Volume VI Part 13 (2/2)
”Tell him that it is on account of what he asked you He is poor, and I aht I shall tell him I only went to the ball with you to please nazia, a mixture of voluptuousness and piety, like o with so much fire that no words could have expressed so well the Joys that were in store forand her blood all aflareater part of the company the dance holly innocent, and devoid of any intention I pretended to believe it, but I certainly did not Ignazia begged me to coht o'clock I had not yet told her that it was there I had seen her first She also asked , and said she would send ether
I slept till noon, and oke by Marazzini, who caive him some dinner He told ht before, and that he had vainly endeavoured to find out who she was I bore with this singularlythat he would have followed us if he had had any money, I spoke to hied pardon, and promised to bridle his curiosity for the future He proposed a party of pleasure with the famous courtezan Spiletta, whose favours were dear, but I declined, for nazia, whom I considered a worthy successor to Charlotte
I went to the church, and she sahen she came in, followed by the same companion as before
She knelt down at two or three paces from me, but did not once look in my direction Her friend, on the other hand, inspected nazia, but she was ugly I also noticed Don Francisco, and as I was going out of the church ratulatedtaken his mistress a second time to the ball He confessed that he had been on our track the whole evening, and that he should have gone aell enough pleased if it had not been for the way in which we dance the fandango I felt this was an occasion for a little gentle ood-huinary, and that he rong to entertain any suspicions as to so virtuous a girl as Donna Ignazia At the sa him to take it on account He did so with an astonished stare, and, calling ratitude
In the evening I called on Don Diego, where I was regaled with the excellent ratafia I had given the ations Spain owed to the Count of Aranda
”No exercise is ,” said Antonia, the mother, ”and before his time balls were strictly forbidden In spite of that he is hated for having expelled 'los padres de la coulations But the poor bless his naoes to theo to the ball is to do a pious work”
”I have two cousins,” said Ignazia, ”who are perfect angels of goodness
I told them that you had taken me to the ball; but they are so poor that they have no hope of going If you like you cantheht, so as not to profane Ash Wednesday”
”I shall be happy to oblige you, all the ed to wait for us in the carriage”
”You are very kind; but I shall have to introduce you to my aunt; she is so particular When she knows you, I am sure she will consent, for you have all the air of discretion Go and see her to-day; she lives in the next street, and over her door you will see a notice that lace is washed within Tell her that , afterelse, and youon the last day of the carnival”
I did all this, and the next day I heard that it was settled
”I will have the dominos ready at my house,” I said, ”and you must coo to the ball
The eldest of your cousinsabout that, for fear she ht think it a sin, but once in your house you will have no difficulty in ly, but looked like a woly dressedcontrast with Donna Ignazia, who looked most seductive when she laid aside her air of piety
I took care that everything requisite for our disguises should be at hand in a neighbouring closet, unbeknown to , and told hi to his own taste, as I should not require his services till noon the day after
I ordered a good dinner, and a waiter to serve it, at the tavern, and got rid of Marazzini by giving hireat pains over the entertainnazia, whom I hoped that day to make my mistress It was all quite a novelty for me; I had to do with three devotees, two hideous and the third ravishi+ngly beautiful, who had already had a foretaste of the joys in store for her
They came at noon, and for an hour I discoursed to them in a moral and unctuous manner I had taken care to provide myself with some excellent wine, which did not fail to take effect on the three girls, ere not accustomed to a dinner that lasted two hours They were not exactly inebriated, but their spirits orked up to a pitch they had never attained before
I told the elder cousin, who uise her as a man; consternation appeared on her features, but I had expected as nazia told her she was only too lucky, and her sister observed that she did not think it could be a sin
”If it were a sin,” said I, ”do you suppose that I should have suggested it to your virtuous sister”
Donna Ignazia, who knew the Legendariu that the blessed St Marina had passed her whole life in man's clothes; and this settled the ium of her intellectual capacity, so as to enlist her vanity in the good cause
”Come with me,” said I, ”and do you ladies wait here; I want to enjoy your surprise when you see her in ly cousin made a supreme effort and followed uise I told her to take off her boots and to put on white stockings and shoes, of which I had provided several pairs
I sat down before her, and told her that if she suspected me of any dishonourable intentions she would coh to be her father She replied that she was a good Christian, but not a fool I fastened her garters for her, saying that I should never have supposed she had so well-shapen and so white a leg, which compliment made her smile in a satisfied manner