Volume V Part 4 (1/2)
”Then they can hang the biribanti! That won't hurt me much”
”No, that won't do; it would compromise Madame Isola-Bella, as biribi is strictly forbidden Leave it all to me, I will speak to the State Inquisitors about it Tell Possano to persevere in his silence, and that you will see hiainst coiners and clippers are only severe with regard to these particular coins, as the Govern them to be depreciated”
I wrote to Possano, and sent for a pair of scales We weighed the gold I had won at biribi, and every single piece had been clipped M Grimaldi said he would have theot back to the dining-room we found everybody at play M
Grimaldi proposed that I should play at quinze with hiuest I felt it would be impolite to refuse, and in four hours I had lost five hundred sequins
Nextthe marquis told iven the value of the coin He brought me thirteen hundred sequins which had resulted froreed that I was to call on Madae at quinze
I kept the appointment, and lost three thousand sequins I paid hie, payable by myself, for the other two thousand When these bills were presented I was in England, and being badly off I had to have them protested Five years later, when I was at Barcelona, M de Gried by a traitor to have h of me to be sure that if I did not meet the bills it was from sheer inability to do so He even wrote ave the na me that he would never take any steps to compel me to pay the money This eneh I was not aware of his presence I will speak of the circu that all who aided me in my pranks with Madairl, whose acquaintance the reader willchapter
In spite of my losses I enjoyed myself, and had plenty of money, for after all I had only lost what I had won at biribi Rosalie often dined with us, either alone or with her husband, and I supped regularly at her ho
I congratulated her upon the circue from the world in a cloister Wos out of sheer obstinacy; possibly they deceive even theood faith; but unfortunately, when the veil falls from before their eyes, they see but the profound abyss into which their folly had plunged them
In the meanwhile, my niece had become so friendly and familiar that she would often co when Annette was still in my arms Her presence increased my ardour, and I quenched the fires on the blonde which the brunette was kindling My niece seeht, and I could see that her senses were being pleasantly tortured Annette was short-sighted, and so did not perceive htly, knowing that it would add to ht I was exhausted she told Annette to get up and leaveShe then began to jest and toy, and though her dress was extremely disordered she seemed to think that her charms would exercise no power over me She was quite mistaken, but I was careful not to undeceive her for fear of losing her confidence I watched the ga how little by little her familiarity increased, I felt sure that she would have to surrender at last, if not at Genoa, certainly on the journey, ould be thrown constantly in each other's society with nobody to spy upon our actions, and with nothing else to do but to make love It is the weariness of a journey, the constantto make sure of one's existence; and when it co there is usually more joy than repentance
But the story of my journey from Genoa to Marseilles ritten in the book of fate, and could not be read by o as Mada for me at Marseilles I knew not that in this journey would be involved the fate of a Venetian girl of whom I had never heard, who had never seen me, but whom I was destined to render happy My fate seemed to have made me stop at Genoa to wait for her
I settled my accounts with the banker, to whom I had been accredited, and I took a letter of credit on Marseilles, where, however, I was not likely to want for funds, as h treasurer, Madame d'Urfe was there
I took leave of Madaht be able to devote all my tiraceful Behaviour of My Brother, the Abbe, I Relieve Him of His Mistress--Departure from Genoa--The Prince of Monaco- -My Niece Overcome--Our Arrival at Antibes
On the Tuesday in Holy Week I was just getting up, when Clairive his naht-cap, and the rascally priest rushed at me and nearly choked me with his embraces I did not like so nized him at first on account of the darkness of the room, I took hiest brother, a good-for-nothing fellohom I had always disliked
I had not seen him for ten years, but I cared so little about him that I had not even enquired whether he were alive or dead in the correspondence I adin, Dandolo, and Barbaro
As soon as his silly eht his, and tatters He was only twenty-nine, his complexion was fresh and healthy, and he had a splendid head of hair He was a posthumous son, born like Mahomet, three months after the death of his father
”The story ofTake me into your room, and I will sit down and tell you the whole story”
”First of all, answerhave you been here?”
”Since yesterday”
”Who told you that I was here?”
”Count B----, at Milan”