Volume V Part 2 (1/2)
I went to Rosalie's for iveday, telling her to bring any four persons she liked
”Your decision,” said I, ”will decide the fate of my cook; it will be his trial dinner”
She promised to come, and then pressed me to tell her the history of my amours with her fair country-woman
”Alas!” I said, ”youwith her”
”I shall certainly believe you, if you tell e but true You must understand, however, that I have only known her for a very short tih love, mere submission would kill ave her a report of the whole conversation I had had with hted”
”As you have not yet gone far with your niece, would you object if the young man who shewed her so much attention yesterday were of the party to-morrow?”
”Who is he? I should like to know him”
”M N----, the only son of a richhiot home I went to my niece, as still in bed, and told her that her fellow-countryman would dine with us to-morrow I comforted her with the assurance that M Paretti would not tell her father that she was in Genoa She had been a good deal tormented with the idea that theout to supper I told her that she could go and sup with Rosalie, or take supper at home if she preferred it
”You are too kind to ood Are you satisfied with Annette?”
”Oh! by the way, she told ht with her, and that you had been her lover and her sister's at the same time”
”It is true, but she is very indiscreet to say anything about it”
”We h She told me that she only consented to sleep with you on the assurance that I was really your niece I am sure she onlymy favour, which would be naturally bestowed on a woht to be jealous of her; and I swear that if she does not comport herself with the utmost obedience to you in every respect, I will send her packing, in despite of our relations As for you, you ht to co my submissive victim”
I was not sorry for my niece to know that I made use of Annette, but my vanity ounded at the way she took it It was plain that she was not at all in love with uard in the person of her er, for she could not ignore the power of her charured well of the skill of the new cook M
Paretti had proooddinner, and I ether, and I left my niece at Rosalie's, and I then repaired to Isola-Bella's, where I found a nu of all the best people in Genoa
Just then all the great ladies were ame It was strictly forbidden at Genoa, but this only made it more popular, and besides, the prohibition had no force in private houses, which are outside of the jurisdiction of the Governnora Isola-Bella's The professional gamesters who kept the bank went from house to house, and the amateurs were advised of their presence at such a house and at such a tian to play--to do as the others did
In the room there was a portrait of the mistress of the house in harlequin costume, and there happened to be the same picture on one of the divisions of the biribi-table: I chose this one out of politeness, and did not play on any other I risked a sequin each time The board had thirty-six compartments, and if one lost, one paid thirty-two tines the ae for the bank
Each player drew three numbers in succession, and there were three professionals; one kept the bag, another the bank, and the third the board, and the last took care to gather in the winnings as soon as the result was known, and the bank amounted to two thousand sequins or thereabouts The table, the cloth, and four silver candlesticks belonged to the players