Volume II Part 60 (1/2)

The alishlass of Cha he had on a fine ring set with brilliants, praised it, and shewing some curiosity to see it er, examined it, found it without flaw, and asked how much it orth Capsucefalo, a little taken aback, said it cost hie for that su into his pocket The other looked chop-fallen, and Murray laughing at his retiring irl to put on her cloak and to pack off with her worthy acolyte She did so directly, and with a lo they disappeared

”Farewell, nun procurer!” said the ambassador, but the count one I thanked Murray warmly for the moderation he had shewn, as a scandal would have only injured three innocent people

”Be sure,” said he, ”that the guilty parties shall be punished without anyone's knowing the reason”

I then lish friend offered her a glass of wine, which she declined with much modesty and politeness

Murray looked at her with fla me his heartiest thanks

Poor little Tonine had been resigned, and obedient for ood cause to think I had been unfaithful to her; however, I gave her the most unmistakable proofs of my fidelity We stayed in bed for six hours, and rose happy in the

After dinner I hurried off to my noble M---- M----, and told her the whole story She listened eagerly, her various feelings flitting across her face Fear, anger, wrath, approval ofuplance, and in the play of her features, and in the red and white which followed one another on her cheeks and forehead She was delighted to hear that the lish ambassador, but she becaive a hundred guineas aher in the parlour She was angry with hi a likeness between her and a portrait, when, so she said, there was no likeness at all; I had given her the portrait She added, with a shrewd smile, that she was sure I had not let ht have beenservant?”

”Yes, and a pretty one, too She is Laura's daughter, and if you love her I alad, and so is C---- C---- I hope you will let ht of her C---- C---- has seen her before”

As I saw that she knew too much for me to be able to deceive her, I took my cue directly and told her in detail the history of my amours She shewed her satisfaction too openly not to be sincere Before I left her she said her honour obliged her to get Capsucefalo assassinated, for the wretch had wronged her beyond pardon By way of quieting her I promised that if the ambassador did not rid us of hie eance

About this ti M de Bragadin sufficiently well off However, as the family threatened to become extinct, he desired a woman who had been his mistress, and of whom he had had a natural son, to becoe the son would have becoe of Cardinals would have recognized the wife for a sone adto, curious to knohat a woman, whom I did not know from Adam, could ith ed ht to follow De la Haye's advice in a matter he had promised not to confide to me, but of which the oracle must be informed

The oracle, naturally opposed to the Jesuit, told hi else After this I went to the lady

She began by telling me the whole story She introduced her son to e could be performed, a deed would be delivered in adin, I should become entitled to an estate worth five thousand crowns per annuuessed without much trouble that this was the saadin, I answered without hesitation that since De la Haye was before , and thereuponat this Jesuit's continually intriguing to o, if I had not set ainst it, he would have married M Dandolo I cared not a hether the faadin became extinct or not, but I did care for the life of e would shorten it by many years; he was already sixty-three, and had recovered from a serious apoplectic stroke

I went to dine with Lady Murray (English-wohters of lords keep the title), and after dinner the ambassador told me that he had told M Cavalli the whole story of the false nun, and that the secretary had infor had been done to his liking Count Capsucefalo had been sent to Cephalonia, his native country, with the order never to return to Venice, and the courtezan had disappeared

The fine part, or rather the fearful part, about these sentences is that no one ever knows the reason why or wherefore, and that the lot uilty M M was delighted with the event, and I was more pleased than she, for I should have been sorry to have been obliged to soil my hands with the blood of that rascally count

There are seasons in the life of men which may be called 'fasti' and 'nefasti'; I have proved this often in les I have had to encounter I am able, as well as any man, to verify the truth of this axiom I had just experienced a run of luck Fortune had befriended me at play, I had been happy in the society ofto ask; but now the reverse of the an to appear Love was still kind, but Fortune had quite left me, and you will soon see, reader, that men used me no better than the blind Goddess Nevertheless, since one's fate has phases as well as the ood follows evil as disasters succeed to happiness

I still played on the ale, but with such bad luck that I was soon left without a sequin As I shared ed to tell her of my losses, and it was at her request that I sold all her diaot for them; she had now only five hundred sequins by her There was noto live on! I still gaood luck

One day the English a me a supper at his casino with the celebrated fanny Murray, asked me to let him sup at my casino at Muran, which I now only kept up for the sake of Tonine I granted hienerosity He foundwithin the bounds of decency, froly excused her The nexthe wrote to me as follows:

”I am madly in love with Tonine If you like to hand her over toprovision for her: I will set her up in a suitable lodging which I will furnish throughout, and which I will give to her with all its contents, provided that I ives ive her a maid, a cook, and thirty sequins athe wine, which I will procure ive her a life income of two hundred crowns per annu with ive you a week to send your answer”

I replied immediately that I would let him know in three days whether his proposal were accepted, for Tonine had a mother of who without her consent I also inforirl ith child

The business was an important one for Tonine I loved her, but I knew perfectly well that we could not pass the rest of our lives together, and I saw no prospect of being able to ood a provision as that offered by the ambassador Consequently I had no doubts on the question, and the very same day I went to Muran and told her all

”You wish to leave me, then,” said she, in tears