Volume IV Part 84 (1/2)

I was quite out of breath When it was finished, she came up to me and whisperedthe charm of the situation demanded her name

”You shall know,” said she, in Venetian, ”if you will cos'”

”Are you alone?”

”No, my father and mother, who are old friends of yours, are with me”

”I will call on Monday”

What a nuht! I went home wearily, and went to bed, but I was only allowed to sleep for two hours I was roused and begged to dress myself The countess, the , teasedThen they all congratulated ainst me

I told the htthat he knehat had become of his money

This indiscretion either on the count's part or the countess's surprised reatly; it seeue

”Canano knew you,” said the marquis, ”by the way you opened your snuff-box, and he hopes to see us to dinner before long He says he hopes you in a hundred pounds weight of gold; he has a fancy for you”

”Canano,” said I, ”has keen eyes, and plays faro adhtest wish to win his money from him”

We then started for the ”Apple Garden,” where we found a score of honest folks and the bride and bridegroom, who overwhelmed us with compliments

We soon put the company at their ease At first our presence overawed theeneral hilarity We sat down to dinner, and airls, but my head was too full of Zenobia to care about them The dinner lasted three hours It was an abundant repast, and the foreign wines were so exquisite that it was easy to see that the sum I had furnished had been exceeded Good fellowshi+p prevailed, and after the first bumper had passed round everybody proposed so different to his neighbour the ht hi, and they were not at all first-rate vocalists by any hter, for our speeches and songs were as bad as those of our hu beca when she found herself obliged to hold out her cheeks for the salute of the tailor, who thought her laughter a special mark of favour

Strains of sweet music were heard, and the ball was duly opened by the newly-married couple Zenobia danced, if not exactly well, at least gracefully; but the tailor, who had never put his legs to any other use besides crossing theure that the countess had hter But in spite of that I led out Zenobia for the next ed to dance with the wretched tailor

When the an, and refreshments were liberally handed round Confetti, a kind of sweetmeat, even better than that oing I congratulated the husband and offered to bring Zenobia hoe, which he was pleased to style a very honourable offer I gave e, and having told the coachuisher fashi+on, and kept her there all the ti that rey velvet were spoiled, I told her that I would be with her in a few minutes In two minutes I put on a pair of black satin breeches, and I rejoined the lady before her husband ca her that our exploits in the carriage had left very evident ave ht

Before long the husband and his sister arrived He thanked e in my dress he asked me how I had contrived to make the alteration so quickly

”I went toyour pardon”

”Didn't you see that the gentleman had spilt a cup of coffee over his handsome breeches?” said Zenobia

”My dear wife,” said the crafty tailor, ”I don't see everything, nor is it necessary that I should do so, but you should have acco to

”Immensely, and my friends have done the saossip, for what you spent over and above the twenty-four sequins You can tell me how much it is”

”Very little, ayou the bill”

I went ho foreseen that the rogue would notice uess the reason However, I consoled ht that the tailor was no fool, and that it was plain that he was content to play the part we had assigned to hiht to the count, the countess and the marquis, who all thanked me for the happy day they had spent, I went to bed

As soon as I ake, I thought of the shepherdess who had danced the 'forlana' so well at the ball, and I resolved to pay her a visit I was not more interested in her beauty than to find out who her father and mother, ”old friends of s,” and on walking into the room which the shepherdess had indicated to me, as my astonishment to find myself face to face with the Countess Rinaldi, whom Zavoisky had introduced o The reader will readin paid her husband the ed somewhat, but I knew her directly However, as I had never had o back to days which did neither of us any honour