e, as I did not intend to make her my wife.

The father and mother received me as their preserver, and they may have
been sincere. The count begged me to come out of the room for a moment
with him, and when we were on the other side of the door, said,--

"Forgive an old and unfortunate man, forgive a father, if I ask you
whether it is true that you promised Irene a hundred sequins if I would
let her go to the ball with you."

"It is quite true, but of course you know what the consequences will be."

At these words the poor old rascal took hold of me in a way which would
have frightened me if I had not possessed twice his strength, but it was
only to embrace me.

We went back to the room, he in tears and I laughing. He ran and told his
wife, who had not been able to believe in such luck any more than her
husband, and Irene added a comic element to the scene by saying,--

"You must not think me a liar, or that my parents suspected that I was
imposing on them; they only thought you said fifty instead of a hundred,
as if I were not worth such a sum."

"You are worth a thousand, my dear Irene; your courage in barring the way
pleased me extremely. But you must come to the ball in a domino."

"Oh! you will be pleased with my dress."

"Are those the shoes and buckles you are going to wear? Have you no other
stockings? Where are your gloves?"

"Good heavens! I have nothing."

"Quick! Send for the tradesmen. We will choose what we want, and I will
pay."

Rinaldi went out to summon a jeweller, a shoemaker, a stocking-maker, and
a perfumer. I spent thirty sequins in what I considered necessary, but
then I noticed that there was no English point on her mask, and burst out
again. The father brought in a milliner, who adorned the mask with an ell
of lace for which I paid twelve sequins. Irene was in great delight, but
her father and mother would have preferred to have the money in their
pockets, and at bottom they were right.

When Irene put on her fine clothes I thought her delicious, and I saw
what an essential thing dress is to a woman.

"Be ready," said I, "before the time for the opera to-morrow, for before
going to the ball we will sup together in a room which belongs to me,
where we shall be quite at our ease. You know what to expect," I added,
embracing her. She answered me with an ardent kiss.

As I took leave of her father, he asked me where I was going after
leaving Milan.

"To Marseilles, then to Paris,