my
compassion; and I liked her civil hearty ways of greeting me, which
seemed sincere. I wanted to study her disposition in order to compose
parts suited for her; but time was short, and I could not do much.
Meanwhile, my visits and attentions roused the jealousy of the other
actresses. They used to question me with affected nonchalance upon the
Ricci's talent; confessed they saw great faults in her, and doubted
whether she could ever be of service to the company; but ingenuously
added that they hoped they were mistaken. Seeing through their artifice,
I repeated my favourable prognostications, and engaged myself to secure
the fulfilment of my prophecies.

It was then that calumnies began to fly abroad against my poor new
pupil's moral character. That was only what had to be expected.
Everybody knew the reports for facts, and nobody had set them going. I
have said that my habit of protecting the persecuted amounted to a vice.
Now that she was attacked in her honour, I vowed with greater fervour to
defend and rehabilitate her.

The troupe departed in due course of time for Mantua; thence they passed
to Verona, where the Ricci was delivered of a baby, which Heaven in
kindness removed from this world. Letters arrived from these cities
depreciating her talents, accusing her of invincible defects, and
prejudicing the public mind against her. Meanwhile, the partisans of two
able actresses in the rival company at S. Samuele were not idle; and I
foresaw that I should have formidable obstacles to overcome before I
succeeded in establishing her reputation. This only made me the more
obstinate.

Not being thoroughly acquainted as yet with her character and special
gifts, I composed a drama called _La Innamorata da Vero_.[38] My object
was to place her in different lights, and to give her the opportunity of
hitting the public taste in one point or another. She had to play the
part of a lady in love, exiled, forced to disguise herself as a waiter,
then as a gipsy, then as a soldier, then as a gentleman of quality, in
order to hide from the pursuit of justice and to remain faithful to her
passionate attachment. At the least I hoped that great pains in the
performance of this role might win for her indulgence and favour. I had
reason to see that I was mistaken in my expectations and my judgment.
The piece, though it proved successful in itself, was not adapted to the
Ricci. Sacchi, however, wrote about it and the actress enthusiasti