Volume VI Part 39 (2/2)
”My man--I did not know that he was in correspondence with her”
”No, I suppose not; but I assure you the worthy man was very much attached to you”
”I am sure he was Go on”
”Nina then wrote a note to your landlord She did not shew it me, but it no doubt contained instructions to supply you with everything
”The man told us that he had seen your sword all red with blood, and that your cloak had a bullet hole through it She was delighted, but do not think it was because she loved you; she was glad you had escaped that you e However, she was troubled by the pretext on which the count had had you arrested
”Ricla did not coht o'clock, and the infa face She told hied to him, as he had, of course, done so to protect you from any fresh attempts on your life
”He answered, dryly, that your arrest had nothing to do with anything that ht before He added that you had only been seized pending the examination of your papers, and that if they were found to be in good form, you would be set at liberty in the course of a few days
”Nina asked him as the man that you had wounded He replied that the police were enquiring into the matter, but that so far they had neither found a dead man nor a wounded man, nor any traces of blood All that had been found was Casanova's hat, and this had been returned to hiht, so I cannot say what further converse they may have had on the subject, but three or four days later everybody knew that you were imprisoned in the tower
”Nina asked the count the reason of this severity in the evening, and he replied that your passports were thought to be forgeries, because you were in disgrace with the State Inquisitors, and therefore would not be in a position to get a passport from the Venetian ambassador On this supposition he said you had been placed in the tower, and if it proved to be a true one, you would be still more severely punished
”This news disturbed us, and e heard that Pogomas had been arrested we felt certain he had denounced you in revenge for your having procured his dismissal from Nina's house When we heard that he had been let out and sent to Genoa, we expected to hear of your being set at liberty, as the authorities enuine character of your passports; but you were still shut up, and Nina did not knohat to think, and the count would not answer her when she made enquiries about you She had made up her mind to say no more about it, when at last we heard you had been set free and that your passports had been declared genuine
”Nina thought to see you in the pit of the opera-house, and made preparations for a triumph in her box; but she was in despair when she heard no perfor the count told her that your passports had been returned with the order to leave in three days The false creature praised her lover's prudence to his face, but she cursed him in her heart
”She knew you would not dare to see her, and when you left without writing her a note, she said you had received secret orders not to hold any further communications with her She was furious with the viceroy
”'If Casanova had had the courage to ask one,' said she
”Your man told her of your fortunate escape froratulated Ricla on the circu about it Nina did not believe him You may thank God from the botto Nina She would have cost you your life at last, and she punishes iven her life”
”What! Are you her hter”
”Really? Everybody says you are her sister”
”That is the horrible part of it, everybody is right”
”Explain yourself!”
”Yes, though it is to hter, for she is the daughter of my father”
”What! your father loved you?”
”I do not knohether the scoundrel loved me, but he treated hter of the crime, and God knows she is sufficient punisheance; eance of God I should have strangled her in her cradle, but le her yet If I do not, she will kill me”
I remained dumb at the conclusion of this dreadful story, which bore all the marks of truth