They distinctly saw Marianna at the window, and heard Pasquale adjuring
her, in the most honeyed terms, not to expose herself to the night air.

The next evening there passed along the street towards the Porto del
Popolo the strangest group of persons ever seen. They attracted all
eyes, and people asked each other if some strange survival of the
Carnival had preserved two or three mad maskers. Signor Pasquale
Capuzzi, in his many-coloured, well-brushed Spanish suit, a new yellow
feather in his steeple-crowned hat, tightly belted and buckled, all
tenderness and grace, tripping along on shoes too tight for him, as if
treading on eggs, conducted on his arm the lovely Marianna, whose
pretty figure, and still more beautiful face, could not be seen, in
consequence of the extraordinary manner in which she was wimpled and
wrapped up in a cloak and hood. On her other side tripped along Signor
Splendiano Accoramboni in his enormous wig, which covered the whole of
his back, so that, when seen from behind, he looked like some enormous
head moving along on two diminutive legs. Close behind Marianna, almost
clinging on to her, came, in crab-like fashion, the little hideosity of
a Pitichinaccio, in flame-coloured female dress, with his hair
bedecked, in the most repulsive style, with flowers of all the colours
of the rainbow.

On this particular evening Signor Formica even surpassed himself;
and--what he had never done before--he introduced little snatches of
songs, imitating various well-known singers. In old Capuzzi this awoke
all the old delight in theatrical matters which in former days had been
a regular mania with him. He kissed Marianna's hands over and over
again, and vowed that he certainly would bring her to Nicolo Musso's
theatre every night without fail. He extolled Signor Formica to the
very skies, and joined most heartily in the uproarious applause of the
rest of the audience. Signor Splendiano was less content, and
repeatedly begged Signor Capuzzi and Marianna not to laugh so very
immoderately. He named, in one breadth, some twenty maladies which were
liable to be brought on by over-agitation of the diaphragm; but neither
the one nor the other gave themselves any trouble on the subject.
Pitichinaccio was thoroughly unhappy. He had been obliged to sit just
behind the Pyramid Doctor, who so overshadowed him with his enormous
wig that he could not see the smallest peep of the stage, nor of the
characters upon it; moreove