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Title: Holland and Germany
Author: Jacques Casanova
Release Date: December, 2001 [Etext #2963]
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Edition: 10
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MEMOIRS OF JACQUES CASANOVA de SEINGALT 1725-1798
THE ETERNAL QUEST, Volume 3c--HOLLAND AND GERMANY
THE RARE UNABRIDGED LONDON EDITION OF 1894 TRANSLATED BY ARTHUR
MACHEN TO WHICH HAS BEEN ADDED THE CHAPTERS DISCOVERED
BY ARTHUR SYMONS.
THE ETERNAL QUEST
HOLLAND AND GERMANY
CHAPTER X
Portrait of the Pretended Countess Piccolomini--Quarrel and Duel--
Esther and Her Father, M. D'O.--Esther Still Taken with the Cabala--
Piccolomini Forges a Bill of Exchange: Results I Am Fleeced, and in
Danger of Being Assassinated--Debauch with the Two Paduan Girls--
I Reveal A Great Secret To Esther--I Bate the Rascally St. Germain;
His Flight--Manon Baletti Proves Faithless to Me; Her Letter
Announcing Her Marriage: My Despair--Esther Spends a Day With Me--My
Portrait and My Letters to Manon Get Into Esther's Hands- I Pass a
Day with Her--We Talk of Marrying Each Other
The so-called Countess Piccolomini was a fine example of the
adventurers. She was young, tall, well-made, had eyes full of fire,
and skin of a dazzling whiteness; not, however, that natural
whiteness which delights those who know the value of a satin skin and
rose petals, but rather that artificial fairness which is commonly to
be seen at Rome on the faces of courtezans, and which disgusts those
who know how it is produced. She had also splendid teeth, glorious
hair as black as jet, and arched eyebrows like ebony. To these
advantages she added attractive manners, and there was something
intelligent about the way she spoke; but through all I saw the
adventuress peeping out, which made me detest her.
As she did not speak anything but Italian the countess had to play
the part of a mute at table, except where an English officer named
Walpole was concerned, who, finding her to his taste, set himself to
amuse her. I felt friendly disposed towards this Englishman, though
my feelings were certainly not the result of sympathy. If I had been
blind or deaf Sir James Walpole would have been totally indifferent
to me, as what I felt for him was the result of my observation.
Although I did not care for the countess, for all that I went up to
her room after dinner with the greater part of the guests. The count
arranged a game of whist, and Walpole played at primero with the
countess, who cheated him in a masterly manner; but though he saw it
he laughed and paid, because it suited his purpose to do so. When he
had lost fifty Louis he called quarter, and the countess asked him to
take her to the theatre. This was what the good-natured Englishman
wanted; and he and the countess went off, leaving the husband playing
whist.
I, too, went to the play, and as chance would have it my neighbour in
the pit was Count Tot, brother to the count famous for his stay in
Constantinople.
We had some conversation together, and he told me he had been obliged
to leave France on account of a duel which he had had with a man who
had jested with him for not being present at the battle of Minden,
saying that he had absented himself in view of the battle. The count
had proved his courage with the sword on the other's body--a rough
kind of argument which was fashionable then as now. He told me he
had no money, and I immediately put my purse at his service; but, as
the saying goes, a kindness is never thrown away, and five years
later he did the same by me at St. Petersburg. Between the acts he
happened to notice the Countess Piccolomini, and asked me if I knew
her husband. "I know him very slightly," I answered, "but we happen
to be staying at the same hotel."
"He's a regular black sheep," said the count, "and his wife's no
better than he."
It seemed that they had already won a reputation in the town.
After the play I went back to the hotel by myself, and the head-
waiter told me that Piccolomini had set out hot-foot with his
servant, his only luggage being a light portmanteau. He did not know
the reason of this sudden departure, but a minute afterwards the
countess came in, and her maid having whispered something to her she
told me that the count had gone away because he had fought a duel but
that often happened. She asked me to sup with her and Walpole, and
her appetite did not seem to suffer from the absence of her spouse.
Just as we were finishing supper, an Englishman, who had been of the
whist party, came up and told Walpole that the Italian had been
caught cheating and had given the lie to their fellow Englishman, who
had detected him, and that they had gone out together. An hour
afterwards the Englishman returned with two wounds, one on the fore-
arm and one on the shoulder. It was a trifling affair altogether.
Next day, after I had had dinner with the Comte d'Afri, I found a
letter from Piccolomini, with an enclosure addressed to the countess,
waiting for me at the inn. He begged me to give his wife the letter,
which would inform her of his plans, and then to bring her to the
Ville de Lyon at Amsterdam, where he was staying. He wanted to know
how the Englishman whom he had wounded was getting on.
The duty struck me as an amusing one, and I should have laughed with
all my heart if I had felt the least desire to profit by the
confidence he was pleased to place in me. Nevertheless I went up to
the countess, whom I found sitting up in bed playing with Walpole.
She read the letter, told me that she could not start till the day
following, and informed me what time she would go, as if it had been
all settled; but I smiled sardonically, and told her that my business
kept me at the Hague, and that I could not possibly escort her. When
Walpole heard me say this he offered to be my substitute, to which
she agreed. They set out the day following, intending to lie at
Leyden.
Two days after their departure, I was sitting down to dinner with the
usual company, increased by two Frenchmen who had just come. After
the soup one of them said, coolly,
"The famous Casanova is now in Holland."
"Is he?" said the other, "I shall be glad to see him, and ask for an
explanation which he will not like."
I looked at the man, and feeling certain that I had never seen him
before I began to get enraged; but I merely asked the fellow if he
knew Casanova.
I'll ought too know him," said he, in that self-satisfied tone which
is always so unpleasant.
"Nay, sir, you are mistaken; I am Casanova."
Without losing his self-possession, he replied, insolently,
"You are really very much mistaken if you think you are the only
Casanova in the world."
It was a sharp answer, and put me in the wrong. I bit my lips and
held my tongue, but I was grievously offended, and determined to make
him find the Casanova who was in Holland, and from whom he was going
to extract an unpleasant explanation, in myself. In the meanwhile I
bore as well as I could the poor figure he must be cutting before the
officers at table, who, after hearing the insolence of this young
blockhead, might take me for a coward. He, the insolent fellow, had
no scruple in abusing the triumph his answer had given him, and
talked away in the random fashion. At last he forgot himself so far
as to ask from what country I came.
"I am a Venetian, sir," I replied.
"Ah! then you are a good friend to France, as your republic is under
French protection."
At these words my ill-temper boiled aver, and, in the tone of voice
one uses to put down a puppy, I replied that the Republic of Venice
was strong enough to do without the protection of France or of any
other power, and that during the thirteen centuries of its existence
it had had many friends and allies but no protectors. "Perhaps," I
ended, "you will reply by begging my pardon for not knowing that
these was only one Venice in the world."
I had no sooner said this than a burst of laughter from the whole
table set me right again. The young blockhead seemed taken aback and
in his turn bit his lips, but his evil genius made him, strike in
again at dessert. As usual the conversation went from one subject to
another, and we began to talk about the Duke of Albermarle. The
Englishmen spoke in his favour, and said that if he had been alive
there would have been no war between England and France; they were
probably right, but even if the duke had lived war might have broken
out, as the two nations in question have never yet succeeded in
understanding that it is for both their interests to live at peace
together. Another Englishman praised Lolotte, his mistress. I said
I had seen that charming woman at the Duchess of Fulvi's, and that no
one deserved better to become the Countess of Eronville. The Count
of Eronville, a lieutenant-general and a man of letters, had just
married her.
I had scarcely finished what I had to say when Master Blockhead said,
with a laugh, that he knew Lolotte to be a good sort of girl, as he
had slept with her at Paris. I could restrain myself no longer; my
indignation and rage consumed me. I took up my plate, and made as if
I would throw it at his head, saying at the same time, "You infernal
liar!" He got up, and stood with his back to the fire, but I could
see by his sword-knot that he was a soldier.
Everybody pretended not to hear anything of this, and the
conversation went on for some time on indifferent subjects; and at
last they all rose from their seats and left the room.
My enemy said to his companion that they would see one another again
after the play, and remained by the fire, with his elbow resting on
the chimney-piece. I remained at table till the company had all left
the room, and when we were alone together I got up and looked him
straight in the face, and went out, walking towards Sheveningue, sure
that he would follow me if he were a man of any mettle. When I had
got to some distance from the hotel I looked round, and saw that he
was following me at a distance of fifty paces.
When I got to the wood I stopped at a suitable place, and stood
awaiting my antagonist. He was ten paces off when he drew his sword,
and I had plenty of time to draw mine though he came on fast. The
fight did not last long, for as soon as he was near enough I gave him
a thrust which has never failed me, and sent him back quicker than he
came. He was wounded in the chest above the right breast, but as my
sword was flat and the opening large enough the wound bled easily. I
lowered my sword and ran up to him, but I could do nothing; he said
that we should meet again at Amsterdam, if I was going there, and
that he would have his revenge. I saw him again five or six years
afterwards at Warsaw, and then I did him a kindness. I heard
afterwards that his name was Varnier, but I do not know whether he
was identical with the president of the National Convention under the
infamous Robespierre.
I did not return to the hotel till after the play, and I then heard
that the Frenchman, after having the surgeon with him for an hour,
had set out for Rotterdam with his friend. We had a pleasant supper
and talked cheerfully together without a word being said about the
duel, with the exception that an English lady said, I forget in what
connection, that a man of honour should never risk sitting down to
dinner at an hotel unless he felt inclined, if necessary, to fight.
The remark was very true at that time, when one had to draw the sword
for an idle word, and to expose one's self to the consequences of a
duel, or else be pointed at, even by the ladies, with the finger of
scorn.
I had nothing more to keep me at the Hague, and I set out next
morning before day-break for Amsterdam. On the way I stopped for
dinner and recognized Sir James Walpole, who told me that he had
started from Amsterdam the evening before, an hour after giving the
countess into her husband's charge. He said that he had got very
tired of her, as he had nothing more to get from a woman who gave
more than one asked, if one's purse-strings were opened wide enough.
I got to Amsterdam about midnight and took up my abode at "The Old
Bible." The neighbourhood of Esther had awakened my love for that
charming girl, and I was so impatient to see her that I could not
sleep.
I went out about ten o'clock and called on M. d'O , who welcomed me
in the friendliest manner and reproached me for not having alighted
at his house. When he heard that I had given up business he
congratulated me on not having removed it into Holland, as I should
have been ruined. I did not tell him that I had nearly come to that
in France, as I considered such a piece of information would not
assist my designs. He complained bitterly of the bad faith of the
French Government, which had involved him in considerable losses; and
then he asked me to come and see Esther.
I was too impatient to embrace her to stay to be asked twice; I ran
to greet her. As soon as she saw me she gave a cry of surprise and
delight, and threw herself in my arms, where I received her with
fondness equal to her own. I found her grown and improved; she
looked lovely. We had scarcely sat down when she told me that she
had become as skilled in the cabala as myself.
"It makes my life happy," said she, "for it gives me a power over my
father, and assures me that he will never marry me to anyone but the
man of my choice."
"I am delighted that you extract the only good that can proceed from
this idle science, namely, the power to guide persons devoid of
strength of will. But your father must think that I taught you the
secret?"
"Yes, he does; and he said, one day, that he would forgive me any
sacrifices I might have made to obtain this precious secret from
you."
"He goes a little further than we did, my dearest Esther."
"Yes, and I told him that I had gained it from you without any
sacrifice, and that now I was a true Pythoness without having to
endure the torments of the tripod; and I am sure that the replies you
gave were invented by yourself."
"But if that were so how could I have known where the pocket-book
was, or whether the ship was safe?"
"You saw the portfolio yourself and threw it where it was discovered,
and as for the vessel you spoke at random; but as you are an honest
man, confess that you were afraid of the results. I am never so bold
as that, and when my father asks me questions of that kind, my
replies are more obscure than a sibyl's. I don't wish him to lose
confidence in my oracle, nor do I wish him to be able to reproach me
with a loss that would injure my own interests."
"If your mistake makes you happy I shall leave you in it. You are
really a woman of extraordinary talents--, you are quite unique."
"I don't want your compliments," said she, in a rather vexed manner,
"I want a sincere avowal of the truth."
"I don't think I can go as far as that."
At these words, which I pronounced in a serious way, Esther went into
a reverie, but I was not going to lose the superiority I had over
her, and racked my brains to find some convincing prediction the
oracle might make to her, and while I was doing so dinner was
announced.
There were four of us at table, and I concluded that the fourth of
the party must be in love with Esther, as he kept his eyes on her the
whole time. He was her father's favourite clerk, and no doubt her
father would have been glad if she had fallen in love with him, but I
soon saw that she was not likely to do so. Esther was silent all
through dinner, and we did not mention the cabala till the clerk was
gone.
"Is it possible," said M. d'O , "for my daughter to obtain the
answers of the oracle without your having taught her?"
"I always thought such a thing impossible till to-day," I answered,
"but Esther has convinced me that I was mistaken. I can teach the
secret to no one without losing it myself, for the oath I swore to
the sage who taught me forbids me to impart it to another under pain
of forfeiture. But as your daughter has taken no such oath, having
acquired it herself, she may be for all I know at perfect liberty to
communicate the secret to anyone."
Esther, who was as keen as a razor, took care to say that the same
oath that I had taken had been imposed on her by the oracle, and that
she could not communicate the cabalistic secret to anyone without the
permission of her genius, under pain of losing it herself.
I read her inmost thoughts, and was rejoiced to see that her mind was
calmed. She had reason to be grateful to me, whether I had lied or
not, for I had given her a power over her father which a father's
kindness could not have assured; but she perceived that what I had
said about her oracular abilities had been dictated merely by
politeness, and she waited till we were alone to make me confess as
much.
Her worthy father, who believed entirely in the infallibility of our
oracles, had the curiosity to put the same question to both of us, to
see if we should agree in the answer. Esther was delighted with the
idea, as she suspected that the one answer would flatly contradict
the other, and M. d'O having written his question on two sheets of
paper gave them to us. Esther went up to her own room for the
operation, and I questioned the oracle on the table at which we had
had dinner, in the presence of the father. Esther was quick, as she
came down before I had extracted from the pyramid the letters which
were to compose my reply, but as I knew what to say as soon as I saw
her father read the answer she gave him I was not long in finishing
what I had to do.
M. d'O---- asked if he should try to get rid of the French securities
he held in spite of the loss he would incur by selling out.
Esther's oracle replied,
"You must sow plentifully before you reap. Pluck not up the vine
before the season of the vintage, for your vine is planted in a
fruitful soil."
Mine ran as follows:--
"If you sell out you will repent, for there will be a new
comptroller-general, who will pay all claims before another year has
elapsed."
Esther's answer was conceived in the sibylline style, and I admired
the readiness of her wit; but mine went right to the point, and the
worthy man embraced us joyfully, and, taking his hat and stick, said
that since our replies agreed he would run the risk of losing three
million francs and make a profit of five or six hundred thousand in
the course of the year. His daughter began to recant, and would have
warned him against the danger, but he, who was as firm as a
Mussulman, kissed her again, saying,
"The oracle is not wont to lie, and even if it does deceive me this
time it will only be a fourth part of my fortune that I shall lose."
When Esther and I were alone I began to compliment her, much to her
delight, on the cleverness of her answer, the elegance of her style,
and her boldness, for she could not be as well acquainted with French
affairs as I was.
"I am much obliged to you," said she, "for having confirmed my reply,
but confess that you lied to please me."
"I confess, since that will please you, and I will even tell you that
you have nothing more to learn."
"You are a cruel man! But how could you reply that there would be
another comptroller-general in a year's time, and run the risk of
compromising the oracle? I never dare to say things like that; I
love the oracle too well to expose it to shame and confusion."
"That shews that I do not invent the answers; but since the oracle
has pronounced it I am willing to bet that Silhouette will be
dismissed."
"Your obstinacy drives me to despair, for I shall not rest till I
know that I am as much a master of the cabala as you are, and yet you
will not confess that you invent the answers yourself. For charity's
sake do something to convince me of the contrary."
"I will think it over."
I passed the whole day with this delightful girl, whose amiable
disposition and great wealth would have made me a happy man if it
were not for my master-passion, the love of independence, and my
aversion to make up my mind to live for the rest of my days in
Holland.
In the course of my life I have often observed that the happiest
hours are often the heralds of misfortune. The very next day my evil
genius took me to the Ville de Lyon. This was the inn where
Piccolomini and his wife were staying, and I found them there in the
midst of a horde of cheats and sharpers, like themselves. As soon as
the good people heard my name they rushed forward, some to greet me,
and others to have a closer look at me, as if I were some strange
wild beast. Amongst those present were a Chevalier de Sabi, who wore
the uniform of a Polish major, and protested he had known me at
Dresden; a Baron de Wiedan, claiming Bohemia as his fatherland, who
greeted me by saying that his friend the Comte St. Germain had
arrived at the Etoile d'Orient, and had been enquiring after me; an
attenuated-looking bravo who was introduced to me as the Chevalier de
la Perine, whom I recognized at the first glance as the fellow called
Talvis, who had robbed the Prince-Bishop of Presburg, who had lent me
a hundred Louis the same day, and with whom I had fought a duel at
Paris. Finally, there was an Italian named Neri, who looked like a
blacksmith minus his honesty, and said that he remembered seeing me
one evening at the casino. I recollected having seen him at the
place where I met the wretched Lucie.
