losing temporarily my taste for
study. I put by my "Iliad," feeling sure that I should be able to finish
it again.

Severini introduced me to his family, and before long I became very
intimate with him. I also became the favourite of his sister, a lady
rather plain than pretty, thirty years old, but full of intelligence.

In the course of Lent the abbe introduced me to all the best dancers and
operatic singers in Bologna, which is the nursery of the heroines of the
stage. They may be had cheaply enough on their native soil.

Every week the good abbe introduced me to a fresh one, and like a true
friend he watched carefully over my finances. He was a poor man himself,
and could not afford to contribute anything towards the expenses of our
little parties; but as they would have cost me double without his help,
the arrangement was a convenient one for both of us.

About this time there was a good deal of talk about a Bolognese nobleman,
Marquis Albergati Capacelli. He had made a present of his private theatre
to the public, and was himself an excellent actor. He had made himself
notorious by obtaining a divorce from his wife, whom he did not like, so
as to enable him to marry a dancer, by whom he had two children. The
amusing point in this divorce was that he obtained it on the plea that he
was impotent, and sustained his plea by submitting to an examination,
which was conducted as follows:

Four skilled and impartial judges had the marquis stripped before them,
and did all in their power to produce an erection; but somehow or other
he succeeded in maintaining his composure, and the marriage was
pronounced null and void on the ground of relative impotence, for it was
well known that he had had children by another woman.

If reason and not prejudice had been consulted, the procedure would have
been very different; for if relative impotence was considered a
sufficient ground for divorce, of what use was the examination?

The marquis should have sworn that he could do nothing with his wife, and
if the lady had traversed this statement the marquis might have
challenged her to put him into the required condition.

But the destruction of old customs and old prejudices is often the work
of long ages.

I felt curious to know this character, and wrote to M. Dandolo to get me
a letter of introduction to the marquis.

In a week my good old friend sent me the desired letter. It was written
by another Venetian, M. de Zaguri,