glasses at N. in one day. One of our people is living
there now, who has done bene, molto bene."

"That's Rossi," said I, "how is it that I did not mention him first? He
is my excellent friend, and a finer, cleverer fellow never lived, nor a
more honourable man. You may well say he has done well, for he is now
the first jeweller in the place. The last time I was there I bought a
diamond of him for my daughter Henrietta. Let us drink his health!"

"Willingly!" said the Italian. "He is the prince of the Milanese of
England--the most successful of all, but I acknowledge the most
deserving. Che viva."

"I wish he would write his life," said I; "a singular life it would
be--he has been something besides a travelling merchant, and a jeweller.
He was one of Buonaparte's soldiers, and served in Spain, under Soult,
along with John Gestra. He once told me that Soult was an old rascal,
and stole all the fine pictures from the convents, at Salamanca. I
believe he spoke with some degree of envy, for he is himself fond of
pictures, and has dealt in them, and made hundreds by them. I question
whether if in Soult's place he would not have done the same. Well,
however that may be, che viva."

Here the landlady interposed, observing that she wished we would now
speak English, for that she had quite enough of Italian, which she did
not find near so pretty a language as she had expected.

"You must not judge of the sound of Italian from what proceeds from my
mouth," said I. "It is not my native language. I have had little
practice in it, and only speak it very imperfectly."

"Nor must you judge of Italian from what you have heard me speak," said
the man of Como; "I am not good at Italian, for the Milanese speak
amongst themselves a kind of jargon, composed of many languages, and can
only express themselves with difficulty in Italian. I have been doing my
best to speak Italian, but should be glad now to speak English, which
comes to me much more glibly."

"Are there any books in your dialect, or jergo, as I believe you call
it?" said I.

"I believe there are a few," said the Italian.

"Do you know the word slandra?" said I.

"Who taught you that word?" said the Italian.

"Giovanni Gestra," said I; "he was always using it."

"Giovanni Gestra was a vulgar illiterate man," said the Italian; "had he
not been so he would not have used it. It is a vulgar word; Rossi would
not have used it."

"What is the meaning of