lly directing
the middle-aged waiters in their duties, smiling to show his teeth,
stained with tobacco juice, or drawing delicately close to relate
anecdotes connected with the menu.

The soup, a "zuppa di pesce alla marinara" remarkable for its beautiful
red color, had been originally invented by the chef of Frisio's for the
ex-Queen Natalie of Servia, who had deigned to come, heavily veiled,
to lunch at the Scoglio, and had finally thrown off her veil and her
incognito, and written her name in the visitors' book for all to see.
The Macaroni a l'Imperatrice had been the favorite _plat_ of the dead
Empress Elizabeth of Austria, who used to visit Frisio's day after
day, and who always demanded two things--an eruption of Vesuvius and
"Funiculi, funicula!" William Ewart Gladstone had deigned to praise the
"oeufs a la Gladstone," called henceforth by his name, when he walked
over from the Villa Rendel to breakfast; and the delicious punch served
before the dolce, and immediately after the "Pollo panato alla Frisio,"
had been lauded by the late Czar of all the Russias, who was drinking a
glass of it--according to the solemn asseveration of the Padrone--when
the telegram announcing the assassination of his father was put into his
hand.

Names of very varied popular and great ones of the earth floated about
the table. Here, it appeared, Mario Costa and Paolo Tosti had composed
their most celebrated songs between one course and another. Here Zola
and Tolstoy had written. Here Sarah Bernhardt had ordered a dozen
bottles of famous old wine to be sent to the Avenue Pereire from the
cellars of Frisio, and had fallen in love with a cat from Greece. Here
Matilde Serao had penned a lasting testimony to the marital fidelity of
her husband.

Everything--everything had happened here, just here, at Frisio's.

Seeing the amused interest of his guests, the Marchesino encouraged
the Padrone to talk, called for his most noted wines, and demanded
at dessert a jug of Asti Spumante, with snow in it, and strawberries
floating on the top.

"You approve of Frisio's, Signorina?" he said, bending towards Vere.
"You do not find your evening dull?"

The girl shook her head. A certain excitement was noticeable in her
gayety--had been noticed by her mother all through the evening. It was
really due to the afternoon's incident with Artois, succeeded by this
unexpected festival, in which the lively homage of the Marchesino was
mingled with the long