r Stratico, the professor of mathematics at
Padua, and the same that had given me a letter for his brother, the Pisan
professor. He stayed at the "Crocielles," and we were delighted to see
one another again.

Morosini, a young man of nineteen, was travelling to complete his
education. He had spent three years at Turin academy, and was now under
the superintendence of a man who could have introduced him to the whole
range of learning, but unhappily the will was wanting in the pupil. The
young Venetian loved women to excess, frequented the society of young
rakes, and yawned in good company. He was a sworn foe to study, and spent
his money in a lavish manner, less from generosity than from a desire to
be revenged on his uncle's economies. He complained of being still kept
in tutelage; he had calculated that he could spend eight hundred sequins
a month, and thought his allowance of two hundred sequins a month an
insult. With this notion, he set himself to sow debts broadcast, and only
laughed at his tutor when he mildly reproached him for his extravagance,
and pointed out that if he were saving for the present, he would be able
to be all the more magnificent on his return to Venice. His uncle had
made an excellent match for him; he was to marry a girl who was extremely
pretty, and also the heiress of the house of Grimani de Servi.

The only redeeming feature in the young man's character was that he had a
mortal hatred of all kinds of play.

Since my bank had been broken I had been at Goudar's, but I would not
listen to his proposal that I should join them again. Medini had become a
sworn foe of mine. As soon as I came, he would go away, but I pretended
not to notice him. He was at Goudar's when I introduced Morosini and his
mentor, and thinking the young man good game he became very intimate with
him. When he found out that Morosini would not hear of gaming, his hatred
of me increased, for he was certain that I had warned the rich Venetian
against him.

Morosini was much taken with Sara's charms, and only thought of how he
could possess her. He was still a young man, full of romantic notions,
and she would have become odious in his eyes if he could have guessed
that she would have to be bought with a heavy price.

He told me several times that if a woman proposed payment for her
favours, his disgust would expel his love in a moment. As he said, and
rightly, he was as good a man as Madame Goudar was a woman.

This was