him--every Sunday at
least when I go to Mass, to trim up my rough moustache, for there's
nobody in all the wide world understands it so well as he does."

It cost Salvator an effort to repress his laughter at the strange old
man; but before he could make any reply, Antonio and Marianna,
embracing the old gentleman, assured him that they should not believe
he was fully reconciled to them, and should not be really happy, until
he came to live with them as their dear father, never to leave them
again. Antonio added that not only on Sunday, but every other day, he
would trim Capuzzi's moustache as elegantly as he knew how, and
accordingly the old gentleman was perfectly radiant with delight.
Meanwhile a splendid supper had been prepared, to which the entire
company now turned in the best of spirits.

In taking my leave of you, beloved reader, I wish with all my heart
that, whilst you have been reading the story of the wonderful Signor
Formica, you have derived as much pure pleasure from it as Salvator and
all his friends felt on sitting down to their supper.

* * * * * * *

FOOTNOTES TO "SIGNOR FORMICA":

PART I.

[Footnote 1.1: This tale was written for the Leipsic _Taschenbuch zum
geselligen Vergnuegen_ for the year 1820.]

[Footnote 1.2: Respecting the facts of Salvator Rosa's life there
exists more than one disputed statement; and of these perhaps the most
disputed is his share of complicity (if any) in the evil doings of
Calabrian banditti. Poor, and of a wild and self-willed disposition,
but with a strong and independent character, he was unable to find a
suitable master in Naples, so, at the age of eighteen, he set out to
study the lineaments of nature face to face, and spent some time amidst
the grand and savage scenery of Calabria. Here it is certain that he
came into contact with the banditti who haunted those wild regions. He
is alleged to have been taken prisoner by a band, and to have become a
member of the troop. Accepting this as true, we may perhaps charitably
believe that he was prompted not so much by a regard for his own
safety, as by the wish to secure a rare opportunity for studying his
art unhindered, and also charitably hope that the accusations of his
enemies, that he actively participated in the deeds of his companions,
are unfounded, or, at any rate, exaggerations. It may be remarked that
the "Life and Times of Salvator Rosa