Volume I Part 77 (2/2)
”I shall,” he said, ”immediately put a stop to this ridiculous comedy, and treat it in a very serious manner”
”Go at once to the inn,” he said to his aide-de-camp, ”invite that officer and his companion to dine with me to-day, and repair afterwards to the bishop's palace Give hirossly insulted by his 'sbirri' shall not leave the city before he has received a coy, and whatever sues Tell him that the notice comes from me, and that all the expenses incurred by the officer shall be paid by him”
What pleasure it was for me to listen to these words! In eneral I accompanied the aide-de-camp, and introduced him to the captain who received hiave hieneral's invitation for him and his companion, and asked him to write dohat satisfaction he wanted, as well as the aeneral's adjutant, the 'sbirri' had quickly vanished I handed to the captain pen, paper and ink, and he wrote his claiary The excellent fellow absolutely refused to ask for more than thirty sequins, in spite of all I said to reat deal too easy as to the satisfaction he demanded, for all he asked was to see the landlord and the 'sbirri' beg his pardon on their knees in the presence of the general's adjutant He threatened the bishop to send an express to Rome to Cardinal Alexander, unless his demands were complied ithin two hours, and to remain in Cesena at the rate of ten sequins a day at the bishop's expense
The officer left us, and a moment afterwards the landlord came in respectfully, to infored me to tell the scoundrel that he owed hi the door
I left et dressed, and to attend to eneral's An hour afterwards I found them ready in their military costumes The uniforant The ave up all idea of Naples, and decided upon acco the two friends to Parma The beauty of the lovely Frenchwoman had already captivated me
The captain was certainly on the threshold of sixty, and, as a ht such a union very badly assorted I i in ed amicably
The adjutant came back with a priest sent by the bishop, who told the captain that he should have the satisfaction as well as the daes he had claimed, but that he ,” dryly answered the Hungarian
They were at last given to him, and thus the matter ended The victory was due to my exertions, and I had won the friendshi+p of the captain and his lovely coht, that the friend of the worthy captain was not a h to look at the hips She was too well made as a wouise the like , for by such a boast they confess thereatest perfections appertaining to woman
A little before dinner-tieneral presented the two officers to all the ladies Not one of the already acquainted with the adventure, they were all delighted to dine with the hero of the comedy, and treated the handsome officer exactly as if he had truly been a uests offered the Frenchwoes more worthy of her sex
Madame Querini alone did not seeeneral attention, and it was a blow to her vanity to see herself neglected She never spoke to her, except to shew off her French, which she could speak well The poor captain scarcely opened his lips, for no one cared to speak Latin, and the general had not much to say in Geruests, tried to justify the conduct of the bishop by assuring us that the inn-keeper and the 'sbirri' had acted only under the orders of the Holy Office
”That is the reason,” he said, ”for which no bolts are allowed in the rooers may not shut themselves up in their chambers The Holy Inquisition does not allow a man to sleep with any woman but his wife”
Twenty years later I found all the doors in Spain with a bolt outside, so that travellers were, as if they had been in prison, exposed to the outrageous molestation of nocturnal visits from the police That disease is so chronic in Spain that it threatens to overthrow the monarchy so the Grand Inquisitor was to have the king shaved, and to take his place
CHAPTER XXIII
I Purchase a Handsoe, and Proceed to Par Frenchwoman--I Pay a Visit to Javotte, and Present Her With a Beautiful Pair of Gold Bracelets--My Perplexities Respecting My Lovely Travelling Coue--Conversation with the Captain--Tete- a-Tete with Henriette
The conversation was ani everybody, even Mada her spleen
”It seee,” she reether without ever speaking to each other”
”Why, madam? We understand one another perfectly, for speech is of very little consequence in the kind of business we do together”
That answer, given with graceful liveliness, h, except Mada the air of a prude, thought that itswas too clearly expressed
”I do not know any kind of business,” she said, ”that can be transacted without the assistance of the voice or the pen”
”Excuseat cards, for instance, is a business of that sort”
”Are you always playing?”