Volume VI Part 95 (1/2)

I dressed myself as if I had been about to speak to ato wait; he cahted he was to seeat Trieste, and how I desired to return to my country, he assured me he would do all in his power to obtain me my wish He thanked me for the care I had taken of his nephew at Florence, and kept me all the day while I told hilad to hear that M Zaguri orking for ether He cohted to be able to inform the Tribunal of the consideration hich M Morosini treated an to enjoy life at Trieste, but in strict ard for economy, for I had only fifteen sequins a ether

Every day I dined with one of the circle of my friends, ere the Venetian consul, the French consul (an eccentric but worthy ood cook), Pittoni, who kept an excellent table, thanks to his man who kneas to his own interests, and several others

As for the pleasures of love I enjoyed the care of my purse and of my health

Towards the end of the carnival I went to aa harlequin caan to play tricks ondesire to be acquainted with her

After some vain researches the French consul, M de St Sauveur, toldlady of rank, and that the colu man

”If you like,” he added, ”I will introduce you to the harlequin's family, and I airl”

As they persisted in their jokes I was able, without wounding decency overht on the question of sex; and when the ball was over I said I should be obliged by his introducing me as he had promised He promised to do so the day after Ash Wednesday

Thus I made the acquaintance of Madah she had lived very freely in her younger days There was her husband, a son, and six daughters, all handsome, but especially the harlequin hom I was much taken Naturally I fell in love with her, but as I was her senior by thirty years, and had begunof sha to her the real state of uessed s, and had been airl learns deeper lessons from nature than we men can acquire with all our experience

At the Easter of 1773 Count Auersperg, the Governor of Trieste, was recalled to Vienna, and Count Wagensberg took his place His eldest daughter, the Countess Lantieri, as a great beauty, inspired me with a passion which would haveit under a veil of the profoundest respect

I celebrated the accession of the new governor by so the father, I paid conspicuous hohter

My tribute pleased them, and I became an intimate friend of the count's

He placed confidence in h he did not say so openly I divined his intention

The Venetian consul had toldfor the last four years to get the Governence from Trieste to Mestre to pass by Udine, the capital of the Venetian Friuli

”This alteration,” he had said, ”would greatly benefit the commerce of the two states; but the Municipal Council of Trieste opposes it for a plausible but ridiculous reason”

These councillors, in the depth of their wisdom, said that if the Venetian Republic desired the alteration it would evidently be to their advantage, and consequently to the disadvantage of Trieste

The consul assured me that if I could in any way obtain the concession it would weigh strongly in my favour with the State Inquisitors, and even in the event of my non-success he would represent ht

I proh in the governor's favour, I took the opportunity of addressing myself to hiht the objection of the Town Council absurd and evenhimself

”Councillor Rizzi,” said he, ”is the most obstinate of them all, and has led astray the rest with his sophis that the alteration will have a e co trade of Udine I shall send it into the Council without disclosing the authorshi+p, but backing it withthe opposition to refute your arguments Finally, if they do not decide reasonably I shall proclaim before them all my intention to send the memoir to Vienna with my opinion on it”

I felt confident of success, and wrote out a memoir full of incontrovertible reasons in favour of the proposed change

My arguained the victory; the Council were persuaded, and Count Wagensberg handed me the decree, which I i his advice, I wrote to the secretary of the Tribunal to the effect that I was happy to have given the Government a proof of my zeal, and an earnest ofrecalled

Out of regard for ation of the decree for a week, so that the people of Udine heard the news froht that the Venetian Government had achieved its ends by bribery The secretary of the Tribunal did not answer ive me a hundred ducats, and to infore reat things fro the Arave me the requisite information, and my impression was that my efforts would be in vain; however, I resolved to make the attempt