Volume VI Part 57 (2/2)

Abbe Bettoni treated us to lemon, coffee, and chocolate ices, and some delicious cream cheese Naples excels in these delicacies, and the abbe had everything of the best We aited on by five or six country girls of ravishi+ng beauty, dressed with exquisite neatness I asked hiht be so, but that jealousy was unknown, as I should see for myself if I cared to spend a ith him

I envied this happy man, and yet I pitied him, for he was at least twelve years older than I, and I was by no er

In the evening we returned to the duke's, and sat down to a supper coives an untiring appetite, and the supper soon disappeared

After supperMedini to be a professional gaed to be excused, saying he had not enough money, so I consented to take his place

The cards were brought in, and I emptied my poor purse on the table It only held four hundred ounces, but that was all I possessed

The ga ed him to excusetill ht, and by that time I had only forty ounces left Everybody had won except Sir Rosebury, who had punted in English bank notes, which I had put into ot to ht I had better look at the bank notes, for the depletion of ined I found I had got four hundred and fifty pounds--more than double what I had lost

I went to sleep well pleased with ood luck

The duchess had arranged for us to start at nine, and Madaed us to take coffee with her before going

After breakfast Medini and Bettoni came in, and the for with us Of course, Hamilton could not refuse, so he came on board, and at two o'clock I was back at reeted inlady, who asked me sadly whether I remembered her She was the eldest of the five Hanoverians, the same that had fled with the Marquis dells Petina

I told her to coht up

”If you are alone,” she said, ”I should be glad to share your repast”

”Certainly; I will order dinner for two”

Her story was soon told She had come to Naples with her husband, whonize The poor wretch had sold all he possessed, and two or three ery His poor mate had supported him in prison for seven years She had heard that I was at Naples, and wanted me to help her, not as the Marquis della Petina wished, by lending hi ston to land with her in her service

”Are you married to the marquis?”

”No”

”Then how could you keep him for seven years?”

”AlasYou can think of a hundred ways, and they would all be true”

”I see”

”Can you procure me an intervieith the duchess?”