ice she paused for
a moment with two of her girl friends by her side and looked down upon
her company very graciously and sweetly, and wished them farewell. Then
the door of the palace opened and swallowed her up with her two
companions, and when she had gone it seemed to us watching as if the
sunshine had gone with her, though the street was still flooded with its
light.

Then Messer Folco spoke again to the multitude, saying that there would
be simple cheer and sport provided in his gardens that lay in the
meadow-land on the other side of Arno for such as chose to go so far, at
which his hearers cheered again, and made all speed to take him at his
word and hurry away over the bridge. Thereafter Messer Folco turned to
Messer Simone, as if inviting him to enter.

But Messer Simone shook his head. "Later, Messer Folco," I heard him
say, "later; I have some busy hours before me." Then Messer Folco,
acquiescing, entered his great house, and its great doors closed behind
him, and those that were conveying the car wheeled it about and pulled
it away, returning on the road by which they had come, and by this time
most of the revellers had departed over bridge.

Guido and I, that were not tempted to travel so far as Messer Folco's
river gardens, turning to our companion, noted that Dante was standing
entranced with his eyes fixed upon his rose, and I heard him murmur to
himself, "O wonderful world, that can boast of so wonderful a woman!"

Now, when I say that all of Madonna Beatrice's escort had gone from
there, I mean that the gay youths and maidens had departed, but Messer
Simone dei Bardi had remained behind, leaning against the wall of the
house with his arms folded and an evil smile on his face.

Messer Simone's own followers, seeing him, lingered, waiting upon his
pleasure, and though most of the May-day merrymakers had disappeared,
there were not a few idlers and passers-by.

There were a certain number of Messer Guido's friends there, too, that
had joined him in the procession, and that now lingered in the hope to
bear him with them to some merriment more to their liking than Messer
Folco's transpontine hospitality. So that the open place was far from
empty for all its bigness.

V

ONE WAY WITH A QUARREL

Now when the door had shut upon Beatrice, Messer Simone shook himself
from the wall and advanced with a steady, heavy stride to where Dante
stood lost in contemplation of his rose, and I thought he