d me he lived near
Salerno, on an estate he had bought which gave him the title of marquis.
I was vexed, but I had no right to expect to find Naples in the statu quo
I left it. Polo was dead, and his son lived at St. Lucia with his wife
and children; he was a boy when I saw him last, and though I should have
much liked to see him again I had no time to do so.

It may be imagined that I did not forget the advocate, Castelli, husband
of my dear Lucrezia, whom I had loved so well at Rome and Tivoli. I
longed to see her face once more, and I thought of the joy with which we
should recall old times that I could never forget. But Castelli had been
dead for some years, and his widow lived at a distance of twenty miles
from Naples. I resolved not to return to Rome without embracing her. As
to Lelio Caraffa, he was still alive and residing at the Matalone Palace.

I returned, feeling tired with my researches, dressed with care, and
drove to the Matalone Palace, where they told me that the duke was at
table. I did not care for that but had my name sent in, and the duke came
out and did me the honour of embracing me and thouing me, and then
presented me to his wife, a daughter of the Duke de Bovino, and to the
numerous company at table. I told him I had only come to Naples in
fulfillment of the promise I had made him at Paris.

"Then," said he, "you must stay with me;" and, without waiting for my
answer, ordered my luggage to be brought from the inn, and my carriage to
be placed in his coach-house. I accepted his invitation.

One of the guests, a fine-looking man, on hearing my name announced, said
gaily,--

"If you bear my name, you must be one of my father's bastards."

"No," said I, directly, "one of your mother's."

This repartee made everybody laugh, and the gentleman who had addressed
me came and embraced me, not in the least offended. The joke was
explained to me. His name was Casalnovo, not Casanova, and he was duke
and lord of the fief of that name.

"Did you know," said the Duke de Matalone, "that I had a son?"

"I was told so, but did not believe it, but now I must do penance for my
incredulity, for I see before me an angel capable of working this
miracle."

The duchess blushed, but did not reward my compliment with so much as a
glance; but all the company applauded what I had said, as it was
notorious that the duke had been impotent before his marriage. The duke
sent for his son, I admired him, and told the