In the midst of this band of cut-purses I saw the so-called wife of
the pretended Chevalier de Sabi, a pretty woman from Saxony, who,
speaking Italian indifferently well, was paying her addresses to the
Countess Piccolomini.
I bit my lips with anger to find myself in such honourable company,
but putting a good face on a bad game I greeted everybody politely,
and then drawing a roll of a hundred Louis from my pocket I presented
them to Master Perine Talvis, telling him I was glad to be able to
return them to him with my best thanks.
My politeness did not meet with much of a reception, for the impudent
scoundrel answered me, as he pocketed the money, that he remembered
having lent it me at Presburg, but he also remembered a more
important matter.
"And pray what is that?" said I, in a dry and half-disdainful tone.
"You owe me a revenge at the sword's point, as you know right well.
Here is the mark of the gash you gave me seven years ago."
So saying, the wretched little man opened his shirt and shewed the
small round scar. This scene, which belonged more to farce than
comedy, seemed to have struck all tongues with paralysis.
"Anywhere else than in Holland, where important and delicate business
debars me from fighting, I shall be glad to meet you and mark you
again, if you still desire to cross swords with me; but while I am
here I must beg you not to disturb me. All the same, you may as well
know that I never go out without a couple of friends in my pockets,
and that if you attack me I shall blow your brains out in self-
defence"
"My revenge must be with crossed swords," said he. "However, I will
let you finish your business."
"You will do wisely."
Piccolomini, who had been casting a hungry eye upon my hundred louis,
proposed immediately afterwards a bank at faro, and began to deal.
Prudence would have restrained me from playing in such company, but
the dictates of prudence were overcome by my desire to get back the
hundred louis which I had given Talvis, so I cut in. I had a run of
bad luck and lost a hundred ducats, but, as usual, my loss only
excited me. I wished to regain what I had lost, so I stayed to
supper, and afterwards, with better luck, won back my money. I was
content to stop at this, and to let the money I had paid to Talvis
go, so I asked Piccolomini to pay me, which he did with a bill of
exchange on an Amsterdam bank drawn by a firm in Middlesburg. At
first I made some difficulty in taking it, on the pretext that it
would be difficult to negotiate, but he promised to let me have the
money next day, and I had to give in.
I made haste to leave this cut-throat place, after refusing to lend
Talvis a hundred Louis, which he wanted to borrow of me on the
strength of the revenge I owed him. He was in a bad humour, both on
this account and because he had lost the hundred Louis I had paid
him, and he allowed himself to use abusive language, which I treated
with contempt. I went to bed, promising myself never to set foot in
such a place again.
The next morning, however, I went out with the intention of calling
on Piccolomini to get the bill of exchange cashed, but on my way I
happened to go into a coffee-house and to meet Rigerboos, Therese's
friend, whose acquaintance the reader has already made. After
greeting each other, and talking about Therese, who was now in London
and doing well, I skewed him my bill, telling him the circumstances
under which I had it. He looked at it closely, and said,
"It's a forgery, and the original from which it was copied was
honoured yesterday."
He saw that I could scarcely believe it, and told me to come with him
to be convinced of the truth of what he said.
He took me to a merchant of his acquaintance, who skewed me the
genuine bill, which he had cashed the day before for an individual
who was unknown to him. In my indignation I begged Rigerboos to come
with me to Piccolomini, telling him that he might cash it without
remark, and that otherwise he would witness what happened.
We arrived at the count's and were politely received, the count
asking me to give him the bill and he would send it to the bank to be
cashed, but Rigerboos broke in by saying that it would be
dishonoured, as it was a mere copy of a bill which had been cashed
the evening before.
Piccolomini pretended to be greatly astonished, and said that,
"though he could not believe it, he would look into the matter."
"You may look into it when you please," said I, "but in the mean time
I should be obliged by your giving me five hundred florins."
"You know me, sir," said he, raising his voice, "I guarantee to pay
you, and that ought to be enough."
"No doubt it would be enough, if I chose; but I want my money."
At this his wife came in and began to take her part in the dispute,
and on the arrival of the count's man, a very cut-threat, Rigerboos
took hold of me by the arm and drew me forcibly away. "Follow me,"
said he, when we were outside, "and let me see to this business
myself." He took me to a fine-looking man, who turned out to be the
lieutenant of police, and after he had heard the case he told me to
give him the bill of exchange and to say where I was going to dine.
I told him I should be at M. d'O 's, and saying that would do he went
off. I thanked Rigerboos, and went to Esther, who reproached me
tenderly for not having been to see her the evening before. That
flattered me, and I thought her a really charming girl.
"I must take care," said I, "not to see you every day, for your eyes
have a sway over me that I shall not be able to resist much longer."
"I shall believe as much of that as I choose, but, by-the-by, have
you thought of any way of convincing me?"
"What do you want to be convinced about?"
"If it be true that there is in your cabala an intelligence distinct
from your own you ought to be able to find some way of proving it to
me."
"That is a happy thought; I will think it over."
At that moment her father came in from the Exchange, and we sat dawn
to dinner.
We were at dessert when a police official brought me five hundred
florins, for which I gave him a receipt.
When he had gone I told my entertainers what had happened the evening
before and in the morning, and the fair Esther reproached me for
preferring such bad company to her. "By way of punishment," said
she, "I hope you will come with me to the theatre this evening,
though they are going to give a Dutch play, of which you will not
understand a word."
"I shall be near you, and that is enough for me:"
In fact, I did not comprehend a word of the actors' gibberish, and
was terribly bored, as Esther preserved a solemn and serious silence
the whole time.
As we were coming from the theatre she told me all about the piece
with charming grace and wonderful memory; she seemed to wish to give
me some pleasure in return for the tedium to which she had condemned
me. When we got home we had supper, and that evening, Heaven be
thanked! I heard nothing more about the cabala. Before we parted,
Esther and her father made me promise to dine with them every day,
and to let them know if anything prevented my coming.
Next morning, about eight o'clock, while I was still dressing, I
suddenly saw Piccolomini standing before me, and as he had not sent
in his name I began to feel suspicious. I rang the bell for my
faithful Spaniard, who came in directly.
"I want to speak to you privately," said he, "tell that fellow to go
out."
"He can stay," I answered, "he does not know a word of Italian." Le
Duc, of course, knew Italian perfectly well.
"Yesterday, about noon," he began, "two men came into my room. They
were accompanied by the innkeeper, who served as interpreter. One of
the men asked me if I felt inclined to cash there and then a forged
bill of exchange, which I had given the night before, and which he
held in his hands. As I gave no reply, he told me that there was no
time for consideration or argument; I must say yes or no there and
then, for such were their instructions from the chief of police. I
had no choice in the matter, so I paid the five hundred florins, but
I did not get back the bill, and the man told me I could not have it
unless I told the police the name of the person from whom I got it,
as, in the interests of commerce, the forger must be prosecuted. My
reply was that I could not possibly tell them what they wanted, as I
had got it of a stranger who had come into my room while I was
holding a small bank of faro, to pass the time.
"I told him that after this person (who I had thought introduced by
someone in the company) had gone, I found to my surprise that nobody
knew him; and I added that if I had been aware of this I would not
only have refused the bill but would not have allowed him to play.
Thereupon the second policeman said that I had better find out who
this person was, or else I should be considered as the forger and
prosecuted accordingly; after this threat they went out.
"In the afternoon my wife called on the chief of police and was
politely received, but after hearing what she had to say he informed
her that she must find out the forger, since M. Casanova's honour
might be endangered by the banker taking proceedings against him, in
which case he would have to prosecute me.
"You see in what a difficult position we are placed, and I think you
ought to try to help us. You have got your money and you are not
without friends. Get their influence exerted in the matter, and we
shall hear no more about it. Your interests as well as mine are
concerned."
"Except as a witness of the fact," I answered, "I can have nothing to
do with this affair. You agree that I received the bill from you,
since you cashed it; that is enough for me. I should be glad to be
of service to you, but I really don't see what I can do. The best
advice I can give you is to make a sacrifice of the rascally sharper
who gave you the forged bill, and if you can't do that I would
counsel you to disappear, and the sooner the better, or else you may
come to the galleys, or worse."
He got into a rage at this, and turning his back on me went out,
saying I should be sorry for what I had said.
My Spaniard followed him down the stair and came back to tell me that
the signor had gone off threatening vengeance, and that, in his
opinion, I would do well to be on my guard.
"All right," said I, "say no more about it."
All the same I was really very grateful for his advice, and I gave
the matter a good deal of thought.
I dressed myself and went to see Esther, whom I had to convince of
the divinity of my oracle, a different task with one whose own wits
had told her so much concerning my methods. This was the problem she
gave me to solve,
"Your oracle must tell me something which I, and only I, know."
Feeling that it would be impossible to fulfil these conditions, I
told her that the oracle might reveal some secret she might not care
to have disclosed.
"That is impossible," she answered, "as the secret will be known only
to myself."
"But, if the oracle replies I shall know the answer as well as you,
and it may be something you would not like me to know."
"There is no such thing, and, even if there were, if the oracle is
not your own brain you can always find out anything you want to
know."
"But there is some limit to the powers of the oracle."
"You are making idle excuses; either prove that I am mistaken in my
ideas or acknowledge that my oracle is as good as yours."
This was pushing me hard, and I was on the point of declaring myself
conquered when a bright idea struck me.
In the midst of the dimple which added such a charm to her chin
Esther had a little dark mole, garnished with three or four extremely
fine hairs. These moles, which we call in Italian 'neo, nei', and
which are usually an improvement to the prettiest face, when they
occur on the face, the neck, the arms, or the hands, are duplicated
on the corresponding parts of the body. I concluded, therefore, that
Esther had a mole like that on her chin in a certain place which a
virtuous girl does not shew ; and innocent as she was I suspected
that she herself did not know of this second mole's existence. "I
shall astonish her," I said to myself, "and establish my superiority
in a manner which will put the idea of having equal skill to mine out
of her head for good." Then with the solemn and far-away look of a
seer I made my pyramid and extracted these words from it,
"Fair and discreet Esther, no one knows that at the entrance of the
temple of love you have a mole precisely like that which appears on
your chin."
While I was working at my calculations, Esther was leaning over me
and following every movement. As she really knew as much about the
cabala as I did she did not want it to be explained to her, but
translated the numbers into letters as I wrote them down. As soon as
I had extracted all the combinations of numbers from the pyramid she
said, quietly, that as I did not want to know the answer, she would
be much obliged if I would let her translate the cypher.
"With pleasure," I replied. "And I shall do so all the more
willingly as I shall thereby save your delicacy from sharing with me
a secret which may or may not be agreeable. I promise you not to try
to find it out. It is enough for me to see you convinced."
"I shall be convinced when I have verified the truth of the reply."
"Are you persuaded, dearest Esther, that I have had nothing to do
with framing this answer?"
"I shall he quite sure of it if it has spoken the truth, and if so
the oracle will have conquered, for the matter is so secret a one
that even I do not know of it. You need not know yourself, as it is
only a trifle which would not interest you; but it will be enough to
convince me that the answers of your oracle are dictated by an
intelligence which has nothing in common with yours."
There was so much candour and frankness in what she said that a
feeling of shame replaced the desire of deceiving her, and I shed
some tears, which Esther could only interpret favourably to me.
Nevertheless, they were tears of remorse, and now, as I write after
such a lapse of years, I still regret having deceived one so worthy
of my esteem and love. Even then I reproached myself, but a pitiable
feeling of shame would not let me tell the truth; but I hated myself
for thus leading astray one whose esteem I desired to gain.
In the mean time I was not absolutely sure that I had hit the mark,
for in nature, like everything else, every law has its exceptions,
and I might possibly have dug a pitfall for myself. On the other
hand, if I were right, Esther would no doubt be convinced for the
moment, but her belief would speedily disappear if she chanced to
discover that the correspondence of moles on the human body was a
necessary law of nature. In that case I could only anticipate her
scorn. But however I might tremble I had carried the deception too
far, and could not draw back.
I left Esther to call on Rigerboos, whom I thanked for his offices on
my behalf with the chief of the police. He told me that I had
nothing to fear from Piccolomini in Holland, but all the same he
advised me not to go about without pistols. "I am on the eve of
embarking for Batavia," said he, "in a vessel which I have laden with
the ruins of my fortune. In the state my affairs are in I thought
this the best plan. I have not insured the cargo, so as not diminish
my profits, which will be considerable if I succeed. If the ship is
taken or wrecked I shall take care not to survive its loss; and after
all I shall not lose much."
Poor Riberboos said all this as if he were jesting, but despair had
no doubt a good deal to do with his resolve, since it is only in
great misery that we despise both life and fortune. The charming
Therese Trenti, whom Rigerboos always spoke of as Our Lady, had
contributed to his ruin in no small degree. She was then in London,
where, by her own account, she was doing well. She had exchanged the
name of Trenti for that of Cornelis, or Cornely, which, as I found
out afterwards, was Rigerboo's real name. We spent an hour in
writing to this curious woman, as we desired to take advantage of the
circumstance that a man whom Rigerboos desired to commend to her was
shortly going to England. When we had finished we went sleighing on
the Amstel, which had been frozen over for several days. This
diversion, of which the Dutch are very fond, is, to my thinking, the
dullest imaginable, for an objectless journey is no pleasure to me.
After we were well frozen we went to eat oysters, with Sillery, to
warm ourselves again, and after that we went from one casino to
another, not intending to commit any debauchery, but for want of
something better to do; but it seemed decreed that whenever I
preferred any amusement of this kind to the charms of Esther's
society I should come to grief.
I do not know how it happened, but as we were going into one of these
casinos Rigerboos called me loudly by my name, and at that instant a
woman, such as one usually finds in these places, came forward and
began to gaze at me. Although the room was ill enough lighted I saw
it was the wretched Lucie, whom I had met a year before without her
recognizing me. I turned away, pretending not to know her, for the
sight of her was disagreeable to me, but in a sad voice she called me
by my name, congratulating me on my prosperity and bewailing her own
wretchedness. I saw that I could neither avoid her nor repulse her
without inhumanity, so I called to Rigerboos to come upstairs and the
girl would divert us by recounting the history of her life.
Strictly speaking, Lucie had not become ugly; one could still see
that she had been a beautiful woman; but for all that her appearance
inspired me with terror and disgust. Since the days when I had known
her at Pasean, nineteen years of misery, profligacy, and shame had
made her the most debased, the vilest creature that can be imagined.
She told us her story at great length; the pith of it might be
expressed in six lines.
The footman who had seduced her had taken her to Trieste to lie in,
and the scoundrel lived on the sale of her charms for five or six
months, and then a sea captain, who had taken a fancy to her, took
her to Zante with the footman, who passed for her husband.
At Zante the footman turned soldier, and deserted the army four years
after. She was left alone and continued living on the wages of
prostitution for six years; but the goods she had to offer lowering
in value, and her customers being of the inferior kind, she set out
for England with a young Greek girl, whom an English officer of
marines treated as his wife, and whom he abandoned in the streets of
London when he got tired of her. After living for two or three years
in the vilest haunts in London, Lucie came to Holland, where, not
being able to sell her own person any longer, she became a procuress
--a natural ending to her career. Lucie was only thirty-three, but
she was the wreck of a woman, and women are always as old as they
look.
While she told her history she emptied two bottles of Burgundy I had
ordered, and which neither I nor my friend touched. Finally, she
told us she was now supported by two pretty girls whom she kept, and
who had to give her the half of what they got.
Rigerboos asked her, jokingly, if the girls were at the casino.
"No," said she, "they are not here, and shall never come here, for
they are ladies of high birth, and their uncle, who looks after their
interests, is a Venetian gentleman."
At this I could not keep back my laughter, but Lucie, without losing
countenance, told me that she could only repeat the account they had
given of themselves, that if we wanted to be convinced we had only to
go and see them at a house she rented fifty paces off, and that we
need not be afraid of being disturbed if we went, as their uncle
lived in a different part of the town.
"Oh, indeed!" said I, "he does not live with his highborn nieces,
then?"
"No, he only comes to dinner to hear how business has been going, and
to take all the money from them."
"Come along," said Rigerboos, "we will go and see them."
As I was desirous of seeing and addressing the noble Venetian ladies
of so honourable a profession, I told Lucie to take us to the house.
I knew very well that the girls were impostors, and their gentleman-
uncle a blackguard; but the die was cast.
