g the past
hour," said Giardini.

"How is it that the regular beauty of Marianna's features is not
spoiled by incessantly hearing such a hideous medley?" said the Count to
himself. "Marianna will certainly grow ugly."

"Signor, she must be saved from that," cried Giardini.

"Yes," said Andrea. "I have thought of that. Still, to be sure that
my plans are not based on error, I must confirm my doubts by another
experiment. I will return and examine the instruments he has invented.
To-morrow, after dinner, we will have a little supper. I will send in
some wine and little dishes."

The cook bowed.

Andrea spent the following day in superintending the arrangement of the
rooms where he meant to install the artist in a humble home.

In the evening the Count made his appearance, and found the wine,
according to his instructions, set out with some care by Marianna and
Giardini. Gambara proudly exhibited the little drums, on which lay
the powder by means of which he made his observations on the pitch and
quality of the sounds emitted by his instruments.

"You see," said he, "by what simple means I can prove the most important
propositions. Acoustics thus can show me the analogous effects of sound
on every object of its impact. All harmonies start from a common centre
and preserve the closest relations among themselves; or rather, harmony,
like light, is decomposable by our art as a ray is by a prism."

He then displayed the instruments constructed in accordance with his
laws, explaining the changes he had introduced into their constitution.
And finally he announced that to conclude this preliminary inspection,
which could only satisfy a superficial curiosity, he would perform on an
instrument that contained all the elements of a complete orchestra, and
which he called a _Panharmonicon_.

"If it is the machine in that huge case, which brings down on us the
complaints of the neighborhood whenever you work at it, you will not
play on it long," said Giardini. "The police will interfere. Remember
that!"

"If that poor idiot stays in the room," said Gambara in a whisper to the
Count, "I cannot possibly play."

Andrea dismissed the cook, promising a handsome reward if he would keep
watch outside and hinder the neighbors or the police from interfering.
Giardini, who had not stinted himself while helping Gambara to wine, was
quite willing.

Gambara, without being drunk, was in the condition when every power of
the brain is