exchange more useful than myself, and
the five sages have often profited by the advice I have given them. My
detention is a curious incident, which, perchance, will be of service to
you."

"Indeed. How, may I ask?"

"I will get you out of here in a month's time. I know to whom to speak
and what way to do it:"

"I reckon on you, then."

"You may do so."

This knave and fool together believed himself to be somebody. He
volunteered to inform me as to what was being said of me in the town, but
as he only related the idle tales of men as ignorant as himself, he
wearied me, and to escape listening to him I took up a book. The fellow
had the impudence to ask me not to read, as he was very fond of talking,
but henceforth he talked only to himself. I did not dare to light my lamp
before this creature, and as night drew on he decided on accepting some
bread and Cyprus wine, and he was afterwards obliged to do as best he
could with my mattress, which was now the common bed of all new-comers.

In the morning he had a bed and some food from his own house. I was
burdened with this wretched fellow for two months, for before condemning
him to the Fours the secretary had several interviews with him to bring
to light his knaveries, and to oblige him to cancel a goodly number of
illegal agreements. He confessed to me himself that he had bought of M.
Domenico Micheli the right to moneys which could not belong to the buyer
till after the father of the seller was dead. "It's true," said he, "that
he agreed to give me fifty per cent., but you must consider that if he
died before his father I should lose all." At last, seeing that my cursed
fellow did not go, I determined to light my lamp again after having made
him promise to observe secrecy. He only kept his promise while he was
with me, as Lawrence knew all about it, but luckily he attached no
importance to the fact.

This unwelcome guest was a true burden to me, as he not only prevented me
from working for my escape but also from reading. He was troublesome,
ignorant, superstitious, a braggart, cowardly, and sometimes like a
madman. He would have had me cry, since fear made him weep, and he said
over and over again that this imprisonment would ruin his reputation. On
this count I reassured him with a sarcasm he did not understand. I told
him that his reputation was too well known to suffer anything from this
little misfortune, and he took that for a compliment. He would not
confes