world,
and could not bear my telling them that their amorous sports were the
only reason for their attachment. They therefore agreed to abandon them
as soon as we left Genoa, and promised that I should sleep between them
in the felucca, all of us to keep our clothes on. I said I should hold
them to their word, and I fixed our departure for Thursday. I ordered the
felucca to be in readiness and summoned my brother to go on board.

It was a cruel moment when I left Annette with her mother. She wept so
bitterly that all of us had to shed tears. My niece gave her a handsome
dress and I thirty sequins, promising to come and see her again on my
return from England. Possano was told to go on board with the abbe; I had
provisioned the boat for three days. The young merchant promised to be at
Marseilles, telling my niece that by the time he came everything would be
settled. I was delighted to hear it; it assured me that her father would
give her a kind reception. Our friends did not leave us till the moment
we went on board.

The felucca was very conveniently arranged, and was propelled by the
twelve oarsmen. On the deck there were also twenty-four muskets, so that
we should have been able to defend ourselves against a pirate. Clairmont
had arranged my carriage and my trunks so cleverly, that by stretching
five mattresses over them we had an excellent bed, where we could sleep
and undress ourselves in perfect comfort; we had good pillows and plenty
of sheets. A long awning covered the deck, and two lanterns were hung up,
one at each end. In the evening they were lighted and Clairmont brought
in supper. I had warned my brother that at the slightest presumption on
his part he should be flung into the sea, so I allowed him and Possano to
sup with us.

I sat between my two nymphs and served the company merrily, first my
niece, then Marcoline, then my brother, and finally Possano. No water was
drunk at table, so we each emptied a bottle of excellent Burgundy, and
when we had finished supper the rowers rested on their oars, although the
wind was very light. I had the lamps put out and went to bed with my two
sweethearts, one on each side of me.

The light of dawn awoke me, and I found my darlings still sleeping in the
same position. I could kiss neither of them, since one passed for my
niece, and my sense of humanity would not allow me to treat Marcoline as
my mistress in the presence of an unfortunate brother who adored her, and