ood supper. Did you
notice what the aunt said? I am sure she was in the plot. She thought she
would gain me over by saying she was ready to treat me like her own
child. She was a decent-looking woman, too."

We made a good supper, and a pleasant night inclined us to forget the
insult the marquis had put upon us. When we woke up in the morning we
laughed at it. The marquis came to see us in the evening, and greeting me
with an air of mingled confusion and vexation, he said that he knew he
had done wrong in surprising me as he had, but that he was ready to do
anything in his power by way of atonement, and to give whatever
satisfaction I liked.

Rosalie did not give me time to answer. "If you really feel," said she,
"that you have insulted us, that is enough; we are amply avenged. But all
the same, sir, we shall be on our guard against you for the future,
though that will be for a short while, as we are just leaving."

With this proud reply she made him a low bow and left the room.

When he was left alone with me M. Grimaldi addressed me as follows:

"I take a great interest in your mistress's welfare; and as I feel sure
that she cannot long be happy in her present uncertain position, while I
am sure that she would make my godson an excellent wife, I was determined
that both of you should make his acquaintance, for Rosalie herself knows
very little of him. I confess that the means I employed were
dishonourable, but you will pardon the means for the sake of the
excellent end I had in view. I hope you will have a pleasant journey, and
that you may live for a long time in uninterrupted happiness with your
charming mistress. I hope you will write to me, and always reckon on my
standing your friend, and doing everything in my power for you. Before I
go, I will tell you something which will give you an idea of the
excellent disposition of young Petri, to whose happiness Rosalie seems
essential.

"He only told me the following, after I had absolutely refused to take
charge of a letter he had written to Rosalie, despairing of being able to
send it any other way. After assuring me that Rosalie had loved him, and
that consequently she could not have any fixed aversion for him, he added
that if the fear of being with child was the reason why she would not
marry him he would agree to put off the marriage till after the child was
born, provided that she would agree to stay in Genoa in hiding, her
presence to be unknown to all sav