We found them to be young and pretty. Lucie introduced me as a
Venetian, and they were beside themselves with joy to have someone to
whom they could talk. I found out directly that they came from
Padua, not Venice, as they spoke the Paduan dialect, which I knew
very well. I told them so, and they confessed it was the truth. I
asked the name of their uncle, but they said they could not tell me.
"We can get on without knowing," said Rigerboos, catching hold of the
one he liked best. Lucie brought in some ham, oysters, a pie, and a
good many bottles of wine, and then left us.
I was not in the humour for wantonness, but Rigerboos was disposed to
be merry; his sweetheart was at first inclined to be prudish on his
taking liberties with her, but as I began to follow his example the
ladies relaxed their severity; we went first to one and then the
other, and before long they were both in the state of Eve before she
used the fig-leaf.
After passing an hour in these lascivious combats we gave each of the
girls four ducats, paid for the provisions we had consumed, and sent
six Louis to Lucie. We then left them, I going to bed cross with
myself for having engaged in such brutal pleasures.
Next morning I awoke late and in a bad humour, partly from the
debauch of the night before (for profligacy depresses as well as
degrades the mind) and partly from the thought that I had neglected
Esther, who had unquestionably been grieved by my absence. I felt
that I must hasten to reassure her, feeling certain that I should
find some excuses to make, and that they would be well received. I
rang for Le Duc, put on my dressing-gown, and sent him for my coffee.
He had scarcely left the room when the door opened and I saw Perine
and the fellow named Wiedan, whom I had seen at Piccolomini's, and
who styled himself a friend of St. Germain. I was sitting on my bed,
putting on my stockings. My apartments consisted of three fine
rooms, but they were at the back of the house, and all the noise I
could have made would not have been heard. The bell was on the other
side of the room; Le Duc would be gone fully ten minutes, and I was
in imminent danger of being assassinated without the possibility of
self-defence.
The above thoughts flashed through my head with lightning speed, and
all that I could do was to keep calm and say,
"Well, gentlemen, what can I do for you?" Wiedan took upon himself to
answer me.
"Count Piccolomini has found himself forced to declare that he
received the forged bill from us, in order that he may escape from
the difficult position in which your denunciation placed him. He has
warned us that he is going to do so, and we must escape forthwith if
we want to avoid prosecution. We have not a penny; we are desperate
men."
"Well, gentlemen, what have I to do with that?"
"Give us four hundred florins immediately; we do not want more, but
we must have that much, and now. If you refuse we will take to
flight with everything of yours that we can lay our hands on; and our
arguments are these."
With this, each man drew a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at my
head.
"You need not have recourse to violence," said I, "it can only be
fatal to you. Stay, here are a hundred ducats more than you asked.
Begone, and I wish you a pleasant journey, but I would not be here
when my servant comes back if I were you."
Wiedan took the roll of money with a trembling hand and put it in his
pocket without examining it; but Perine came up, and praising my
noble generosity, would have put his arms around my neck and kissed
me. I repulsed him, but without rudeness, and they went their ways,
leaving me very glad to have rid myself of them at so cheap a rate.
As soon as I was out of this snare I rang my bell, not to have them
followed but that I might get dressed as quickly as possible. I did
not say a word to Le Duc about what had happened, I was silent even
to my landlord; and, after I had sent my Spaniard to M. d'O to excuse
my dining there that day, I went to the chief of police, but had to
wait two hours before I could see him. As soon as the worthy man had
heard my account of my misfortune he said he would do his best to
catch the two rascals, but he did not conceal from me his fears that
it was already too late.
I took the opportunity of telling him of Piccolomini's visit to me,
his claims and threats. He thanked me for doing so, and promised to
see to it; but he advised me for the future to be on my guard and
ready to defend myself in case I was attacked before he could place
my enemies in a place where they could do me no harm.
I hastened home again, as I felt ill. An acid taste in my mouth
skewed me how all these shocks had upset me; but I knew what to do.
I took a strong glass of lemonade, which made me bring up a good deal
of bile, and I then felt much better.
Towards evening I went to see Esther, and found her looking serious
and rather vexed; but as soon as she saw how pale I was her face
lighted up, and she asked me, in a voice of tenderest interest, if I
had been ill. I told her I had been out of sorts, that I had taken
some medicine, and that I now felt better.
"You will see my appetite at supper," added I, to calm her fears, "I
have had nothing to eat since dinner yesterday."
This was really the truth, as I had only eaten a few oysters with the
Paduan girls.
She could scarcely contain her joy at my recovery, and bade me kiss
her, with which request I complied gladly, all unworthy though I felt
of so great a favour.
"I am going to tell you an important piece of news," said she, "and
that is that I am sure that you do not invent the answers to your
oracle, or at least that you only do so when you choose. The reply
you procured me was wonderful-nay, divine, for it told me of a secret
unknown to all, even to myself. You may imagine my surprise when I
convinced myself, with no little trouble of the truth of the answer.
"You possess a treasure, your oracle is infallible; but surely it can
never lie, and my oracle tells me that you love me. It makes me glad
to know that, for you are the man of my heart. But I want you to
give me an exemplary proof of your love, and if you do love me you
will not hesitate to do so. Stay, read the reply you got me; I am
sure you do not know what it says; then I will tell you how you can
make me quite happy."
I pretended to read, and kissed the words which declared I loved her.
"I am delighted," said I, "that the oracle has convinced you so
easily, but I must be excused if I say that I believe you knew as
much long ago." She replied, blushing, that if it were possible to
chew me the object in question I should not wonder at her ignorance.
Then, coming to the proof of my love, she told me that she wanted me
to communicate the secret to her. "You love me," said she, "and you
ought to make no difficulty in assuring the bliss of a girl who will
be your wife, and in your power. My father will agree to our
marriage, and when I become your wife I will do whatever you please.
We will even go and live in another country if that would add to your
happiness. But you must teach me how to obtain the answer to any
question without inventing it myself."
I took Esther's hands in mine; she inspired me with the tenderest
feelings, and I kissed her hands with respectful fervour, saying,
"You know, Esther, dear, that my word is passed at Paris. Certainly,
Manon is not to be compared to you; but for all that I gave my
promise to her poor mother, and I must keep it."
A sigh escaped from Esther, and her head fell upon her breast: but
what could I do? I could not teach her any other way of consulting
the oracle than the method she understood as well as I: my
superiority over her only consisting in my greater craft and more
extensive experience.
Early one morning, two or three days later, a man was announced as
wanting to see me. He called himself an officer, but his name was
perfectly unknown to me. I sent down to say that I could not see
him, and as soon as my Spaniard went out I locked my door. What had
happened already had made me suspicious, and I did not care to see
any more gentlemen alone. The two scoundrels who had robbed me had
eluded all the snares of the police, and Piccolomini was not to be
found; but I knew a good many of the gang were still in Amsterdam,
and I thought it well to be on my guard.
Some time after, Le Duc came in with a letter written in bad Italian,
saying that it had been given him by an officer who was waiting for
an answer. I opened it, and recognized the name I had heard a short
while ago. The writer said we knew each other, but that he could
only give his true name with his own lips, and that he had important
information to give me.
I told Le Duc to shew him in, and to stay by the door. I saw enter a
well-made man of about forty, dressed in the uniform of an officer of
I do not know what army, and bearing on his countenance all the marks
of an escaped gallows'-bird.
"What can I do for you, sir?" said I, as soon as he entered.
"Sir, we knew each other at Cerigo, sixteen or seventeen years ago,
and I am delighted to have an opportunity of renewing the
acquaintance."
I knew that I had spent but a few minutes at Cerigo, on my way to
Constantinople, and concluded that my visitor must be one of the
unfortunate wretches to whom I gave alms.
"Are you the man," I said, "who told me that you were the son of a
Count Peccini, of Padua, although there is no such count in Padua at
all?"
"I congratulate you on your excellent memory," said he, coolly, "I am
that very individual."
"Well, what do you want with me now?"
"I can't divulge my business in the presence of your servant."
"My servant does not understand Italian, so you can speak out;
however, if you like, I will send him away."
I ordered Le Duc to stay in the ante-chamber, and when he had left
the room my Paduan count told me that I had been with his nieces, and
had treated them as if they were courtezans, and that he was come to
demand satisfaction.
I was tired of being cheated, and I took hold of my pistols and
pointed them at him, bidding him be gone instantly. Le Duc came in
and the third robber took himself off, muttering that "a time would
come."
I was placed in a disagreeable position; if I wanted to prosecute, I
should have to tell the whole story to the police. I thought of my
honour and determined to be silent, and the only person to whom I
mentioned the matter was Rigerboos, who not being in the same
position as myself took his measures, the result of which was that
Lucie had to send her high-born dames about their business. But the
wretched woman came to me to say that this misfortune had plunged her
into the deepest distress, so I made her a present of a few ducats,
and she went away somewhat consoled. I begged her not to call on me
again.
Everything I did when I was away from Esther seemed to turn out ill,
and I felt that if I wanted to be happy I should do well to keep near
her; but my destiny, or rather my inconstancy, drew me away.
Three days afterwards, the villainous Major Sabi called on me to warn
me to be on my guard, as, according to his account, a Venetian
officer I had insulted and refused to give satisfaction to had vowed
vengeance against me.
"Then," said I, "I shall have him arrested as an escaped galley
slave, in which character I have given him alms, and for wearing
without the right to do so the uniform of an officer, thereby
disgracing the whole army. And pray what outrage can I have
committed against girls who live in a brothel, and whom I have paid
according to their deserts?"
"If what you say is true you are quite right, but this poor devil is
in a desperate situation; he wants to leave the country, and does not
possess a single florin. I advise you to give him an alms once more,
and you will have done with him. Two score florins will not make you
any the poorer, and will rid you of a villainous enemy."
"A most villainous one, I think." At last I agreed to give him the
forty florins, and I handed them to him in a coffee-house where the
major told me I should find him. The reader will see how I met this
blackguard four months later.
Now, when all these troubles have been long over and I can think over
them calmly, reflecting on the annoyances I experienced at Amsterdam,
where I might have been so happy, I am forced to admit that we
ourselves are the authors of almost all our woes and griefs, of which
we so unreasonably complain. If I could live my life over again,
should I be wiser? Perhaps; but then I should not be myself.
M. d'O---- asked me to sup with him at the Burgomasters' Lodge, and
this was a great distinction, for, contrary to the rules of
Freemasonry, no one but the twenty-four members who compose the lodge
is admitted, and these twenty-four masons were the richest men on the
Exchange.
"I have told them that you are coming," said M. d'O----, "and to
welcome you more honourably the lodge will be opened in French." In
short, these gentlemen gave me the most distinguished reception, and
I had the fortune to make myself so agreeable to them that I was
unanimously chosen an honorary member during the time I should stay
at Amsterdam. As we were going away, M. d'O---- told me that I had
supped with a company which represented a capital of three hundred
millions.
Next day the worthy Dutchman begged me to oblige him by answering a
question to which his daughter's oracle had replied in a very obscure
manner. Esther encouraged me, and I asked what the question was. It
ran as follows:
"I wish to know whether the individual who desires me and my company
to transact a matter of the greatest importance is really a friend of
the King of France?"
It was not difficult for me to divine that the Comte de St. Germain
was meant. M. d'O was not aware that I knew him, and I had not
forgotten what M. d'Afri had told me.
"Here's a fine opportunity," thought I, "for covering my oracle with
glory, and giving my fair Esther something to think about."
I set to work, and after erecting my pyramid and placing above the
four keys the letters O, S, A, D, the better to impose on Esther, I
extracted the reply, beginning with the fourth key, D. The oracle
ran as follows:
"The friend disavows. The order is signed. They grant. They
refuse. All vanishes. Delay."
I pretended to think the reply a very obscure one, but Esther gave a
cry of astonishment and declared that it gave a lot of information in
an extraordinary style. M. d'O----, in an ecstasy of delight,
exclaimed,
"The reply is clear enough for me. The oracle is divine; the word
'delay' is addressed to me. You and my daughter are clever enough in
making the oracle speak, but I am more skilled than you in the
interpretation thereof. I shall prevent the thing going any further.
The project is no less a one than to lend a hundred millions, taking
in pledge the diamonds of the French crown. The king wishes the loan
to be concluded without the interference of his ministers and without
their even knowing anything about it. I entreat you not to mention
the matter to anyone."
He then went out.
"Now," said Esther, when we were by ourselves, "I am quite sure that
that reply came from another intelligence than yours. In the name of
all you hold sacred, tell me the meaning of those four letters, and
why you usually omit them."
"I omit them, dearest Esther, because experience has taught me that
in ordinary cases they are unnecessary; but while I was making the
pyramid the command came to me to set them down, and I thought it
well to obey."
"What do they mean?"
"They are the initial letters of the holy names of the cardinal
intelligences of the four quarters of the world."
"I may not tell you, but whoever deals with the oracle should know
them."
"Ah! do not deceive me; I trust in you, and it would be worse than
murder to abuse so simple a faith as mine."
"I am not deceiving you, dearest Esther."
"But if you were to teach me the cabala, you would impart to me these
holy names?"
"Certainly, but I cannot reveal them except to my successor. If I
violate this command I should lose my knowledge; and this condition
is well calculated to insure secrecy, is it not?"
"It is, indeed. Unhappy that I am, your successor will be, of
course, Manon."
"No, Manon is not fitted intellectually for such knowledge as this."
"But you should fix on someone, for you are mortal after all. If you
like, my father would give you the half of his immense fortune
without your marrying me."
"Esther! what is it that you have said? Do you think that to
possess you would be a disagreeable condition in my eyes?"
After a happy day--I think I may call it the happiest of my life--I
left the too charming Esther, and went home towards the evening.
Three or four days after, M. d'O---- came into Esther's room, where
he found us both calculating pyramids. I was teaching her to double,
to triple, and to quadruple the cabalistic combinations. M. d'O----
strode into the room in a great hurry, striking his breast in a sort
of ecstasy. We were surprised and almost frightened to see him so
strangely excited, and rose to meet him, but he running up to us
almost forced us to embrace him, which we did willingly.
"But what is the matter, papa dear?" said Esther, "you surprise me
more than I can say."
"Sit down beside me, my dear children, and listen to your father and
your best friend. I have just received a letter from one of the
secretaries of their high mightinesses informing me that the French
ambassador has demanded, in the name of the king his master, that the
Comte St. Germain should be delivered over, and that the Dutch
authorities have answered that His Most Christian Majesty's requests
shall be carried out as soon as the person of the count can be
secured. In consequence of this the police, knowing that the Comte
St. Germain was staying at the Etoile d'Orient, sent to arrest him at
midnight, but the bird had flown. The landlord declared that the
count had posted off at nightfall, taking the way to Nimeguen. He
has been followed, but there are small hopes of catching him up.
"It is not known how he can have discovered that a warrant existed
against him, or how he continued to evade arrest."
"It is not known;" went an M. d'O----, laughing, "but everyone
guesses that M. Calcoen, the same that wrote to me, let this friend
of the French king's know that he would be wanted at midnight, and
that if he did not get the key of the fields he would be arrested.
He is not so foolish as to despise a piece of advice like that. The
Dutch Government has expressed its sorrow to M. d'Afri that his
excellence did not demand the arrest of St. Germain sooner, and the
ambassador will not be astonished at this reply, as it is like many
others given on similar occasions.
"The wisdom of the oracle has been verified, and I congratulate
myself on having seized its meaning, for we were on the point of
giving him a hundred thousand florins on account, which he said he
must have immediately. He gave us in pledge the finest of the crown
diamonds, and this we still retain. But we will return it to him an
demand, unless it is claimed by the ambassador. I have never seen a
finer stone.
"And now, my children, you see what I owe to the oracle. On the
Exchange the whole company can do nothing but express their gratitude
to me. I am regarded as the most prudent and most farseeing man in
Holland. To you, my dear children, I owe this honour, but I wear my
peacock's feathers without scruple.
"My dear Casanova, you will dine with us, I hope. After dinner I
shall beg you to enquire of your inscrutable intelligence whether we
ought to declare ourselves in possession of the splendid diamond, or
to observe secrecy till it is reclaimed."
After this discourse papa embraced us once more and left us.
"Sweetheart," said Esther, throwing her arms round my neck, "you have
an opportunity for giving me a strong proof of your friendship. It
will cost you nothing, but it will cover me with honour and
happiness."
"Command me, and it shall be done. You cannot think that I would
refuse you a favour which is to cost me nothing, when I should deem
myself happy to shed my blood for your sake."
"My father wishes you to tell him after dinner whether it will be
better to declare that they have the diamond or to keep silence till
it is claimed. When he asks you a second time, tell him to seek the
answer of me, and offer to consult the oracle also, in case my answer
may be too obscure. Then perform the operation, and I will make my
father love me all the better, when he sees that my knowledge is
equal to yours."
"Dearest one, would I not do for thee a task a thousand times more
difficult than this to prove my love and my devotion? Let us set to
work. Do you write the question, set up the pyramids, and inscribe
with your own hand the all-powerful initials. Good. Now begin to
extract the answer by means of the divine key. Never was a cleverer
pupil!"
