actful if I suspended
the inconvenience, as they say, so I asked Antonio whether we ought not
to go and we begged leave to retire. She wished us good night in her
frank, open way, thanked me for my visit, inquired how long I was staying
in the town and concluded with the hope that I would call again, she
never went out, so I should be sure to find her at any time. It should
not be Addio, it should be Arrivederci.

There are few places where I am more at home than I am in Castellinaria,
but as I had come there this time expressly to see Antonio he considered
it his duty to look after me; he was engaged next day, however, so he
deputed two of his friends to amuse me, and they invited me to come for a
drive to the lighthouse. On the way, one of them said:

"And so Antonio took you yesterday to pass an intellectual evening with
the cardinalessa."

"Yes," I replied. "What a charming woman and what a strange life!"

They agreed, somewhat coldly as it seemed to me, and they rather markedly
refrained from developing the subject I had offered them; but they
proposed a counter subject. In a few days it would be Mery's onomastico
and they were going to send flowers. I should be in Palermo, would not I
send her a message on a picture post-card? Of course I would. So
between us we composed it:--

Auguri per l' onomastico. Ringraziamenti per la serata intellettuale
e per il caffe. Saluti--non piu, per timore di ingelosire nostro
amico Antonio.

Devotissimo suo Enrico. {183}

This was the address:--

ALL' EMINENTISSIMA CARDINALESSA,
MERY SO-AND-SO,
ALBERGO DELL' ALLEGRIA,
CASTELLINARIA.

I chose a card with a picture of St. Peter's; this seemed more
appropriate than una ballerina qualunque, which I might have had for the
same money, because her onomastico was the 8th September, the birthday of
the Madonna, and it was her uncle who had given her the name of Mery and
had himself baptised her.

I left Castellinaria next day with the card in my pocket ready to be
posted on the 7th September, and went to Palermo, where I know a young
doctor. I told him all about it and showed him the post-card. When he
saw Mery's real name he burst out laughing.

"Oh!