f the opera-buffa by the dowager electress, who was
passionately fond of music.

Amongst the other strangers were Miss Chudleigh, now Duchess of Kingston,
with a nobleman and a knight whose names I have forgotten.

The duchess recognized me at once, and seemed pleased that I paid my
court to her. An hour afterwards Mr. Hamilton came to see her, and I was
delighted to make his acquaintance. We all dined together. Mr. Hamilton
was a genius, and yet he ended by marrying a mere girl, who was clever
enough to make him in love with her. Such a misfortune often comes to
clever men in their old age. Marriage is always a folly; but when a man
marries a young woman at a time of life when his physical strength is
running low, he is bound to pay dearly for his folly; and if his wife is
amorous of him she will kill him even years ago I had a narrow escape
myself from the same fate.

After dinner I presented the two Saxons to the duchess; they gave her
news of the dowager electress, of whom she was very fond. We then went to
the play together. As chance would have it, Madame Goudar occupied the
box next to ours, and Hamilton amused the duchess by telling the story of
the handsome Irishwoman, but her grace did not seem desirous of making
Sara's acquaintance.

After supper the duchess arranged a game of quinze with the two
Englishmen and the two Saxons. The stakes were small, and the Saxons
proved victorious. I had not taken any part in the game, but I resolved
to do so the next evening.

The following day we dined magnificently with the Prince of Francavilla,
and in the afternoon he took us to the bath by the seashore, where we saw
a wonderful sight. A priest stripped himself naked, leapt into the water,
and without making the slightest movement floated on the surface like a
piece of deal. There was no trick in it, and the marvel must be assigned
to some special quality in his organs of breathing. After this the prince
amused the duchess still more pleasantly. He made all his pages, lads of
fifteen to seventeen, go into the water, and their various evolutions
afforded us great pleasure. They were all the sweethearts of the prince,
who preferred Ganymede to Hebe.

The Englishmen asked him if if he would give us the same spectacle, only
substituting nymphs for the 'amoyini', and he promised to do so the next
day at his splendid house near Portici, where there was a marble basin in
the midst of the garden.

CHAPTER XIV

M