splendour, like silver in the pure, blue sky I take upthe two friends to retire to their beds without speaking to me, I hurry toht her so pretty that I felt positively frightened I allowed her to dry me, and after that necessary operation I told her piteously to go to bed The nextall over in spite of the heat, she had herself shuddered with fear
After eight hours of sound sleep I felt all right, but I had had enough of the coht of Genevieve did not move ed, but I was not the same I was for the first time in my life reduced to a state of apathy, and in consequence of the superstitious ideas which had crowded in ined that the innocence of that young girl was under the special protection of Heaven, and that if I had dared to rob her of her virginity the most rapid and terrible death would have been my punishment