When all this had been done, I suggested the additions and
subtractions I wanted made, and she was quite astonished to read the
following reply: "Silence necessary. Without silence, general
derision. Diamond valueless; mere paste."
I thought she would have gone wild with delight. She laughed and
laughed again.
"What an amazing reply!" said she. "The diamond is false, and it is
I who am about to reveal their folly to them. I shall inform my
father of this important secret. It is too much, it overwhelms me; I
can scarcely contain myself for joy! How much I owe you, you
wonderful and delightful man! They will verify the truth of the
oracle immediately, and when it is found that the famous diamond is
but glittering paste the company will adore my father, for it will
feel that but for him it would have been covered with shame, by
avowing itself the dupe of a sharper. Will you leave the pyramid
with me?"
"Certainly; but it will not teach you anything you do not know." The
father came in again and we had dinner, and after the dessert, when
the worthy d 'O---- learnt from his daughter's oracle that the stone
was false, the scene became a truly comical one. He burst into
exclamations of astonishment, declared the thing impossible,
incredible, and at last begged me to ask the same question, as he was
quite sure that his daughter was mistaken, or rather that the oracle
was deluding her.
I set to work, and was not long in obtaining my answer. When he saw
that it was to the same effect as Esther's, though differently
expressed, he had no longer any doubts as to his daughter's skill,
and hastened to go and test the pretended diamond, and to advise his
associates to say nothing about the matter after they had received
proofs of the worthlessness of the stone. This advice was, as it
happened, useless; for though the persons concerned said nothing,
everybody knew about it, and people said, with their usual malice,
that the dupes had been duped most thoroughly, and that St. Germain
had pocketed the hundred thousand florins; but this was not the case.
Esther was very proud of her success, but instead of being satisfied
with what she had done, she desired more fervently every day to
possess the science in its entirety, as she supposed I possessed it.
It soon became known that St. Germain had gone by Emden and had
embarked for England, where he had arrived in safety. In due time we
shall hear some further details concerning this celebrated impostor;
and in the meanwhile I must relate a catastrophe of another kind,
which was near to have made me die the death of a fool.
It was Christmas Day. I had got up early in the morning in better
spirits than usual. The old women tell you that always presages
misfortune, but I was as far then as I am now from making my
happiness into an omen of grief. But this time chance made the
foolish belief of good effect. I received a letter and a large
packet from Paris; they came from Manon. I opened the letter and I
thought I should have died of grief when I read,--
"Be wise, and receive the news I give you calmly. The packet
contains your portrait and all the letters you have written to me.
Return me my portrait, and if you have kept my letters be kind enough
to burn them. I rely on your honour. Think of me no more. Duty
bids me do all I can to forget you, for at this hour to-morrow I
shall become the wife of M. Blondel of the Royal Academy, architect
to the king. Please do not seem as if you knew me if we chance to
meet on your return to Paris."
This letter struck me dumb with astonishment, and for more than two
hours after I read it I was, as it were, bereft of my senses. I sent
word to M. d'O---- that, not feeling well, I was going to keep my
room all day. When I felt a little better I opened the packet. The
first thing to fall out was my portrait. I looked at it, and such
was the perturbation of my mind, that, though the miniature really
represented me as of a cheerful and animated expression, I thought I
beheld a dreadful and a threatening visage. I went to my desk and
wrote and tore up a score of letters in which I overwhelmed the
faithless one with threats and reproaches.
I could bear no more; the forces of nature were exhausted, and I was
obliged to lie down and take a little broth, and court that sleep
which refused to come. A thousand designs came to my disordered
imagination. I rejected them one by one, only to devise new ones. I
would slay this Blondel, who had carried off a woman who was mine and
mine only; who was all but my wife. Her treachery should be punished
by her losing the object for whom she had deserted me. I accused her
father, I cursed her brother for having left me in ignorance of the
insult which had so traitorously been put upon me.
I spent the day and night in these delirious thoughts, and in the
morning, feeling worse than ever, I sent to M. d'O---- to say that I
could not possibly leave my room. Then I began to read and re-read
the letters I had written to Manon, calling upon her name in a sort
of frenzy; and again set myself to write to her without finishing a
single letter. The emptiness of my stomach and the shock I had
undergone began to stupefy me, and for a few moments I forgot my
anguish only to re-awaken to acuter pains soon after.
About three o'clock, the worthy M. d'O---- came to invite me to go
with him to the Hague, where the chief masons of Holland met on the
day following to keep the Feast of St. John, but when he saw my
condition he did not press me to come.
"What is the matter with you, my dear Casanova?" said he.
"I have had a great grief, but let us say no more about it."
He begged me to come and see Esther, and left me looking almost as
downcast as I was. However, the next morning Esther anticipated my
visit, for at nine o'clock she and her governess came into the room.
The sight of her did me good. She was astonished to see me so undone
and cast down, and asked me what was the grief of which I had spoken
to her father, and which had proved too strong for my philosophy.
"Sit down beside me, Esther dear, and allow me to make a mystery of
what has affected me so grievously. Time, the mighty healer, and
still more your company, will effect a cure which I should in vain
seek by appealing to my reason. Whilst we talk of other things I
shall not feel the misfortune which gnaws at my heart."
"Well, get up, dress yourself, and come and spend the day with me,
and I will do my best to make you forget your sorrow."
"I feel very weak; for the last three days I have only taken a little
broth and chocolate."
At these words her face fell, and she began to weep.
After a moment's silence she went to my desk, took a pen, and wrote a
few lines, which she brought to me. They were,--
"Dear, if a large sum of money, beyond what my father owes you, can
remove or even soothe your grief I can be your doctor, and you ought
to know that your accepting my treatment would make me happy."
I took her hands and kissed them affectionately, saying,--
"No, dear Esther, generous Esther, it is not money I want, for if I
did I would ask you and your father as a friend: what I want, and
what no one can give me, is a resolute mind, and determination to act
for the best."
"Ask advice of your oracle."
I could not help laughing.
"Why do you laugh?" said she, "if I am not mistaken, the oracle must
know a remedy for your woes."
"I laughed, dearest, because I felt inclined to tell you to consult
the oracle this time. As for me I will have nothing to do with it,
lest the cure be worse than the disease."
"But you need not follow your advice unless you like it."
"No, one is free to act as one thinks fit; but not to follow the
advice of the oracle would be a contempt of the intelligence which
directs it."
Esther could say no more, and stood silent for several minutes, and
then said that if I like she would stay with me for the rest of the
day. The joy which illumined my countenance was manifest, and I said
that if she would stay to dinner I would get up, and no doubt her
presence would give me an appetite. "Ah!" said she, "I will make you
the dish you are so fond of." She ordered the sedan-chairs to be
sent back, and went to my landlady to order an appetising repast, and
to procure the chafing-dish and the spirits of wine she required for
her own cooking.
Esther was an angel, a treasure, who consented to become mine if I
would communicate to her a science which did not exist. I felt that
I was looking forward to spending a happy day; this shewed me that I
could forget Manon, and I was delighted with the idea. I got out of
bed, and when Esther came back and found me on my feet she gave a
skip of pleasure. "Now," said she, "you must oblige me by dressing,
and doing your hair as if you were going to a ball."
"That," I answered, "is a funny idea, but as it pleases you it
pleases me."
I rang for Le Duc, and told him I wanted to have my hair done, and to
be dressed as if I were going to a ball. "Choose the dress that
suits me best."
"No," said Esther, "I will choose it myself."
Le Duc opened my trunk, and leaving her to rummage in it he came to
shave me, and to do my hair. Esther, delighted with her task, called
in the assistance of her governess. She put on my bed a lace shirt,
and the suit she found most to her taste. Then coming close, as if
to see whether Le Duc was dressing my hair properly, she said,
"A little broth would do you good; send for a dish, it will give you
an appetite for dinner."
I thought her advice dictated by the tenderest care, and I determined
to benefit by it. So great was the influence of this charming girl
over me, that, little by little, instead of loving Manon, I hated
her. That gave me courage, and completed my cure. At the present
time I can see that Manon was very wise in accepting Blondel's offer,
and that my love for self and not my love for her was wounded.
I was in my servant's hands, my face turned away towards the fire, so
that I could not see Esther, but only divert myself with the idea
that she was inspecting my belongings, when all at once she presented
herself with a melancholy air, holding Mamon's fatal letter in her
hand.
"Am I to blame," said she, timidly, "for having discovered the cause
of your sorrow?"
I felt rather taken aback, but looking kindly at her, I said,
"No, no, my dear Esther; pity your friend, and say no more about it."
"Then I may read all the letters?"
"Yes, dearest, if it will amuse you."
All the letters of the faithless Manon Baletti to me, with mine to
her, were together on my table. I pointed them out to Esther, who
begun to read them quite eagerly.
When I was dressed, as if for some Court holiday, Le Duc went out and
left us by ourselves, for the worthy governess, who was working at
her lace by the window, looked at her lace, and nothing else. Esther
said that nothing had ever amused her so much as those letters.
"Those cursed epistles, which please you so well, will be the death
of me."
"Death? Oh, no! I will cure you, I hope."
"I hope so, too; but after dinner you must help me to burn them all
from first to last."
"Burn them! No; make me a present of them. I promise to keep them
carefully all my days."
"They are yours, Esther. I will send them to you to-morrow."
These letters were more than two hundred in number, and the shortest
were four pages in length. She was enchanted to find herself the
possessor of the letters, and she said she would make them into a
parcel and take them away herself.
"Shall you send back the portrait to your faithless mistress?" said
she.
"I don't know what to do with it."
"Send it back to her; she is not worthy of your honouring her by
keeping it. I am sure that your oracle would give you the same
advice. Where is the portrait? Will you shew it me?"
I had the portrait in the interior of a gold snuff-box, but I had
never shewn it to Esther for fear she should think Manon handsomer
than herself, and conclude that I only shewd it her out of vanity;
but as she now asked to see it I opened the box where it was and gave
it her.
Any other woman besides Esther would have pronounced Manon downright
ugly, or have endeavored at the least to find some fault with her,
but Esther pronounced her to be very beautiful, and only said it was
a great pity so fair a body contained so vile a soul.
The sight of Manon's portrait made Esther ask to see all the other
portraits which Madame Manzoni had sent me from Venice. There were
naked figures amongst them, but Esther was too pure a spirit to put
on the hateful affectations of the prude, to whom everything natural
is an abomination. O-Murphy pleased her very much, and her history,
which I related, struck her as very curious. The portrait of the
fair nun, M----M----, first in the habit of her order and afterwards
naked, made her laugh, but I would not tell Esther her story, in
spite of the lively desire she displayed to hear it.
At dinner-time a delicate repast was brought to us, and we spent two
delightful hours in the pleasures of a conversation and the table.
I seemed to have passed from death to life, and Esther was delighted
to have been my physician. Before we rose from table I had declared
my intention of sending Manon's portrait to her husband on the day
following, but her good nature found a way of dissuading me from
doing so without much difficulty.
Some time after, while we were talking in front of the fire, she took
a piece of paper, set up the pyramids, and inscribed the four keys O,
S, A, D. She asked if I should send the portrait to the husband, or
whether it would not be more generous to return it to the faithless
Manon. Whilst she was calculating she said over and over again, with
a smile, "I have not made up the answer." I pretend to believe her,
and we laughed like two augurs meeting each other alone. At last the
reply came that I ought to return the portrait, but to the giver,
since to send it to the husband would be an act unworthy of a man of
honour.
I praised the wisdom of the oracle, and kissed the Pythoness a score
of times, promising that the cabala should be obeyed implicitly,
adding that she had no need of being taught the science since she
knew it as well as the inventor.
I spoke the truth, but Esther laughed, and, fearing lest I should
really think so, took pains to assure me of the contrary.
It is thus that love takes his pleasure, thus his growth increases,
and thus that he so soon becomes a giant in strength.
"Shall I be impertinent," said Esther, "if I ask you where your
portrait is? Manon says in her letter that she is sending it back;
but I don't see it anywhere."
"In my first paroxysm of rage, I threw it down; I don't know in what
direction. What was thus despised by her cannot be of much value to
me."
"Let us look for it; I should like to see it."
We soon found it on my table, in the midst of a of books; Esther said
it was a speaking likeness.
"I would give it you if such a present were worthy of you."
"Ah! you could not give me anything I would value more."
"Will you deign to accept it, Esther, though it has been possessed by
another?"
"It will be all the dearer to me."
At last she had to leave me, after a day which might be called
delightful if happiness consists of calm and mutual joys without the
tumultuous raptures of passion. She went away at ten, after I had
promised to spend the whole of the next day with her.
After an unbroken sleep of nine hours' duration I got up refreshed
and feeling once more in perfect health, and I went to see Esther
immediately. I found she was still abed and asleep, but her
governess went and roused her in spite of my request that her repose
should be respected.
She received me with a sweet smile as she sat up in bed, and shewd me
my voluminous correspondence with Manon on her night-table, saying
that she had been reading it till two o'clock in the morning.
Her appearance was ravishing. A pretty cambric night-cap, tied with
a light-blue ribbon and ornamented with lace, set off the beauties of
her face; and a light shawl of Indian muslin, which she had hastily
thrown on, veiled rather than concealed her snowy breast, which would
have shamed the works of Praxiteles. She allowed me to take a
hundred kisses on her rosy lips--ardent kisses which the sight of
such charms made yet more ardent; but her hands forbade my approach
to those two spheres I so longed to touch.
I sat down by her and told her that her charms of body and mind would
make a man forget all the Manons that ever were.
"Is your Marion fair to see all over?" said she.
"I really can't say, for, not being her husband, I never had an
opportunity of investigating the matter."
"Your discretion is worthy of all praise," she said, with a smile,
"such conduct becomes a man of delicate feeling."
"I was told by her nurse that she was perfect in all respects, and
that no mote or blemish relieved the pure whiteness of her skin."
"You must have a different notion of me?"
"Yes, Esther, as the oracle revealed to me the great secret you
desired to know. Nevertheless, I should find you perfect in all your
parts."
Hereupon I was guilty of a stupidity which turned to my confusion. I
said,
"If I became your husband, I could easily refrain from touching you
there."
"I suppose you think," said she, blushing, and evidently a little
vexed, "that if you touched it your desires might be lessened?"
This question probed me to the core and covered me with shame. I
burst into tears, and begged her pardon in so truly repentant a voice
that sympathy made her mingle her tears with mine. The incident only
increased our intimacy, for, as I kissed her tears away, the same
desires consumed us, and if the voice of prudence had not intervened,
doubtless all would have been over. As it was, we had but a
foretaste and an earnest of that bliss which it was in our power to
procure. Three hours seemed to us as many minutes. She begged me to
go into her sitting-room while she dressed, and we then went down and
dined with the wretched secretary, who adored her, whom she did not
love, and who must have borne small love to me, seeing how high I
stood in her graces.
We passed the rest of the day together in that confidential talk
which is usual when the foundations of the most intimate friendship
have been laid between two persons of opposite sex, who believe
themselves created for each other. Our flames burnt as brightly, but
with more restraint, in the dining-room as in the bedroom. In the
very air of the bedroom of a woman one loves there is something so
balmy and voluptuous that the lover, asked to choose between this
garden of delights and Paradise, would not for one moment hesitate in
his choice.
We parted with hearts full of happiness, saying to each other, "Till
to-morrow."
I was truly in love with Esther, for my sentiment for her was
composed of sweeter, calmer, and more lively feelings than mere
sensual love, which is ever stormy and violent. I felt sure I could
persuade her to marry me without my first teaching her what could not
be taught. I was sorry I had not let her think herself as clever as
myself in the cabala, and I feared it would be impossible to
undeceive her without exciting her to anger, which would cast out
love. Nevertheless, Esther was the only woman who would make me
forget Manon, whom I began to think unworthy of all I had proposed
doing for her.
M. d'O---- came back and I went to dine with him. He was pleased to
hear that his daughter had effected a complete cure by spending a day
with me. When we were alone he told me that he had heard at the
Hague that the Comte St. Germain had the art of making diamonds which
only differed from the real ones in weight, and which, according to
him, would make his fortune. M. d'O---- would have been amused if I
had told him all I knew about this charlatan.
Next day I took Esther to the concert, and while we were there she
told me that on the day following she would not leave her room, so
that we could talk about getting married without fear of
interruption. This was the last day of the year 1759.
CHAPTER XI
I Undeceive Esther--I set out for Germany--Adventure Near Cologne--
The Burgomaster's Wife; My Conquest of Her--Ball at Bonn--Welcome
>From the Elector of Cologne--Breakfast at Bruhl--First Intimacy--
I sup Without Being Asked at General Kettler's I am Happy--I Leave
Cologne--The Toscani The Jewel My Arrival at Stuttgart
The appointment which Esther had made with me would probably have
serious results; and I felt it due to my honour not to deceive her
any longer, even were it to cost me my happiness; however, I had some
hope that all would turn out well.
