Volume V Part 83 (1/2)
”I am your friend of the 'Hotel d'Elbeuf'”
She was puzzled, and looked the picture of bewilderment I whispered in her ear, ”Gilbert Baret, Rue des Prouveres,” and certain other facts which could only be known to herself and a fortunate lover
She saw I knew her ined me to tell her who I was
”I was your lover, and a fortunate one, too,” I replied; ”but before I tell you my name, hom are you, and how are you?”
”Very well; but pray do not divulge what I tell you I left Paris with M d'Anglade, counsellor in the Court of Rouen I lived happily enough for soo with a theatrical ht lade, and now I am kept by Count Rzewuski, the Polish a sure of enjoying her again, I lifted ood angel has brought you to St Petersburg”
”How do you o back to Poland, and now I count on you to get er continue in a station for which I was not intended, since I can neither sing nor act”
She gave hted withpassed half an hour at the counter, eating and drinking of the best, I returned to the crowd and sawto Count Volpati He had seen her with me, and hastened to enquire my name of her However, she was faithful to our h the Venetian did not seeive the least credence to this piece of information
At last I was tired and left the ball, and went to bed intending to go toI slept for some time and woke, but as it was still dark I turned on the other side and went to sleep again At last I awoke again, and seeing the daylight stealing throughmy man to make haste as I wanted to hear
”But sir,” said he, ”the first Sunday was yesterday; we are at Monday now”
”What! Monday?”
”Yes, sir”
I had spent twenty-seven hours in bed, and after laughing at the er was like that of a cannibal
This is the only day which I really lost in h But this is not the only difference between titus and Casanova
I called on Demetrio Papanelopulo, the Greek merchant, as to pay me a hundred roubles a lio, and I had an excellent reception He begged me to come and dine with him every day, paid me the roubles for the month due, and assured me that he had honoured my bill drawn at Mitau He also found hteen roubles, or six ducats per month
Such cheapness has, alas! departed for ever
The next day, as I was dining with the worthy Greek and young Bernardi, as afterwards poisoned, Count Volpati came in with the dessert, and told us how he had met a Venetian at the ball who had promised to come and see him
”The Venetian would have kept his pro sleep of twenty-seven hours I ahted to continue our acquaintance”
The count was about to leave, and his departure had already been announced in the St Petersburg Gazette The Russian custoht has elapsed after the appearance of his nae of tradesners think twice before they contract any debts
The next day I took a letter of introduction to M Pietro Ivanovitch Melissino, colonel and afterwards general of artillery The letter ritten by Madalio, as very intimate with Melissino I wasme to his pleasant wife, he asked ht The house was ed in the French style, and both play and supper were conducted without any ceremony I met there Melissino's elder brother, the procurator of the Holy Synod and husband of the Princess Dolgorouki Faro went on, and the company was coains nor bewailed their losses to anyone, and so there was no fear of the Govern
The bank was held by Baron Lefort, son of the celebrated admiral of Peter the Great Lefort was an exarace on account of a lottery which he had held at Moscow to celebrate the coronation of the empress, who had furnished him with the necessary funds The lottery had been broken and the fact was attributed to the baron's supposed dishonesty
I played for small stakes and won a few roubles I made friends with Baron Lefort at supper, and he afterwards told me of the vicissitudes he had experienced
As I was praising the noble calmness hich a certain prince had lost a thousand roubles to hiamester I had mentioned played upon credit but never paid