decision."

"And what is it?"

"To suffer in silence, without allowing any circumstance to alter the
feelings with which you have inspired me; to wish ardently to convince
you of my perfect obedience to your commands; to be ever ready to give
you fresh proofs of my devotion."

"I thank you, but I cannot imagine what you can have to suffer in silence
on my account. I take an interest in you, and I always listen with
pleasure to your adventures. As a proof of it, I am extremely curious to
hear the history of your three loves."

I invented on the spot three purely imaginary stories, making a great
display of tender sentiments and of ardent love, but without alluding to
amorous enjoyment, particularly when she seemed to expect me to do so.
Sometimes delicacy, sometimes respect or duty, interfered to prevent the
crowning pleasure, and I took care to observe, at such moments of
disappointment, that a true lover does not require that all important
item to feel perfectly happy. I could easily see that her imagination was
travelling farther than my narrative, and that my reserve was agreeable
to her. I believed I knew her nature well enough to be certain that I was
taking the best road to induce her to follow me where I wished to lead
her. She expressed a sentiment which moved me deeply, but I was careful
not to shew it. We were talking of my third love, of the woman who, out
of pity, had undertaken to cure me, and she remarked,

"If she truly loved you, she may have wished not to cure you, but to cure
herself."

On the day following this partial reconciliation, M. F----, her husband,
begged my commanding officer, D---- R-----, to let me go with him to
Butintro for an excursion of three days, his own adjutant being seriously
ill.

Butintro is seven miles from Corfu, almost opposite to that city; it is
the nearest point to the island from the mainland. It is not a fortress,
but only a small village of Epirus, or Albania, as it is now called, and
belonging to the Venetians. Acting on the political axiom that "neglected
right is lost right," the Republic sends every year four galleys to
Butintro with a gang of galley slaves to fell trees, cut them, and load
them on the galleys, while the military keep a sharp look-out to prevent
them from escaping to Turkey and becoming Mussulmans. One of the four
galleys was commanded by M. F---- who, wanting an adjutant for the
occasion, chose me.

I went with him, and on the fourth da