I found her in bed, and she told me that she intended to stop there
throughout the day. I approved, for in bed I thought her ravishing.
"We will set to work," said she; and her governess set a little table
by her bed, and she gave me a piece of paper covered with questions
tending to convince me that before I married her I should communicate
to her my supposed science. All these questions were artfully
conceived, all were so worded as to force the oracle to order me to
satisfy her, or to definitely forbid my doing so. I saw the snare,
and all my thoughts were how to avoid it, though I pretended to be
merely considering the questions. I could not make the oracle speak
to please Esther, and I could still less make it pronounce a positive
prohibition, as I feared that she would resent such an answer
bitterly and revenge herself on me. Nevertheless, I had to assume an
indifferent air, and I got myself out of the difficulty by equivocal
answers, till the good-humoured papa came to summon me to dinner.
He allowed his daughter to stay in bed on the condition that she was
to do no more work, as he was afraid that by applying herself so
intently she would increase her headache. She promised, much to my
delight, that he should be obeyed, but on my return from dinner I
found her asleep, and sitting at her bedside I let her sleep on.
When she awoke she said she would like to read a little; and as if by
inspiration, I chanced to take up Coiardeau's 'Heroides', and we
inflamed each other by reading the letters of Heloise and Abelard.
The ardours thus aroused passed into our talk and we began to discuss
the secret which the oracle had revealed.
"But, Esther dear," said I, "did not the oracle reveal a circumstance
of which you knew perfectly well before?"
"No, sweetheart, the secret was perfectly unknown to me and would
have continued unknown."
"Then you have never been curious enough to inspect your own person?"
"However curious I may have been, nature placed that mole in such a
position as to escape any but the most minute search."
"You have never felt it, then?"
"It is too small to be felt."
"I don't believe it."
She allowed my hand to wander indiscreetly, and my happy fingers felt
all the precincts of the temple of love. This was enough to fire the
chastest disposition. I could not find the object of my research,
and, not wishing to stop short at so vain an enjoyment, I was allowed
to convince myself with my eyes that it actually existed. There,
however, her concessions stopped short, and I had to content myself
by kissing again and again all those parts which modesty no longer
denied to my gaze.
Satiated with bliss, though I had not attained to the utmost of
enjoyment, which she wisely denied me, after two hours had been
devoted to those pastimes which lead to nothing, I resolved to tell
her the whole truth and to shew her how I had abused her trust in me,
though I feared that her anger would be roused.
Esther, who had a large share of intelligence (indeed if she had had
less I could not have deceived her so well), listened to me without
interrupting me and without any signs of anger or astonishment. At
last, when I had brought my long and sincere confession to an end,
she said,
"I know your love for me is as great as mine for you; and if I am
certain that what you have just said cannot possibly be true, I am
forced to conclude that if you do not communicate to me all the
secrets of your science it is because to do so is not in your power.
Let us love one another till death, and say no more about this
matter."
After a moment's silence, she went on,--
"If love has taken away from you the courage of sincerity I forgive
you, but I am sorry for you. You have given me too positive proof of
the reality of your science to be able to shake my belief. You could
never have found out a thing of which I myself was ignorant, and of
which no mortal man could know."
"And if I shew you, Esther dear, that I knew you had this mole, that
I had good reasons for supposing you to be ignorant of it, will your
belief be shaken then?" "You knew it? How could you have seen it?
It's incredible!"
"I will tell you all."
I then explained to her the theory of the correspondence of moles on
the various parts of the human body, and to convince her I ended by
saying that her governess who had a large mark on her right cheek
ought to have one very like it on her left thigh. At this she burst
into laughter, and said, "I will find out, but after all you have
told me I can only admire you the more for knowing what no one else
does."
"Do you really think, Esther, that I am the sole possessor of this
science? Undeceive yourself. All who have studied anatomy,
physiology, and astrology, know of it."
"Then I beg you to get me, by to-morrow--yes, tomorrow--all the books
which will teach me secrets of that nature. I long to be able to
astonish the ignorant with my cabala, which I see requires a mixture
of knowledge and imposition. I wish to devote myself entirely to
this study. We can love each other to the death, but we can do that
without getting married."
I re-entered my lodging in a peaceful and happy frame of mind; an
enormous weight seemed taken off my spirits. Next morning I
purchased such volumes as I judged would instruct and amuse her at
the same time, and went to present them to her. She was most pleased
with my Conis, as she found in it the character of truth. As she
wished to shine by her answers through the oracle it was necessary
for her to have an extensive knowledge of science, and I put her on
the way.
About that time I conceived the idea of making a short tour in
Germany before returning to Paris, and Esther encouraged me to do so,
after I had promised that she should see me again before the end of
the year. This promise was sincerely, given; and though from that
day to this I have not beheld the face of that charming and
remarkable woman, I cannot reproach myself with having deceived her
wilfully, for subsequent events prevented me from keeping my word.
I wrote to M. d'Afri requesting him to procure me a passport through
the empire, where the French and other belligerent powers were then
campaigning. He answered very politely that I had no need of a
passport, but that if I wished to have one he would send it me
forthwith. I was content with this letter and put it among my
papers, and at Cologne it got me a better reception than all the
passports in the world.
I made M. d'O---- the depositary of the various moneys I had in
different banking houses, and the worthy man, who was a true friend
to me, gave me a bill of exchange on a dozen of the chief houses in
Germany.
When my affairs were all in order I started in my post-chaise, with
the sum of nearly a hundred thousand Dutch florins to my credit, some
valuable jewels, and a well-stocked wardrobe. I sent my Swiss
servant back to Paris, keeping only my faithful Spaniard, who on this
occasion travelled with me, seated behind my chaise.
Thus ends the history of my second visit to Holland, where I did
nothing to augment my fortune. I had some unpleasant experiences
there for which I had my own imprudence to thank, but after the lapse
of so many years I feel that these mishaps were more than compensated
by the charms of Esther's society.
I only stopped one day at Utrecht, and two days after I reached
Cologne at noon, without accident, but not without danger, for at a
distance of half a league from the town five deserters, three on the
right hand and two on the left, levelled their pistols at me, with
the words, "Your money or your life." However, I covered the
postillion with my own pistol, threatening to fire if he did not
drive on, and the robbers discharged their weapons at the carriage,
not having enough spirit to shoot the postillion.
If I had been like the English, who carry a light purse for the
benefit of the highwaymen, I would have thrown it to these poor
wretches; but, as it was, I risked my life rather than be robbed. My
Spaniard was quite astonished not to have been struck by any of the
balls which whistled past his ears.
The French were in winter quarters at Cologne, and I put up at the
"Soleil d'Or." As I was going in, the first person I met was the
Comte de Lastic, Madame d'Urfe's nephew, who greeted me with the
utmost politeness, and offered to take me to M. de Torci, who was in
command. I accepted, and this gentleman was quite satisfied with the
letter M. d'Afri had written me. I told him what had happened to me
as I was coming into Cologne, and he congratulated me on the happy
issue of the affair, but with a soldier's freedom blamed the use I
had made of my courage."
"You played high," said he, "to save your money, but you might have
lost a limb, and nothing would have made up for that."
I answered that to make light of a danger often diminished it. We
laughed at this, and he said that if I was going to make any stay in
Cologne I should probably have the pleasure of seeing the highwaymen
hanged.
"I intend to go to-morrow," said I, "and if anything could keep me at
Cologne it would certainly not be the prospect of being present at an
execution, as such sights are not at all to my taste."
I had to accept M. de Lastic's invitation to dinner, and he persuaded
me to go with himself and his friend, M. de Flavacour, an officer of
high rank, and an agreeable man, to the theatre. As I felt sure that
I should be introduced to ladies, and wished to make something of a
figure, I spent an hour in dressing.
I found myself in a box opposite to a pretty woman, who looked at me
again and again through her opera-glass. That was enough to rouse my
curiosity, and I begged M. de Lastic to introduce me; which he did
with the best grace imaginable. He first presented me to Count
Kettler, lieutenant-general in the Austrian army, and on the general
staff of the French army--just as the French General Montacet was on
the staff of the Austrian army. I was then presented to the lady
whose beauty had attracted my attention the moment I entered my box.
She greeted me graciously, and asked me questions about Paris and
Brussels, where she had been educated, without appearing to pay any
attention to my replies, but gazing at my lace and jewellery.
While we were talking of indifferent matters, like new acquaintances,
she suddenly but politely asked me if I intended to make a long stay
in Cologne.
"I think of crossing the Rhine to-morrow," I answered, "and shall
probably dine at Bonn."
This reply, which was given as indifferently as her question,
appeared to vex her; and I thought her vexation a good omen. General
Kettler then rose, saying,--
"I am sure, sir, that this lady will persuade you to delay your
departure--at least, I hope so, that I may bane the pleasure of
seeing more of your company."
I bowed and he went out with Lastic, leaving me alone with this
ravishing beauty. She was the burgomaster's wife, and the general
was nearly always with her.
"Is the count right," said she, pleasantly, "in attributing such
power to me?"
"I think so, indeed," I answered, "but he may possibly be wrong in
thinking you care to exercise it."
"Very good! We must catch him, then, if only as the punishment of
his indiscretion. Stay."
I was so astonished at this speech that I looked quite foolish and
had to collect my senses. I thought the word indiscretion sublime,
punishment exquisite, and catching admirable; and still more the idea
of catching him by means of me. I thought it would be a mistake to
enquire any further, and putting on an expression of resignation and
gratitude I lowered my lips and kissed her hand with a mixture of
respect and sentiment, which, without exactly imparting my feelings
for her, let her know that they might be softened without much
difficulty.
"Then you will stay, sir! It is really very kind of you, for if you
went off to-morrow people might say that you only came here to shew
your disdain for us. Tomorrow the general gives a ball, and I hope
you will be one of the party."
"Can I hope to dance with you all the evening?"
"I promise to dance with nobody but you, till you get tired of me."
"Then we shall dance together through all the ball."
"Where did you get that pomade which perfumes the air? I smelt it
as soon as you came into the box."
"It came from Florence, and if you do not like it you shall not be
troubled with it any more."
"Oh! but I do like it. I should like some of it myself."
"And I shall be only too happy if you will permit me to send you a
little to-morrow."
Just then the door of the box opened and the entrance of the general
prevented her from replying. I was just going, when the count said:
"I am sure madame has prevailed on you to stay, and to come to my
ball and supper to-morrow?"
"She has led me to anticipate that you would do me that honour, and
she promises to dance the quadrilles with me. How can one resist
entreaty from such lips?"
"Quite so, and I am obliged to her for having kept you with us. I
hope to see you to-morrow."
I went out of the box in love, and almost happy in anticipation. The
pomade was a present from Esther, and it was the first time I had
used it. The box contained twenty-four pots of beautiful china. The
next day I put twelve into an elegant casket, which I wrapped up in
oil-cloth and sent to her without a note.
I spent the morning by going over Cologne with a guide; I visited all
the marvels of the place, and laughed with all my heart to see the
horse Bayard, of whom Ariosto has sung, ridden by the four sons of
Aimon, or Amone, father of Bradamante the Invincible, and
Ricciardetto the Fortunate.
I dined with M. de Castries, and everybody was surprised that the
general had asked me himself to the ball, as his jealousy was known,
while the lady was supposed only to suffer his attentions through a
feeling of vanity. The dear general was well advanced in years, far
from good-looking, and as his mental qualities by no means
compensated for his lack of physical ones he was by no means an
object to inspire love. In spite of his jealousy, he had to appear
pleased that I sat next the fair at supper, and that I spent the
night in dancing with her or talking to her. It was a happy night
for me, and I re-entered my lodging no longer thinking of leaving
Cologne. In a moment of ecstasy, emboldened by the turn the
conversation had taken, I had dared to tell her that if she would
meet me alone I would stay in Cologne till the end of the carnival.
"And what would you say," she asked, "if I give my promise, and do
not keep it?"
"I should bemoan my lot, without accusing you; I should say to myself
that you had found it impossible to keep your word."
"You are very good; you must stay with us."
The day after the ball I went to pay her my first visit. She made me
welcome, and introduced me to her worthy husband, who, though neither
young nor handsome, was extremely good-hearted. After I had been
there an hour, we heard the general's carriage coming, and she said
to me:
"If he asks you whether you are going to the Elector's ball at Bonn,
say yes!"
The general came in, and after the usual compliments had been passed
I withdrew.
I did not know by whom the ball was to be given, or when it was to
take place, but scenting pleasure from afar off I hastened to make
enquiries about it, and heard that all the good families in Cologne
were going. It was a masked ball, and consequently open to all. I
decided then that I would go; indeed I concluded that I had had
orders to that effect, and at all events my lady would be there, and
I might hope for a happy meeting with her. But as I wished to keep
up my incognito as much as possible, I resolved to reply to all who
asked me that important business would prevent my being present.
It fell out that the general asked me this very question in the
presence of the lady, and without regard to the orders I had received
from her I replied that my health would forbid my having that
pleasure.
"You are very wise, sir," said the general, "all the pleasures on
earth should be sacrificed when it is a question of one's health."
I think so, too, now, but I thought differently then.
On the day of the ball, towards the evening, I set out in a post-
chaise, disguised so that not a soul in Cologne could have recognized
me, and provided with a box containing two dominoes; and on my
arrival at Bonn I took a room and put on one of the dominoes, locking
up the other in the box; and I then had myself carried to the ball in
a sedan-chair.
I got in easily and unperceived, and recognized all the ladies of
Cologne without their masks, and my mistress sitting at a faro-table
risking a ducat. I was glad to see in the banker, Count Verita of
Verona, whom I had known in Bavaria. He was in the Elector's
service. His small bank did not contain more than five or six
ducats, and the punters, men and women, were not more than twelve. I
took up a position by my mistress, and the banker asked me to cut. I
excused myself with a gesture, and my neighbour cut without being
asked. I put ten ducats on a single card, and lost four times
running; I played at the second deal, and experienced the same fate.
At the third deal nobody would cut, and the general, who was standing
by but not playing, agreed to do so. I fancied his cutting would be
lucky, and I put fifty ducats on one card. I won. I went 'paroli',
and at the second deal I broke the bank. Everybody was curious about
me; I was stared at and followed, but seizing a favourable
opportunity I made my escape.
I went to my room, took out my money, changed my costume, and
returned to the ball. I saw the table occupied by new gamsters, and
another banker who seemed to have a good deal of gold, but not caring
to play any more I had not brought much money with me. I mingled in
all the groups in the ballroom, and on all sides I heard expressions
of curiosity about the mask who broke the first bank.
I did not care to satisfy the general curiosity, but made my way from
one side of the room to the other till I found the object of my
search talking to Count Verita, and as I drew near I found out that
they were talking of me. The count was saying that the Elector had
been asking who had broken the bank, and that General Kettler had
expressed his opinion that it was a Venetian who had been in Cologne
for the last week. My mistress answered that she did not think I was
there, as she had heard me say that the state of my health would keep
me at home.
"I know Casanova," said the count, "and if he be at Bonn the Elector
shall hear of it, and he shan't go off without my seeing him."
I saw that I might easily be discovered after the ball, but I defied
the keenest eyes to penetrate beneath my present disguise. I should
have, no doubt, remained unknown, but when the quadrilles were being
arranged I took my place in one, without reflecting that I should
have to take off my mask.
As soon as my mistress saw me she told me she had been deceived, as
she would have wagered that I was the masker who broke Count Verita's
bank. I told her I had only just come.
At the end of the dance the count spied me out and said, "My dear
fellow-countryman, I am sure you are the man who broke my bank; I
congratulate you." "I should congratulate myself if I were the
fortunate individual."
"I am sure that it was you."
I left him laughing, and after having taken some refreshments I
continued dancing. Two hours afterwards the count saw me again and
said,--
"You changed your domino in such a room, in such a house. The
Elector knows all about it, and as a punishment for this deceit he
has ordered me to tell you that you are not to leave Bonn to-morrow."
"Is he going to arrest me, then?"
"Why not, if you refuse his invitation to dinner tomorrow?"
"Tell his highness that his commands shall be obeyed. Will you
present me to him now?"
"He has left the ball, but wait on me to-morrow at noon." So saying,
he gave me his hand and went away.
I took care to keep the appointment on the day following, but when I
was presented I was in some confusion, as the Elector was surrounded
by five or six courtiers, and never having seen him I looked in vain
for an ecclesiastic. He saw my embarrassment and hastened to put an
end to it, saying, in bad Venetian, "I am wearing the costume of
Grand Master of the Teutonic Order to-day." In spite of his costume
I made the usual genuflexion, and when I would have kissed his hand
he would not allow it, but shook mine in an affectionate manner.
"I was at Venice," said he, "when you were under the Leads, and my
nephew, the Elector of Bavaria, told me that after your fortunate
escape you stayed some time at Munich; if you had come to Cologne I
should have kept you. I hope that after dinner you will be kind
enough to tell us the story of your escape, that you will stay to
supper, and will join in a little masquerade with which we propose to
amuse ourselves."
