M. M. nor C. C. would consider such continence to be within
the bounds of possibility, if they heard of it, and that Laura herself,
to whom her daughter would tell the whole story, would be sceptical,
though she might out of kindness pretend to believe it all.

I got to M. de Bragadin's just as the soup was being served. He welcomed
me heartily, and was delighted at having foreseen that I should thus
surprise them. Besides my two other old friends, there were De la Haye,
Bavois, and Dr. Righelini at table.

"What! you without a cloak!" said M. Dandolo.

"Yes," said I; "for having gone out with my mask on I forgot to bring
one:"

At this they laughed, and, without putting myself out, I sat down. No one
asked where I had been so long, for it was understood that that question
should be left to me to answer or not. Nevertheless, De la Haye, who was
bursting with curiosity, could not refrain from breaking some jests on
me.

"You have got so thin," said he, "that uncharitable people will be rather
hard on you."

"I trust they will not say that I have been passing my time with the
Jesuits."

"You are sarcastic. They may say, perhaps, that you have passed your time
in a hot-house under the influence of Mercury."

"Don't be afraid, sir, for to escape this hasty judgment I shall go back
this evening."

"No, no, I am quite sure you will not."

"Believe me, sir," said I, with a bantering tone, "that I deem your
opinion of too much consequence not to be governed by it."

Seeing that I was in earnest, my friends were angry with him; and the
Aristarchus was in some confusion.

Righelini, who was one of Murray's intimate friends, said to me in a
friendly way that he had been longing to tell Murray of my re-appearance,
and of the falsity of all the reports about me.

"We will go to sup with him," said I, "and I will return after supper."

Seeing that M. de Bragadin and his two friends were uneasy about me, I
promised to dine with them on April 25th, St. Mark's Day.

As soon as Mr. Murray saw me, he fell on my neck and embraced me. He
introduced me to his wife, who asked me to supper with great politeness.
After Murray had told me the innumerable stories which had been made
about my disappearance, he asked me if I knew a little story by the Abbe
Chiari, which had come out at the end of the carnival. As I said that I
knew nothing about it, he gave me a copy, telling me that I should like
it. He was right. It was a sati