single mouthful. I was seated next to the
Proto-Papa Bulgari, and I entreated his pardon for having ridiculed
Deldimopulo's oracle. "It is nothing else but regular cheating," he said,
"but it is very difficult to put a stop to it; it is an old custom."

A short time afterwards, Madame F---- whispered a few words to the
general, who turned to me and said that he would be glad to hear me
relate what had occurred to me in Constantinople with the wife of the
Turk Yusuf, and at another friend's house, where I had seen bathing by
moonlight. I was rather surprised at such an invitation, and told him
that such frolics were not worth listening to, and the general not
pressing me no more was said about it. But I was astonished at Madame
F----'s indiscretion; she had no business to make my confidences public.
I wanted her to be jealous of her own dignity, which I loved even more
than her person.

Two or three days later, she said to me,

"Why did you refuse to tell your adventures in Constantinople before the
general?"

"Because I do not wish everybody to know that you allow me to tell you
such things. What I may dare, madam, to say to you when we are alone, I
would certainly not say to you in public."

"And why not? It seems to me, on the contrary, that if you are silent in
public out of respect for me, you ought to be all the more silent when we
are alone."

"I wanted to amuse you, and have exposed myself to the danger of
displeasing you, but I can assure you, madam, that I will not run such a
risk again."

"I have no wish to pry into your intentions, but it strikes me that if
your wish was to please me, you ought not to have run the risk of
obtaining the opposite result. We take supper with the general this
evening, and M. D---- R----- has been asked to bring you. I feel certain
that the general will ask you again for your adventures in
Constantinople, and this time you cannot refuse him."

M. D---- R---- came in and we went to the general's. I thought as we were
driving along that, although Madame F---- seemed to have intended to
humiliate me, I ought to accept it all as a favour of fortune, because,
by compelling me to explain my refusal to the general; Madame F---- had,
at the same time, compelled me to a declaration of my feelings, which was
not without importance.

The 'proveditore-generale' gave me a friendly welcome, and kindly handed
me a letter which had come with the official dispatches from
Constantinopl