I promised to tell my tale if he thought it would not weary him,
warning him that it would take two hours. "One could never have too
much of a good thing," he was kind enough to say; and I made him
laugh by my account of the conversation between the Duc de Choiseul
and myself.
At dinner the prince spoke to me in Venetian, and was pleased to be
most gracious towards me. He was a man of a jovial and easy-going
disposition, and with his look of health one would not have
prophesied so soon an end as came to him. He died the year
following.
As soon as we rose from table he begged me to begin my story, and for
two hours I had the pleasure of keeping this most brilliant company
amused.
My readers know the history; its interest lies in the dramatic nature
of the details, but it is impossible to communicate the fire of a
well-told story to an account in writing.
The Elector's little bail was very pleasant. We were all dressed as
peasants, and the costumes were taken from a special wardrobe of the
prince's. It would have been ridiculous to choose any other dresses,
as the Elector wore one of the same kind himself. General Kettler
was the best disguised of us all; he looked the rustic to the life.
My mistress was ravishing. We only danced quadrilles and German
dances. There were only four or five ladies of the highest rank; all
the others, who were more or less pretty, were favourites of the
prince, all his days a great lover of the fair sex. Two of these
ladies danced the Forlana, and the Elector was much amused in making
me dance it also. I have already said that the Forlana is a Venetian
dance, and one of the most energetic kind imaginable. It is danced
by a lady and gentleman opposite to one another, and as the two
ladies relieved one another they were almost the death of me. One
has to be strong to dance twelve turns, and after the thirteenth I
felt I could do no more, and begged for mercy.
Soon after we danced another dance, where each gentleman kisses a
lady. I was not too shy, and each time I continued to kiss my
mistress with considerable ardour, which made the peasant-elector
burst with laughter and the peasant-general burst with rage.
In a lull between the dances, this charming and original woman found
means to tell me in private that all the Cologne ladies would leave
at noon on the next day, and that I would increase my popularity by
inviting them all to breakfast at Bruhl.
"Send each one a note with the name of her cavalier, and trust in
Count Verita to do everything for the best; you need only tell him
that you wish to give an entertainment similar to that given two
years ago by the Prince de Deux-Ponts. Lose no time. You will have
a score of guests; mind you let them know the hour of the repast.
Take care, too, that your invitations are sent round by nine o'clock
in the morning."
All these instructions were uttered with lightning speed, and I,
enchanted with the power my mistress thought she possessed over me,
thought only of obeying, without reflecting whether I owed her
obedience. Bruhl, breakfast, a score of people like the Prince Deux-
Ponts, invitations to the ladies, Count Verita ; I knew as much as
she could have told me if she had taken an hour.
I left the room in my peasant's dress, and begged a page to take me
to Count Verita, who began to laugh on seeing my attire. I told my
business with the importance of an ambassador, and this made him in a
still better humour.
"It can all easily be arranged," said he, "I have only to write to
the steward, and I will do so immediately. But how much do you want
to spend?"
"As much as possible."
"As little as possible, I suppose you mean."
"Not at all; I want to treat my guests with magnificance."
"All the same you must fix on a sum, as I know whom I've got to deal
with."
"Well, well! two-three hundred ducats; will that do?"
"Two hundred; the Prince de Deux-Ponts did not spend more."
He began to write, and gave me his word that everything should be in
readiness. I left him and addressing myself to a sharp Italian page
said that I would give two ducats to the valet who would furnish me
with the names of the Cologne ladies who were in Bonn, and of the
gentlemen who had accompanied them. I got what I wanted in less than
half an hour, and before leaving the ball I told my mistress that all
should be done according to her desires.
I wrote eighteen notes before I went to bed, and in the morning a
confidential servant had delivered them before nine o'clock.
At nine o'clock I went to take leave of Count Verita, who gave me, on
behalf of the Elector, a superb gold snuff-box with his portrait set
in diamonds. I was very sensible of this mark of kindness, and I
wished to go and thank his serene highness before my departure, but
my friendly fellow-countryman told me that I might put off doing so
till I passed through Bonn on my way to Frankfort.
Breakfast was ordered for one o'clock. At noon I had arrived at
Bruhl, a country house of the Elector's, with nothing remarkable
about it save its furniture. In this it is a poor copy of the
Trianon. In a fine hall I found a table laid for twenty-four
persons, arranged with silver gilt plates, damask linen, and
exquisite china, while the sideboard was adorned with an immense
quantity of silver and silvergilt plate. At one end of the room were
two other tables laden with sweets and the choicest wines procurable.
I announced myself as the host, and the cook told me I should be
perfectly satisfied.
"The collation," said he, "will be composed of only twenty-four
dishes, but in addition there will be twenty-four dishes of English
oysters and a splendid dessert."
I saw a great number of servants, and told him that they would not be
necessary, but he said they were, as the guests' servants could not
be admitted.
I received all my guests at the door, confining my compliments to
begging their pardons for having been so bold as to procure myself
this great honour.
The breakfast was served at one exactly, and I had the pleasure of
enjoying the astonishment in my mistress's eyes when she saw that I
had treated them as well as a prince of the empire. She was aware
that everybody knew her to be the chief object of this lavish outlay,
but she was delighted to see that I did not pay her any attentions
which were at all invidious. The table was seated for twenty-four,
and though I had only asked eighteen people every place was occupied.
Three couples, therefore, had come without being asked; but that
pleased me all the more. Like a courtly cavalier I would not sit
down, but waited on the ladies, going from one to the other, eating
the dainty bits they gave me, and seeing that all had what they
wanted.
By the time the oysters were done twenty bottles of champagne had
been emptied, so that when the actual breakfast commenced everybody
began to talk at once. The meal might easily have passed for a
splendid dinner, and I was glad to see that not a drop of water was
drunk, for the Champagne, Tokay, Rhine wine, Madeira, Malaga, Cyprus,
Alicante, and Cape wine would not allow it.
Before dessert was brought on an enormous dish of truffles was placed
on the table. I advised my guests to take Maraschino with it, and
those ladies who appreciated the liqueur drank it as if it had been
water. The dessert was really sumptuous. In it were displayed the
portraits of all the monarchs of Europe. Everyone complimented the
cook on his achievement, and he, his vanity being tickled and wishing
to appear good-natured, said that none of it would spoil in the
pocket, and accordingly everybody took as much as they chose.
General Kettler, who, in spite of his jealousy and the part he saw me
play, had no suspicion of the real origin of the banquet, said,
"I will wager that this is the Elector's doing. His highness has
desired to preserve his incognito, and M. Casanova has played his
part to admiration."
This remark set all the company in a roar.
"General," said I, "if the Elector had given me such an order, I
should, of course, have obeyed him, but I should have felt it a
humiliating part to play. His highness, however, has deigned to do
me a far greater honour; look here." So saying, I shewed him the
gold snuff-box, which made the tour of the table two or three times
over.
When we had finished, we rose from table, astonished to find we had
been engaged for three hours in a pleasurable occupation, which all
would willingly have prolonged; but at last we had to part, and after
many compliments they all went upon their way, in order to be in time
for the theatre. As well pleased as my guests, I left twenty ducats
with the steward, for the servants, and promised him to let Count
Verita know of my satisfaction in writing.
I arrived at Cologne in time for the French play, and as I had no
carriage I went to the theatre in a sedan chair. As soon as I got
into the house, I saw the Comte de Lastic alone with my fair one.
I thought this a good omen, and I went to them directly. As soon as
she saw me, she said with a melancholy air that the general had got
so ill that he had been obliged to go to bed. Soon after, M. de
Lastic left us, and dropping her assumed melancholy she made me, with
the utmost grace, a thousand compliments, which compensated me for
the expenses of my breakfast a hundred times over.
"The general," said she, "had too much to drink; he is an envious
devil, and has discovered that it is not seemly of you to treat us as
if you were a prince. I told him that, on the contrary, you had
treated us as if we were princes, waiting on us with your napkin on
your arm. He thereupon found fault with me for degrading you."
"Why do you not send him about his business? So rude a fellow is not
worthy of serving so famous a beauty."
"It's too late. A woman whom you don't know would get possession of
him. I should be obliged to conceal my feelings, and that would vex
me."
"I understand--I understand. Would that I were a great prince! In
the mean time, let me tell you that my sickness is greater than
Kettler's."
"You are joking, I hope."
"Nay, not at all; I am speaking seriously, for the kisses I was so
happy to snatch from you at the ball have inflamed my blood, and if
you have not enough kindness to cure me in the only possible way I
shall leave Cologne with a life-long grief."
"Put off your departure: why should you desire to go to Stuttgart so
earnestly? I think of you, believe me, and I do not wish to deceive
you; but it is hard to find an opportunity."
"If you had not the general's carriage waiting for you to-night, and
I had mine, I could take you home with perfect propriety."
"Hush! As you have not your carriage, it is my part to take you
home. It is a splendid idea, that we must so contrive it that it may
not seem to be a concerted plan. You must give me your arm to my
carriage, and I shall then ask you where your carriage is; you will
answer that you have not got one. I shall ask you to come into mine,
and I will drop you at your hotel. It will only give us a couple of
minutes, but that is something till we are more fortunate."
I replied to her only by a look which expressed the intoxication of
my spirits at the prospect of so great bliss.
Although the play was quite a short one, it seemed to me to last for
ever. At last the curtain fell, and we went downstairs. When we got
to the portico she asked me the questions we had agreed upon, and
when I told her I had not got a carriage, she said, "I am going to
the general's to ask after his health; if it will not take you too
much out of your way, I can leave you at your lodging as we come
back."
It was a grand idea. We should pass the entire length of the ill-
paved town twice, and thus we secured a little more time.
Unfortunately, the carriage was a chariot, and as we were going the
moon shone directly on us. On that occasion the planet was certainly
not entitled to the appellation of the lovers' friend. We did all we
could, but that was almost nothing, and I found the attempt a
desperate one, though my lovely partner endeavoured to help me as
much as possible. To add to our discomforts, the inquisitive and
impudent coachman kept turning his head round, which forced us to
moderate the energy of our movements. The sentry at the general's
door told our coachman that his excellency could see no one, and we
joyfully turned towards my hotel, and now that the moon was behind us
and the man's curiosity less inconvenient, we got on a little better,
or rather not so badly as before, but the horses seemed to me to fly
rather than gallop; however, feeling that it would be well to have
the coachman on my side in case of another opportunity, I gave him a
ducat as I got down.
I entered the hotel feeling vexed and unhappy, though more in love
than ever, for my fair one had convinced me that she was no passive
mistress, but could experience pleasure as well as give it. That
being the case I resolved not to leave Cologne before we had drained
the cup of pleasure together, and that, it seemed to me, could not
take place till the general was out of the way.
Next day, at noon, I went to the general's house to write down my
name, but I found he was receiving visitors and I went in. I made
the general an appropriate compliment, to which the rude Austrian
only replied by a cold inclination of the head. He was surrounded by
a good many officers, and after four minutes I made a general bow and
went out. The boor kept his room for three days, and as my mistress
did not come to the theatre I had not the pleasure of seeing her.
On the last day of the carnival Kettler asked a good many people to a
ball and supper. On my going to pay my court to my mistress in her
box at the theatre, and being left for a moment alone with her, she
asked me if I were invited to the general's supper. I answered in
the negative.
"What!" said she, in an imperious and indignant voice, "he has not
asked you? You must go, for all that."
"Consider what you say," said I, gently, "I will do anything to
please you but that."
"I know all you can urge; nevertheless, you must go. I should feel
insulted if you were not at that supper. If you love me you will
give me this proof of your affection and (I think I may say) esteem."
"You ask me thus? Then I will go. But are you aware that you are
exposing me to the danger of losing my life or taking his? for I am
not the man to pass over an affront."
"I know all you can say," said she. "I have your honour at heart as
much as mine, or perhaps more so, but nothing will happen to you; I
will answer for everything. You must go, and you must give me your
promise now, for I am resolved if you do not go, neither will I, but
we must never see each other more."
"Then you may reckon upon me."
At that moment M. de Castries came in, and I left the box and went
to the pit, where I passed two anxious hours in reflecting on the
possible consequences of the strange step this woman would have me
take. Nevertheless, such was the sway of her beauty aver my soul, I
determined to abide by my promise and to carry the matter through,
and to put myself in the wrong as little as possible. I went to the
general's at the end of the play, and only found five or six people
there. I went up to a canoness who was very fond of Italian poetry,
and had no trouble in engaging her in an interesting discussion. In
half an hour the room was full, my mistress coming in last on the
general's arm. I was taken up with the canoness and did not stir,
and consequently Kettler did not notice me, while the lady in great
delight at seeing me left him no time to examine his guests, and he
was soon talking to some people at the other end of the room. In a
quarter of an hour afterwards supper was announced. The canoness
rose, took my arm, and we seated ourselves at table together, still
talking about Italian literature. Then came the catastrophe. When
all the places had been taken one gentleman was left standing, there
being no place for him. "How can that have happened?" said the
general, raising his voice, and while the servants were bringing
another chair and arranging another place he passed his guests in
review. All the while I pretended not to notice what was going on,
but when he came to me he said loudly,
"Sir, I did not ask you to come."
"That is quite true, general," I said, respectfully, "but I thought,
no doubt correctly, that the omission was due to forgetfulness, and I
thought myself obliged all the same to come and pay my court to your
excellency."
Without a pause I renewed my conversation with the canoness, not so
much as looking around. A dreadful silence reigned for four or five
minutes, but the canoness began to utter witticisms which I took up
and communicated to my neighbours, so that in a short time the whole
table was in good spirits except the general, who preserved a sulky
silence. This did not much matter to me, but my vanity was concerned
in smoothing him down, and I watched for my opportunity.
M. de Castries was praising the dauphin, and his brothers, the Comte
de Lusace and the Duc de Courlande, were mentioned; this led the
conversation up to Prince Biron, formerly a duke, who was in Siberia,
and his personal qualities were discussed, one of the guests having
said that his chiefest merit was to have pleased the Empress Anne.
I begged his pardon, saying,--
"His greatest merit was to have served faithfully the last Duke
Kettler; who if it had not been for the courage of him who is now so
unfortunate, would have lost all his belongings in the war. It was
Duke Kettler who so heroically sent him to the Court of St.
Petersburg, but Biron never asked for the duchy. An earldom would
have satisfied him, as he recognized the rights of the younger branch
of the Kettler family, which would be reigning now if it were not for
the empress's whim: nothing would satisfy her but to confer a dukedom
on the favourite."
The general, whose face had cleared while I was speaking, said, in
the most polite manner of which he was capable, that I was a person
of remarkable information, adding regretfully,--
"Yes, if it were not for that whim I should be reigning now."
After this modest remark he burst into a fit of laughter and sent me
down a bottle of the best Rhine wine, and addressed his conversation
to me till the supper was over. I quietly enjoyed the turn things
had taken, but still more the pleasure I saw expressed in the
beautiful eyes of my mistress.
Dancing went on all night, and I did not leave my canoness, who was a
delightful woman and danced admirably. With my lady I only danced
one minuet. Towards the end of the ball the general, to finish up
with a piece of awkwardness, asked me if I was going soon. I replied
that I did not think of leaving Cologne till after the grand review.
I went to bed full of joy at having given the burgomaster's wife such
a signal proof of my love, and full of gratitude to fortune who had
helped me so in dealing with my doltish general, for God knows what I
should have done if he had forgotten himself so far as to tell me to
leave the table! The next time I saw the fair she told me she had
felt a mortal pang of fear shoot through her when the general said he
had not asked me.
"I am quite sure," said she, "that he would have gone further, if
your grand answer had not stopped his mouth; but if he had said
another word, my mind was made up."
"To do what?"
"I should have risen from the table and taken your arm, and we should
have gone out together. M. de Castries has told me that he would
have done the same, and I believe all the ladies whom you asked to
breakfast would have followed our example."
"But the affair would not have stopped then, for I should certainly
have demanded immediate satisfaction, and if he had refused it I
should have struck him with the flat of my sword."
"I know that, but pray forget that it was I who exposed you to this
danger. For my part, I shall never forget what I owe to you, and I
will try to convince you of my gratitude."
Two days later, on hearing that she was indisposed, I went to call on
her at eleven o'clock, at which time I was sure the general would not
be there. She received me in her husband's room, and he, in the
friendliest manner possible, asked me if I had come to dine with
them. I hastened to thank him for his invitation, which I accepted
with pleasure, and I enjoyed this dinner better than Kettler's
supper. The burgomaster was a fine-looking man, pleasant-mannered
and intelligent, and a lover of peace and quietness. His wife, whom
he adored, ought to have loved him, since he was by no means one of
those husbands whose motto is, "Displease whom you like, so long as
you please me."
On her husband's going out for a short time, she shewed me over the
house.
"Here is our bedroom," said she; "and this is the closet in which I
sleep for five or six nights in every month. Here is a church which
we may look upon as our private chapel, as we hear mass from those
two grated windows. On Sundays we go down this stair and enter the
church by a door, the key to which is always in my keeping."
