, she refused him, and ardour was succeeded by contempt. Leah did not
want to confess herself to be what she really was, and my love would not
declare itself knavish.

I made the acquaintance of an amiable chevalier, a soldier, a man of
letters, and a great lover of horses, who introduced me to several
pleasant families. However, I did not cultivate them, as they only
offered me the pleasures of sentiment, while I longed for lustier fare
for which I was willing to pay heavily. The Chevalier de Breze was not
the man for me; he was too respectable for a profligate like myself. He
bought the phaeton and horses, and I only lost thirty sequins by the
transaction.

A certain M. Baretti, who had known me at Aix, and had been the Marquis
de Pries croupier, took me to see the Mazzoli, formerly a dancer, and
then mistress to the Chevalier Raiberti, a hardheaded but honest man, who
was then secretary for foreign affairs. Although the Mazzoli was by no
means pretty, she was extremely complaisant, and had several girls at her
house for me to see; but I did not think any of them worthy of occupying
Leah's place. I fancied I no longer loved Leah, but I was wrong.

The Chevalier Cocona, who had the misfortune to be suffering from a
venereal disease, gave me up his mistress, a pretty little 'soubrette';
but in spite of the evidence of my own eyes, and in spite of the
assurances she gave me, I could not make up my mind to have her, and my
fear made me leave her untouched. Count Trana, a brother of the
chevalier's whom I had known at Aix, introduced me to Madame de Sc----, a
lady of high rank and very good-looking, but she tried to involve me in a
criminal transaction, and I ceased to call on her. Shortly after, Count
Trana's uncle died and he became rich and got married, but he lived an
unhappy life.

I was getting bored, and Desarmoises, who had all his meals with me, did
not know what to do. At last he advised me to make the acquaintance of a
certain Madame R----, a Frenchwoman, and well known in Turin as a
milliner and dressmaker. She had six or eight girls working for her in a
room adjoining her shop. Desarmoises thought that if I got in there I
might possibly be able to find one to my taste. As my purse was well
furnished I thought I should not have much difficulty, so I called on
Madame R----. I was agreeably surprised to find Leah there, bargaining
for a quantity of articles, all of which she pronounced to be too dear.
She tol