oggi, non e doman.'

"'On the hill in joy, in the dale in sorrow--
One thing to-day, and another to-morrow.'

"For to take him at every point, there was something to count off. Thus
in all the city there was no one--according to his own declaration--who
was

Richer or more prosperous,

Or who had enjoyed a better education,

Or who had such remarkable general knowledge of everything taking place,

Or more of a distinguished courtier,

Or one with such a train of dependants, and people of all kinds running
after him,

Or more generally accomplished,

Or better looking--

"And finally, no one so physically strong, as he was accustomed to boast
to everybody on first acquaintance, and give them proofs of it--he having
heard somewhere that 'physical force makes a deeper impression than
courtesy.' But all these fine gifts failed to inspire respect (and here
was another puzzle in his nature), either because he was so tremendously
vain that he looked down on all mortals as so many insects, and all
pretty much alike as compared to himself, or else from a foolish
carelessness and want of respect, he made himself quite as familiar with
trivial people as with anybody. {213}

"One evening the Signore Pietro gave a grand ball in his palace, and as
the guests came in--the beauty and grace and courtly style of all Italy
in its golden time--he half closed his eyes, lazily looking at the
brilliant swarm of human butterflies and walking flowers, despising while
admiring them, though if he had been asked to give a reason for his
contempt he would have been puzzled, not having any great amount of
self-respect for himself. And they spun round and round in the dance. .
. .

"When all at once he saw among the guests a lady, unknown to him, of such
striking and singular appearance as to rouse him promptly from his idle
thought. She was indeed wonderfully beautiful, but what was very
noticeable was her absolutely ivory white complexion, which hardly seemed
human, her profuse black silken hair; and most of all her unearthly large
jet-black eyes, of incredible brilliancy, with such a strange expression
as neither the Signore Pietro nor any one else present had ever seen
before. There was a power in them, a kind of basilisk-fascination allied
to angelic sweetness--fire and ice . . . _ostra e tramontan_--a hot and
cold wind.

"The Signore Pietro, with his prompt tact, made the lady's paleness a
pretence for addressing