It was the second Saturday in Lent; we had an excellent fasting
dinner, but I did not for once pay much attention to eating. To see
this young and beautiful woman surrounded by her children, adored by
her family, seemed to me a beautiful sight. I left them at an early
hour to write to Esther, whom I did not neglect, all occupied as I
was with this new flame.
Next day I went to hear mass at the little church next to the
burgomaster's house. I was well cloaked so as not to attract
attention. I saw my fair one going out wearing a capuchin, and
followed by her family. I noted the little door which was so
recessed in the wall that it would have escaped the notice of anyone
who was unaware of its existence; it opened, I saw, towards the
staircase.
The devil, who, as everybody knows, has more power in a church than
anywhere else, put into my head the idea of enjoying my mistress by
means of the door and stair. I told her my plan the next day at the
theatre.
"I have thought of it as well as you," said she, laughing, "and I
will give you the necessary instructions in writing; you will find
them in the first gazette I send you."
We could not continue this pleasant interview, as my mistress had
with her a lady from Aix-la-Chapelle, who was staying with her for a
few days. And indeed the box was full of company.
I had not long to wait, for next day she gave me back the gazette
openly, telling me that she had not found anything to interest her in
it. I knew that it would be exceedingly interesting to me. Her note
was as follows:
"The design which love inspired is subject not to difficulty but
uncertainty. The wife only sleeps in the closet when her husband
asks her--an event which only occurs at certain periods, and the
separation does not last for more than a few days. This period is
not far off, but long custom has made it impossible for the wife to
impose on her husband. It will, therefore, be necessary to wait.
Love will warn you when the hour of bliss has come. The plan will be
to hide in the church; and there must be no thought of seducing the
door-keeper, for though poor he is too stupid to be bribed, and would
betray the secret. The only way will be to hide so as to elude his
watchfulness. He shuts the church at noon on working days; on feast
days he shuts it at evening, and he always opens it again at dawn.
When the time comes, all that need be done is to give the door a
gentle push-it will not be locked. As the closet which is to be the
scene of the blissful combat is only separated from the room by a
partition, there must be no spitting, coughing, nor nose-blowing: it
would be fatal. The escape will be a matter of no difficulty; one
can go down to the church, and go out as soon as it is opened. Since
the beadle has seen nobody in the evening, it is not likely that he
will see more in the morning."
I kissed again and again this charming letter, which I thought shewed
great power of mental combination, and I went next day to see how the
coast lay: this was the first thing to be done. There was a chair in
the church in which I should never have been seen, but the stair was
on the sacristy side, and that was always locked up. I decided on
occupying the confessional, which was close to the door. I could
creep into the space beneath the confessor's seat, but it was so
small that I doubted my ability to stay there after the door was
shut. I waited till noon to make the attempt, and as soon as the
church was empty I took up my position. I had to roll myself up into
a ball, and even then I was so badly concealed by the folding door
that anyone happening to pass by at two paces distance might easily
have seen me. However I did not care for that, for in adventures of
that nature one must leave a great deal to fortune. Determined to
run all risks I went home highly pleased with my observations. I put
everything I had determined down in writing, and sent it to her box
at the theatre, enclosed in an old gazette.
A week after she asked the general in my presence if her husband
could do anything for him at Aix-la-Chapelle, where he was going on
the morrow, with the intention of returning in three days. That was
enough for me, but a glance from her added meaning to her words. I
was all the more glad as I had a slight cold, and the next day being
a feast day I could take up my position at night fall, and thus avoid
a painful vigil of several hours' duration.
I curled myself up in the confessional at four o'clock, hiding myself
as best I could, and commending myself to the care of all the saints.
At five o'clock the beadle made his usual tour of inspection, went
out and locked the door. As soon as I heard the noise of the key I
came out of my narrow cell and sat down on a bench facing the
windows. Soon after my mistress's shadow appeared on the grated
panes, and I knew she had seen me.
I sat on the bench for a quarter of an hour and then pushed open the
little door and entered. I shut it and sat down on the lowest step
of the stair, and spent there five hours which would probably have
not been unpleasant ones if I had not been dreadfully tormented by
the rats running to and fro close to me. Nature has given me a great
dislike to this animal, which is comparatively harmless; but the
smell of rats always sickens me.
At last I heard the clock strike ten, the hour of bliss, and I saw
the form of my beloved holding a candle, and I was then freed from my
painful position. If my readers have been in such a situation they
can imagine the pleasures of that happy night, but they cannot divine
the minute circumstances; for if I was an expert my partner had an
inexhaustible store of contrivances for augmenting the bliss of that
sweet employment. She had taken care to get me a little collation,
which looked delicious, but which I could not touch, my appetite
lying in another quarter.
For seven hours, which I thought all too short, we enjoyed one
another, not resting, except for talk, which served to heighten our
pleasure.
The burgomaster was not the man for an ardent passion, but his
strength of constitution enabled him to do his duty to his wife every
night without failing, but, whether from regard to his health or from
a religious scruple, he suspended his rights every month while the
moon exercised hers, and to put himself out of temptation he made his
wife sleep apart. But for once in a way, the lady was not in the
position of a divorcee.
Exhausted, but not satiated with pleasure, I left her at day-break,
assuring her that when we met again she would find me the same; and
with that I went to hide in the confessional, fearing lest the
growing light might betray me to the beadle. However, I got away
without any difficulty, and passed nearly the whole day in bed,
having my dinner served to me in my room. In the evening I went to
the theatre, to have the pleasure of seeing the beloved object of
whom my love and constancy had made me the possessor.
At the end of a fortnight she sent me a note in which she told me
that she would sleep by herself on the night following. It was a
ferial day, and I therefore went to the church at eleven in the
morning after making an enormous breakfast. I hid myself as before,
and the beadle locked me in without making any discovery.
I had a wait of ten hours, and the reflection that I should have to
spend the time partly in the church and partly on the dark and rat-
haunted staircase, without being able to take a pinch of snuff for
fear of being obliged to blow my nose, did not tend to enliven the
prospect; however, the hope of the great reward made it easy to be
borne. But at one o'clock I heard a slight noise, and looking up saw
a hand appear through the grated window, and a paper drop on the
floor of the church. I ran to pick it up, while my heart beat fast,
for my first idea was that some obstacle had occurred which would
compel me to pass the night on a bench in the church. I opened it,
and what was my joy to read as follows:
"The door is open, and you will be more comfortable on the staircase,
where you will find a light, a little dinner, and some books, than in
the church. The seat is not very easy, but I have done my best to
remedy the discomfort with a, cushion. Trust me, the time will seem
as long to me as to you, but be patient. I have told the general
that I do not feel very well, and shall not go out to-day. May God
keep you from coughing, especially during the night, for on the least
noise we should be undone."
What stratagems are inspired by love! I opened the door directly, and
found a nicely-laid meal, dainty viands, delicious wine, coffee, a
chafing dish, lemons, spirits of wine, sugar, and rum to make some
punch if I liked. With these comforts and some books, I could wait
well enough; but I was astonished at the dexterity of my charming
mistress in doing all this without the knowledge of anybody in the
house.
I spent three hours in reading, and three more in eating, and making
coffee and punch, and then I went to sleep. At ten o'clock my
darling came and awoke me. This second night was delicious, but not
so much so as the former, as we could not see each other, and the
violence of our ecstatic combats was restrained by the vicinity of
the good husband. We slept part of the time, and early in the
morning I had to make good my retreat. Thus ended my amour with this
lady. The general went to Westphalia, and she was soon to go into
the country. I thus made my preparations for leaving Cologne,
promising to come and see her the year following, which promise
however I was precluded, as the reader will see, from keeping. I
took leave of my acquaintance and set out, regretted by all.
The stay of two months and a half which I made in Cologne did not
diminish my monetary resources, although I lost whenever I was
persuaded to play. However, my winnings at Bonn made up all
deficiencies, and my banker, M. Franck, complained that I had not
made any use of him. However, I was obliged to be prudent so that
those persons who spied into my actions might find nothing
reprehensible.
I left Cologne about the middle of March, and I stopped at Bonn, to
present my respects to the Elector, but he was away. I dined with
Count Verita and the Abbe Scampar, a favourite of the Elector's.
After dinner the count gave me a letter of introduction to a canoness
at Coblentz, of whom he spoke in very high terms. That obliged me to
stop at Coblentz ; but when I got down at the inn, I found that the
canoness was at Manheim, while in her stead I encountered an actress
named Toscani, who was going to Stuttgart with her young and pretty
daughter. She was on her way from Paris, where her daughter had been
learning character-dancing with the famous Vestris. I had known her
at Paris, but had not seen much of her, though I had given her a
little spaniel dog, which was the joy of her daughter. This daughter
was a perfect jewel, who had very little difficulty in persuading me
to come with them to Stuttgart, where I expected, for other reasons,
to have a very pleasant stay. The mother was impatient to know what
the duke would think of her daughter, for she had destined her from
her childhood to serve the pleasures of this voluptuous prince, who,
though he had a titular mistress, was fond of experimenting with all
the ballet-girls who took his fancy.
We made up a little supper-party, and it may be guessed that two of
us belonging to the boards the conversation was not exactly a course
in moral theology. The Toscani told me that her daughter was a
neophyte, and that she had made up her mind not to let the duke touch
her till he had dismissed his reigning mistress, whose place she was
designed to take. The mistress in question was a dancer named
Gardella, daughter of a Venetian boatman, whose name has been
mentioned in my first volume--in fine, she was the wife of Michel
d'Agata, whom I found at Munich fleeing from the terrible Leads,
where I myself languished for so long.
As I seemed to doubt the mother's assertion, and threw out some
rather broad hints to the effect that I believed that the first bloom
had been plucked at Paris, and that the Duke of Wurtemburg would only
have the second, their vanity was touched; and on my proposing to
verify the matter with my own eyes it was solemnly agreed that this
ceremony should take place the next day. They kept their promise,
and I was pleasantly engaged for two hours the next morning, and was
at last obliged to extinguish in the mother the flames her daughter
had kindled in my breast.
Although the Toscani was young enough, she would have found me ice if
her daughter had been able to satisfy my desires, but she did not
trust me well enough to leave us alone together. As it was she was
well satisfied.
I resolved, then, on going to Stuttgart in company with the two
nymphs, and I expected to see there the Binetti, who was always an
enthusiastic admirer of mine. This actress was the daughter of a
Roman boatman. I had helped her to get on the boards the same year
that Madame de Valmarana had married her to a French dancer named
Binet, whose name she had Italianized by the addition of one
syllable, like those who ennoble themselves by adding another
syllable to their names. I also expected to see the Gardella, young
Baletti, of whom I was very fond, his young wife the Vulcani, and
several other of my old friends, who I thought would combine to make
my stay at Stuttgart a very pleasant one. But it will be seen that
it is a risky thing to reckon without one's host. At the last
posting station I bid adieu to my two friends, and went to the
"Bear."
CHAPTER XII
Gardella Portrait of The Duke of Wurtemburg--My Dinner with Gardella,
And its Consequences--Unfortunate Meeting I Play and Lose Four
Thousand Louis--Lawsuit--Lucky Flight--My Arrival at Zurich--Church
Consecrated By Jesus Christ Himself
At that period the Court of the Duke of Wurtemburg was the most
brilliant in Europe. The heavy subsidies paid by France for
quartering ten thousand men upon him furnished him with the means for
indulging in luxury and debauchery. The army in question was a fine
body of men, but during the war it was distinguished only by its
blunders.
The duke was sumptuous in his tastes, which were for splendid
palaces, hunting establishments on a large scale, enormous stables--
in short, every whim imaginable; but his chief expense was the large
salaries he paid his theatre, and, above all, his mistresses. He had
a French play, an Italian opera, grand and comic, and twenty Italian
dancers, all of whom had been principal dancers in Italian theatres.
His director of ballets was Novers, and sometimes five hundred
dancers appeared at once. A clever machinist and the best scene
painters did their best to make the audience believe in magic. All
the ballet-girls were pretty, and all of them boasted of having been
enjoyed at least once by my lord. The chief of them was a Venetian,
daughter of a gondolier named Gardella. She was brought up by the
senator Malipiero, whom my readers know for his good offices towards
myself, who had her taught for the theatre, and gave her a dancing-
master. I found her at Munich, after my flight from The Leads,
married to Michel Agata. The duke took a fancy to her, and asked her
husband, who was only too happy to agree, to yield her; but he was
satisfied with her charms in a year, and put her on the retired list
with the title of madame.
This honour had made all the other ballet-girls jealous, and they all
thought themselves as fit as she to be taken to the duke's titular
mistress, especially as she only enjoyed the honour without the
pleasure. They all intrigued to procure her dismissal, but the
Venetian lady succeeded in holding her ground against all cabals.
Far from reproaching the duke for this incorrigible infidelity, she
encouraged him in it, and was very glad to be left to herself, as she
cared nothing for him. Her chief pleasure was to have the ballet-
girls who aspired to the honours of the handkerchief come to her to
solicit her good offices. She always received them politely, gave
them her advice, and bade them do their best to please the prince.
In his turn the duke thought himself bound to shew his gratitude for
her good nature, and gave her in public all the honours which could
be given to a princess.
I was not long in finding out that the duke's chief desire was to be
talked about. He would have liked people to say that there was not a
prince in Europe to compare with him for wit, taste, genius, in the
invention of pleasures, and statesman-like capacities; he would fain
be regarded as a Hercules in the pleasures of Bacchus and Venus, and
none the less an Aristides in governing his people. He dismissed
without pity an attendant who failed to wake him after he had been
forced to yield to sleep for three or four hours, but he did not care
how roughly he was awakened.
It has happened that after having given his highness a large cup of
coffee, the servant has been obliged to throw him into a bath of cold
water, where the duke had to choose between awaking or drowning.
As soon as he was dressed the duke would assemble his council and
dispatch whatever business was on hand, and then he would give
audience to whoever cared to come into his presence. Nothing could
be more comic than the audiences he gave to his poorer subjects.
Often there came to him dull peasants and workmen of the lowest
class; the poor duke would sweat and rage to make them hear reason,
in which he was sometimes unsuccessful, and his petitioners would go
away terrified, desperate, and furious. As to the pretty country
maidens, he examined into their complaints in private, and though he
seldom did anything for them they went away consoled.
The subsidies which the French Crown was foolish enough to pay him
for a perfectly useless service did not suffice for his extravagant
expenses. He loaded his subjects with taxes till the patient people
could bear it no longer, and some years after had recourse to the
Diet of Wetzlar, which obliged him to change his system. He was
foolish enough to wish to imitate the King of Prussia, while that
monarch made fun of the duke, and called him his ape. His wife was
the daughter of the Margrave of Bayreuth, the prettiest and most
accomplished princess in all Germany. When I had come to Stuttgart
she was no longer there; she had taken refuge with her father, on
account of a disgraceful affront which had been offered her by her
unworthy husband. It is incorrect to say that this princess fled
from her husband because of his infidelities.
After I had dined by myself, I dressed and went to the opera provided
gratis by the duke in the fine theatre he had built. The prince was
in the front of the orchestra, surrounded by his brilliant Court. I
sat in a box on the first tier, delighted to be able to hear so well
the music of the famous Jumella, who was in the duke's service. In
my ignorance of the etiquette of small German Courts I happened to
applaud a solo, which had been exquisitely sung by a castrato whose
name I have forgotten, and directly afterwards an individual came
into my box and addressed me in a rude manner. However, I knew no
German, and could only answer by 'nich verstand'--"I don't
understand."
He went out, and soon after an official came in, who told me, in good
French, that when the sovereign was present all applause was
forbidden.
"Very good, sir. Then I will go away and come again when the
sovereign is not here, as when an air pleases me I always applaud."
After this reply I called for my carriage, but just as I was getting
into it the same official came and told me that the duke wanted to
speak to me. I accordingly followed him to the presence.
"You are M. Casanova, are you?" said the duke.
"Yes, my lord."
"Where do you come from?"
"From Cologne."
"Is this the first time you have been to Stuttgart?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Do you think of staying long?"
"For five or six days, if your highness will allow me."
"Certainly, you may stay as long as you like, and you may clap when
you please."
"I shall profit by your permission, my lord."
"Good."
I sat down again, and the whole audience settled down to the play.
Soon after, an actor sung an air which the duke applauded, and of
course all the courtiers, but not caring much for the song I sat
still--everyone to his taste. After the ballet the duke went to the
favourite's box, kissed her hand, and left the theatre. An official,
who was sitting by me and did not know that I was acquainted with the
Gardella, told me that as I had had the honour of speaking to the
prince I might obtain the honour of kissing his favourite's hand.
