bout.

At one o'clock we began to feel hungry again and got up, and the host
provided us with an excellent dinner, after receiving instructions from
me. I was astonished not to see the carriage draw up, but I waited
patiently all day. Night came on and still no coach, and I began to feel
anxious; but the Corticelli persisted in laughing at everything. Next
morning I sent off an express messenger with instructions for Costa. In
the event of any violence having taken place, I was resolved to return to
Florence, of which city I could at any time make myself free by the
expenditure of two hundred crowns.

The messenger started at noon, and returned at two o'clock with the news
that my servants would shortly be with me. My coach was on its way, and
behind it a smaller carriage with two horses, in which sat an old woman
and a young man.

"That's the mother," said Corticelli; "now we shall have some fun. Let's
get something for them to eat, and be ready to hear the history of this
marvellous adventure which she will remember to her dying day."

Costa told me that the auditor had revenged my contempt of his orders by
forbidding the post authorities to furnish any horses for my carriage.
Hence the delay. But here we heard the allocution of the Signora Laura.

"I got an excellent supper ready," she began, "according to your orders;
it cost me more than ten pauls, as I shall shew you, and I hope you will
make it up to me as I'm but a poor woman. All was ready and I joyfully
expected you, but in vain; I was in despair. At last when midnight came I
sent my son to your lodging to enquire after you, but you may imagine my
'grief when I heard that nobody knew what had become of you. I passed a
sleepless night, weeping all the time, and in the morning I went and
complained to the police that you had taken off my daughter, and asked
them to send after you and make you give her back to me. But only think,
they laughed at me! 'Why did you let her go out without you? laughing in
my face. 'Your daughter's in good hands,' says another, 'you know
perfectly well where she is.' In fact I was grossly slandered."

"Slandered?" said the Corticelli.

"Yes, slandered, for it was as much as to say that I had consented to
your being carried off, and if I had done that the fools might have known
I would not have come to them about it. I went away in a rage to Dr.
Vannini's, where I found your man, who told me that you had gone to
Bologna, and tha