canti's
stern, reproving glances bade him sit still and keep quiet.

Pasquarello wept and sobbed, and cursed his destiny, which brought him
nothing but grief and heart-breaking, declared he didn't know how he
should ever set about it if he wanted to laugh again, and concluded by
saying that if he could look upon blood without fainting, he should
certainly cut his throat, or should throw himself in the Tiber if he
could only let that cursed swimming alone when he got into the water.

Doctor Gratiano now joined him, and inquired what was the cause of his
trouble.

Whereupon Pasquarello asked him whether he did not know anything about
what had taken place in the house of his master, Signor Pasquale
Capuzzi di Senigaglia, whether he did not know that an infamous
scoundrel had carried off pretty Marianna, his master's niece?

"Ah!" murmured Capuzzi, "I see you want to make your excuses to me,
Formica; you wish for my pardon--well, we shall see."

Doctor Gratiano expressed his sympathy, and observed that the scoundrel
must have gone to work very cunningly to have eluded all the inquiries
which had been instituted by Capuzzi.

"Ho! ho!" rejoined Pasquarello. "The Doctor need not imagine that the
scoundrel, Antonio Scacciati, had succeeded in escaping the sharpness
of Signor Pasquale Capuzzi, supported as he was, moreover, by powerful
friends. Antonio had been arrested, his marriage with Marianna
annulled, and Marianna herself had again come into Capuzzi's power.

"Has he got her again?" shouted Capuzzi, beside himself; "has he got
her again, good Pasquale? Has he got his little darling, his Marianna?
Is the knave Antonio arrested? Heaven bless you, Formica!"

"You take a too keen interest in the play, Signor Pasquale," said
Cavalcanti, quite seriously. "Pray permit the actors to proceed with
their parts without interrupting them in this disturbing fashion."

Ashamed of himself, Signor Pasquale resumed his seat, for he had again
risen to his feet.

Doctor Gratiano asked what had taken place then.

A wedding, continued Pasquarello, a wedding had taken place. Marianna
had repented of what she had done; Signor Pasquale had obtained the
desired dispensation from the Holy Father, and had married his niece.

"Yes, yes," murmured Pasquale Capuzzi to himself, whilst his eyes
sparkled with delight, "yes, yes, my dear, good Formica; he will marry
his sweet Marianna, the happy Pasquale. He knew that the dear little
darling h