hele said the gentleman was very well-looking, rather elderly,
and spoke exceedingly nicely, saying his name was Nicolo Musso.

"Nicolo Musso!" said Capuzzi, thoughtfully to himself; "Nicolo Musso,
who has the theatre outside the Porta del Popolo! What can he want with
me?" He carefully closed and bolted the door, and went down with
Michele to talk with Nicolo in the street.

"My dear Signor Pasquale," said Nicolo, greeting him with an easy
courtesy, "how very much delighted I am that you honour me with
your acquaintance! How many thanks I owe you! Since the Romans saw
_you_--the man of the most acknowledged taste, of the most universal
knowledge, the virtuoso in art--in my theatre, my reputation, and my
receipts, have been doubled. All the more does it pain me that some
wicked, malicious fellows should have made a murderous attack upon you
and your party as you were going home from my theatre at night. For the
love of all the Saints, Signor Pasquale, do not form a prejudice
against me and my theatre on account of an affair of this sort, which
could scarcely have been anticipated. Do not deprive me of your
patronage."

"My good Signor Nicolo," said Capuzzi, flattered, "let me assure you
that I never, anywhere, found more pleasure than in your theatre.
Your Formica, your Agli, are actors, whose equals have still to
be discovered; but the alarm which brought my friend Splendiano
Accoramboni--and indeed myself as well--nearly to death's door, was too
severe. It has closed to me for ever, not your theatre, but the road to
it. Open your theatre in the Piazza del Popolo, or in Strada Babuina,
or Strada Ripetta, and I shall never miss a single evening; but no
power on earth would induce me to set foot outside the Porto del Popolo
at night."

Nicolo sighed as if possessed by profound sorrow. "That hits me hard,"
he said; "harder than you perhaps may suppose, Signor Pasquale. I had
based all my hopes upon you. In fact, I came to implore your
assistance."

"My assistance!" echoed the old gentleman; "my assistance! In what way
could that be of any use to you, Signor Nicolo?"

"My dear Signor Pasquale," answered Nicolo, passing his handkerchief
over his eyes as if wiping away a tear or two, "you will have observed
that my actors occasionally introduce a little aria or so here and
there; and my idea was to carry that further gradually; bring a small
orchestra together, and finally evade prohibitions so far as to start
an ope