Volume IV Part 36 (1/2)

On my return from Naples I heard that he had faithfully carried out his pros when a chamberlain of the Holy Father called When he caentleave me, from his holy master, the Cross of the Order of the Golden Spur with the diploma, and a patent under the pontifical seal, which, in my quality as doctor of laws, made me a prothonotary-apostolic 'extra urbehly honoured, and told the bearer that I would go and thankthe next day The Chevalier Mengs ee over hireat artist had to disburse twenty-five Ro at Rouinis non fit re withoutwith hly flattered at the favour the Holy Father had shewn me, I put on the cross which depended frohts of St John of the Lateran, the companions of the palace, 'comites palatini', or count-palatins About the same time poor Cahusac, author of the opera of Zoroaster, went mad for joy on the receipt of the same order I was not so bad as that, but I confess, to my shame, that I was so proud of my decoration that I asked Winckelmann whether I should be allowed to have the cross set with diamonds and rubies He said I could if I liked, and if I wanted such a cross he could get ht it to make a show at Naples, but I had not the face to wear it in Rome When I went to thank the Pope I wore the cross in my button-hole out of modesty Five years afterwards when I was at Warsaw, Czartoryski, a Russian prince-palatine,with that wretched bauble? It's a drug in the market, and no one but an impostor would wear it now”

The Popes knew this quite well, but they continued to give the cross to aave it to their 'valets de chas in Roave nity I recouped hi a bank at faro, at which I was dexterous enough to lose forty crowns to the fahtest partiality to Mariuccia on like the rest She found the opportunity to tell me that her confessor had called on her, that she had told him where her future husband lived, and that the worthy monk had obtained herspent on her trousseau

I noticed that Mohter had taken a fancy to Costa, and I told Mo to Naples, but that I would leave ed on

Costa liked the girl, but he did notthe first-fruits He was a fool of a peculiar kind, though fools of all sorts are co ain

Next day, after I had breakfasted and duly ee with the Abbe Alfani, Le Duc preceding me on horseback, and I reached Naples at a time when everybody was in a state of excitement because an eruption of Vesuvius seee the inn-keeperthe eruption of 1754 He said that in the year 1761 God would overwhelm the sinful town of Naples, and the worthy host consequently advisedseriously, and said that we should do well to be warned by so evident an indication of the will of God The event was predicted, therefore it had to happen Thus a good many people reason, but as I was not of the number I proceeded on my way

CHAPTER IX

My Short But Happy Stay at Naples--The Duke de Matalone My Daughter--Donna Lucrezia--My Departure

I shall not, dear reader, attempt the impossible, however much I should like to describe the joy, the happiness, Ito Naples, of which I had such pleasant o, I hadfrom Mataro As I had come there for the second time to keep a promise I had made to the Duke de Matalone to coht to have visited this noble that from the tian by enquiring after alland called on Belloni's agent He cashed avethat nobody should know that we did business together From the bankers I went to see Antonio Casanova, but they told ave hiht to expect to find Naples in the statu quo I left it Polo was dead, and his son lived at St Lucia with his wife and children; he was a boy when I saw hiain I had no tiet the advocate, Castelli, husband of my dear Lucrezia, whoed to see her face once ht of the joy hich we should recall old tiet But Castelli had been dead for some years, and hislived at a distance of twenty miles fro her

As to Lelio Caraffa, he was still alive and residing at the Matalone Palace

I returned, feeling tired with my researches, dressed with care, and drove to the Matalone Palace, where they told me that the duke was at table I did not care for that but had my name sent in, and the duke ca hter of the Duke de Bovino, and to the numerous company at table I told him I had only come to Naples in fulfillment of the promise I had made him at Paris

”Then,” said he, ”youfor ht froe to be placed in his coach-house I accepted his invitation

One of the guests, a fine-looking aily,--

”If you bear my name, you must be one of my father's bastards”

”No,” said I, directly, ”one of your entleman who had addressed me came and embraced me, not in the least offended The joke was explained to me His name was Casalnovo, not Casanova, and he was duke and lord of the fief of that name

”Did you know,” said the Duke de Matalone, ”that I had a son?”

”I was told so, but did not believe it, but now I el capable of working this miracle”

The duchess blushed, but did not reward lance; but all the company applauded what I had said, as it was notorious that the duke had been ie The duke sent for his son, I admired him, and told the father that the likeness was perfect A ht hand of the duchess, said, more truthfully, that there was no likeness at all He had scarcely uttered the words when the duchess coolly gave hirace iinable

I talked away to the best of ood graces, with the exception of the duchess, who remained inflexible I tried to make her talk for two days without success; so as I did not care much about her I left her to her pride

As the duke was taking me to my room he noticed my Spaniard, and asked where my secretary was, and when he saw that it was the Abbe Alfani, who had taken the title so as to escape the notice of the Neapolitans, he said,--