I felt a strong inclination to laugh, but I restrained myself; and a
sudden and very irrational impulse made me say that she was a
relation of mine. The words had no sooner escaped me than I bit my
lip, for this stupid lie could only do me harm, but it was decreed
that I should do nothing at Stuttgart but commit blunders. The
officer, who seemed astonished at my reply, bowed and went to the
favourite's box to inform her of my presence. The Gardelia looked in
my direction and beckoned to me with her fan, and I hastened to
comply with the invitation, laughing inwardly at the part I was going
to play. As soon as I came in she graciously gave me her hand, which
I kissed, calling her my cousin.
"Did you tell the duke you were my cousin?" said she.
"No," I replied.
"Very good, then I will do so myself; come and dine with me
to-morrow."
She then left the house, and I went to visit the ballet-girls, who
were undressing: The Binetti, who was one of the oldest of my
acquaintances, was in an ecstasy of joy at seeing me, and asked me to
dine with her every day. Cartz, the violin, who had been with me in
the orchestra at St. Samuel's, introduced me to his pretty daughter,
saying,
"She is not made for the duke's eyes to gaze on, and he shall never
have her."
The good man was no prophet, as the duke got possession of her a
short time after. She presented him with two babies, but these
pledges of affection could not fix the inconstant prince.
Nevertheless, she was a girl of the most captivating kind, for to the
most perfect beauty she added grace, wit, goodness, and kindness,
which won everyone's heart. But the duke was satiated, and his only
pleasure lay in novelty.
After her I saw the Vulcani, whom I had known at Dresden, and who
suddenly presented her husband to me. He threw his arms round my
neck. He was Baletti, brother of my faithless one, a young man of
great talent of whom I was very fond.
I was surrounded by all these friends, when the officer whom I had so
foolishly told that I was related to the Gardella came in and began
to tell the story. The Binetti, after hearing it, said to him,
"It's a lie."
"But my dear," said I to her, "you can't be better informed on the
subject than I am." She replied by laughing, but Cartz said, very
wittily,
"As Gardella is only a boatman's daughter, like Binetti, the latter
thinks, and very rightly, that you ought to have given her the
refusal of your cousinship."
Next day I had a pleasant dinner with the favourite, though she told
me that, not having seen the duke, she could not tell me how he would
take my pleasantry, which her mother resented very much. This mother
of hers, a woman of the lowest birth, had become very proud since her
daughter was a prince's mistress, and thought my relationship a blot
on their escutcheon. She had the impudence to tell me that her
relations had never been players, without reflecting that it must be
worse to descend to this estate than to rise from it, if it were
dishonourable. I ought to have pitied her, but not being of a
forbearing nature I retorted by asking if her sister was still alive,
a question which made her frown and to which she gave no answer. The
sister I spoke of was a fat blind woman, who begged on a bridge in
Venice.
After having spent a pleasant day with the favourite, who was the
oldest of my theatrical friends, I left her, promising to come to
breakfast the next day; but as I was going out the porter bade me not
to put my feet there again, but would not say on whose authority he
gave me this polite order. It would have been wiser to hold my
tongue, as this stroke must have come from the mother; or, perhaps,
from the daughter, whose vanity I had wounded: she was a good-enough
actress to conceal her anger.
I was angry with myself, and went away in an ill humour; I was
humiliated to see myself treated in such a manner by a wretched
wanton of an actress; though if I had been more discreet I could have
got a welcome in the best society. If I had not promised to dine
with Binetti the next day I should have posted off forthwith, and I
should thus have escaped all the misadventures which befell me in
that wretched town.
The Binetti lived in the house of her lover, the Austrian ambassador,
and the part of the house she occupied adjoined the town wall. As
will be seen; this detail is an important one. I dined alone with my
good fellow-countrywoman, and if I had felt myself capable of love at
that period all my old affection would have resumed its sway over me,
as her beauty was undiminished, and she had more tact and knowledge
of the world than when I knew her formerly.
The Austrian ambassador was a good-natured, easygoing, and generous
man; as for her husband he was not worthy of her, and she never saw
him. I spent a pleasant day with her, talking of our old friends,
and as I had nothing to keep me in Wurtemburg I decided to leave in
two days, as I had promised the Toscani and her daughter to go with
them on the next day to Louisbourg. We were to start at five in the
morning, but the following adventure befell me:--
As I was leaving Binetti's house I was greeted very courteously by
three officers whom I had become acquainted with at the coffee house,
and I walked along the promenade with them.
"We are going," said one of them, "to visit certain ladies of easy
virtue; we shall be glad to have you of our company."
"I only speak a few words of German," I answered, "and if I join you
I shall be bored."
"Ah! but the ladies are Italians," they exclaimed, "nothing could
suit you better."
I did not at all like following them, but my evil genius led me in
that wretched town from one blunder to another, and so I went in
spite of myself.
We turned back into the town, and I let myself be led up to the third
floor of an ill-looking house, and in the meanest of rooms I saw the
pretended nieces of Peccini. A moment after Peccini appeared, and
had the impudence to throw his arms around my neck, calling me his
best friend. His nieces overwhelmed me with caresses, and seemed to
confirm the idea that we were old friends. I did nothing and held my
tongue.
The officers prepared for a debauch; I did not imitate their example,
but this made no difference to them. I saw into what an evil place I
had been decoyed, but a false shame prevented me from leaving the
house without ceremony. I was wrong, but I determined to be more
prudent for the future.
Before long a pot-house supper was served, of which I did not
partake; but not wishing to seem bad company I drank two or three
small glasses of Hungarian wine. After supper, which did not last
very long, cards were produced, and one of the officers held a bank
at faro. I punted and lost the fifty or sixty Louis I had about me.
I felt that I was drunk, my head was reeling, and I would have gladly
given over playing and gone away, but I have never been so possessed
as on that day, either from false shame or from the effects of the
drugged wine they gave me. My noble officers seemed vexed that I had
lost, and would give me my revenge. They made me hold a bank of a
hundred Louis in fish, which they counted out to me. I did so, and
lost. I made a bank again, and again I lost. My inflamed
understanding, my increasing drunkenness, and my anger, deprived me
of all sense, and I kept increasing my bank, losing all the time,
till at midnight my good rascals declared they would play no more.
They made a calculation, and declared that I had lost nearly a
hundred thousand francs. So great was my intoxication, although I
had had no more wine, that they were obliged to send for a sedan
chair to take me to my inn. While my servant was undressing me he
discovered that I had neither my watches nor my gold snuff-boy.
"Don't forget to wake me at four in the morning," said I. Therewith
I went to bed and enjoyed a calm and refreshing sleep.
While I was dressing next morning I found a hundred Louis in my
pocket, at which I was much astonished, for my dizziness of brain
being over now, I remembered that I had not this money about me the
evening before; but my mind was taken up with the pleasure party, and
I put off thinking of this incident and of my enormous losses till
afterwards. I went to the Toscani and we set out for Louisbourg,
where we had a capital dinner, and my spirits ran so high that my
companions could never have guessed the misfortune that had just
befallen me. We went back to Stuttgart in the evening.
When I got home my Spaniard told me that they knew nothing about my
watches and snuff-box at the house where I had been the evening
before, and that the three officers had come to call on me, but not
finding me at home they had told him to warn me that they would
breakfast with me on the following morning. They kept the
appointment.
"Gentlemen," said I, as soon as they came in, "I have lost a sum
which I cannot pay, and which I certainly should not have lost
without the drugged wine you gave me. You have taken me to a den of
infamy, where I was shamefully robbed of jewellery to the value of
more than three hundred Louis. I complain of no one, since I have
only my own folly to complain of. If I had been wiser all this would
not have happened to me."
They exclaimed loudly at this speech, and tried to play the part of
men of honour. They spoke in vain, as I had made up my mind to pay
nothing.
Whilst we were in the thick of the fight, and were beginning to get
angry over it, Baletti, Toscani, and Binetti came in, and heard the
discussion. I then had breakfast brought in, and after we had
finished my friends left me.
When we were once more alone, one of the rascals addressed me as
follows:
"We are too honest, sir, to take advantage of your position. You
have been unfortunate, but all men are sometimes unfortunate, and we
ask nothing better than a mutual accommodation. We will take over
all your properties; jewels, diamonds, arms, and carriage, and have
them valued; and if the sum realized does not cover your debt we will
take your acceptance, payable at date, and remain good friends."
"Sir, I do not wish for the friendship of robbers, and I will not
play a single farthing."
At this they tried threats, but I kept cool and said,--
"Gentlemen, your menaces will not intimidate me, and, as far as I can
see, you have only two ways of getting paid; either by way of the
law, in which case I do not think I shall find it difficult to get a
barrister to take up my case, or, secondly, you can pay yourselves on
my body, honourably, with sword in hand."
As I had expected, they replied that if I wished they would do me the
honour of killing me after I had paid them. They went off cursing,
telling me that I would be sorry for what I had said.
Soon after I went out and spent the day with the Toscani in gaiety
which, situated as I was, was not far off madness. At the time I
placed it to the daughter's charms, and to the need my spirits were
in of recovering their elasticity.
However, the mother having witnessed the rage of the three robbers
was the first to urge me to fortify myself against their villainy by
an appeal to the law.
"If you give them the start," said she, "they may possibly gain a
great advantage over you in spite of the right being on your side."
And whilst I toyed with her charming daughter, she sent for a
barrister. After hearing my case the counsel told me that my best
way would be to tell the whole story to the sovereign as soon as
possible.
"They took you to the house of ill-fame; they poured out the drugged
wine which deprived you of your reason; they made you play in spite
of their prince's prohibition (for gaming is strictly forbidden); in
this company you were robbed of your jewels after they had made you
lose an enormous sum. It's a hanging matter, and the duke's interest
will be to do you justice, for an act of scoundrelism like this
committed by his officers would dishonour him all over Europe."
I felt some repugnance to this course, for though the duke was a
shameless libertine I did not like telling him such a disgraceful
story. However, the case was a serious one, and after giving it due
reflection I determined to wait on the dike on the following morning.
"As the duke gives audience to the first comer," I said to myself,
"why should I not have as good a reception as a labouring man? "In
this way I concluded that it would be no use to write to him, and I
was on my way to the Court, when, at about twenty paces from the gate
of the castle, I met my three gentlemen who accosted me rudely and
said I had better make up my mind to pay, or else they would play the
devil with me.
I was going on without paying any attention to them, when I felt
myself rudely seized by the right arm. A natural impulse of self-
defence made me put my hand to my sword, and I drew it in a manner
that shewed I was in earnest. The officer of the guard came running
up, and I complained that the three were assaulting me and
endeavouring to hinder my approach to the prince. On enquiry being
made, the sentry and the numerous persons who were present declared
that I had only drawn in self-defence, so the officer decided that I
had perfect liberty to enter the castle.
I was allowed to penetrate to the last antechamber without any
obstacle being raised. Here I addressed myself to the chamberlain,
demanding an audience with the sovereign, and he assured me that I
should be introduced into the presence. But directly afterwards the
impudent scoundrel who had taken hold of my arm came up and began to
speak to the chamberlain in German. He said his say without my being
able to contradict him, and his representations were doubtless not in
my favour. Very possibly, too, the chamberlain was one of the gang,
and I went from Herod to Pilate. An hour went by without my being
able to see the prince, and then the chamberlain, who had assured me
that I should have an audience, came and told me that I might go
home, as the duke had heard all the circumstances of the case, and
would no doubt see that justice was done me.
I saw at once that I should get no justice at all, and as I was
walking away I thought how best I could get out of the difficulty.
On my way I met Binetti, who knew how I was placed, and he asked me
to come and dine with him, assuring me that the Austrian ambassador
would take me under his protection, and that he would save me from
the violent measures which the rascals no doubt intended to take, in
spite of the chamberlain's assurances. I accepted the invitation,
and Binetti's charming wife, taking the affair to heart, did not lose
a moment in informing her lover, the ambassador, of all the
circumstances.
This diplomatist came into the room with her, and after hearing all
the details from my lips he said that in all probability the duke
knew nothing about it.
"Write a brief account of the business," said he, "and I will lay it
before the sovereign, who will no doubt see justice done."
I went to Binetti's desk, and as soon as I had written down my true
relation I gave it, unsealed, to the ambassador, who assured me that
it should be in the duke's hands in the course of an hour.
At dinner my country-woman assured me again that her lover should
protect me, and we spent the day pleasantly enough; but towards
evening my Spaniard came and assured me that if I returned to the inn
I should be arrested, "for" said he, "an officer came to see you, and
finding you were out he took up his position at the street door and
has two soldiers standing at the foot of the staircase."
The Binetti said, "You must not go to the inn; stay here, where you
have nothing to fear. Send for what you want, and we will wait and
see what happens." I then gave orders to my Spaniard to go and fetch
the belongings which were absolutely necessary to me.
At midnight the ambassador came in; we were still up, and he seemed
pleased that his mistress had sheltered me. He assured me that my
plea had been laid before the sovereign, but during the three days I
was in the house I heard no more about it.
On the fourth day, whilst I was pondering as to how I should act, the
ambassador received a letter from a minister requesting him, on
behalf of the sovereign, to dismiss me from his house, as I had a
suit pending with certain officers of his highness, and whilst I was
with the ambassador justice could not take its course. The
ambassador gave me the letter, and I saw that the minister promised
that strict justice should be done me. There was no help for it; I
had to make up my mind to return to my inn, but the Binetti was so
enraged that she began to scold her lover, at which he laughed,
saying, with perfect truth, that he could not keep me there in
defiance of the prince.
I re-entered the inn without meeting anyone, but when I had had my
dinner and was just going to see my counsel an officer served me with
a summons, which was interpreted to me by my landlord, which ordered
me to appear forthwith before the notary appointed to take my
deposition. I went to him with the officer of the court, and spent
two hours with the notary, who wrote down my deposition in German
while I gave it in Latin. When it was done he told me to sign my
name; to which I answered that I must decline to sign a document I
did not understand. He insisted on my doing it, but I was immovable.
He then got in a rage and said I ought to be ashamed of myself for
suspecting a notary's honour. I replied calmly that I had no doubts
as to his honour, but that I acted from principle, and that as I did
not understand what he had written I refused to sign it. I left him,
and was accompanied by the officer to my own counsel, who said I had
done quite right, and promised to call on me the next day to receive
my power of attorney.
"And when I have done that," he said, "your business will be mine."
I was comforted by this man, who inspired me with confidence, and
went back to the hotel, where I made a good supper and went
tranquilly to sleep. Next morning, however, when I awoke, my
Spaniard announced an officer who had followed him, and told me in
good French that I must not be astonished to find myself a prisoner
in my room, for being a stranger and engaged in a suit at law it was
only right that the opposite party should be assured that I would not
escape before judgment was given. He asked very politely for my
sword, and to my great regret I was compelled to give it him. The
hilt was of steel, exquisitely chased; it was a present from Madame
d'Urfe, and was worth at least fifty louis.
I wrote a note to my counsel to tell him what had happened; he came
to see me and assured me that I should only be under arrest for a few
days.
As I was obliged to keep my room, I let my friends know of my
confinement, and I received visits from dancers and ballet-girls, who
were the only decent people I was acquainted with in that wretched
Stuttgart, where I had better never have set foot. My situation was
not pleasant to contemplate: I had been drugged, cheated, robbed,
abused, imprisoned, threatened with a mulct of a hundred thousand
francs, which would have stripped me to my shirt, as nobody knew the
contents of my pocket-book. I could think of nothing else. I had
written to Madame the Gardella, but to no purpose, as I got no
answer. All the consolation I got was from Binetti, Toscani, and
Baletti, who dined or supped with me every day. The three rascals
came to see me one by one, and each tried to get me to give him money
unknown to the other two, and each promised that if I would do that,
he would get me out of the difficulty. Each would have been content
with three or four hundred louis, but even if I had given that sum to
one of them I had no guarantee that the others would desist from
their persecution. Indeed, if I had done so I should have given some
ground to their pretensions, and bad would have been made worse. My
answer was that they wearied me, and that I should be glad if they
would desist from visiting me.
On the fifth day of my arrest the duke left for Frankfort; and the
same day Binetti came and told me from her lover that the duke had
promised the officers not to interfere, and that I was therefore in
danger of an iniquitous sentence. His advice was to neglect no means
of getting out of the difficulty, to sacrifice all my property,
diamonds, and jewellery, and thus to obtain a release from my
enemies. The Binetti, like a wise woman, disliked this counsel, and
I relished it still less, but she had to perform her commission.
I had jewellery and lace to the value of more than a hundred thousand
francs, but I could not resolve to make the sacrifice. I did not
know which way to turn or where to go, and while I was in this state
of mind my barrister came in. He spoke as follows:
"Sir, all my endeavors on your behalf have been unsuccessful. There
is a party against you which seems to have support in some high
quarter, and which silences the voice of justice. It is my duty to
warn you that unless you find some way of arranging matters with
these rascals you are a ruined man. The judgment given by the police
magistrate, a rascal like the rest of them, is of a summary
character, for as a stranger you will not be allowed to have recourse
to the delays of the law. You would require bail to do that. They
have managed to procure witnesses who swear that you are a
professional gamester, that it was you who seduced the three officers
into the house of your countryman Peccini, that it is not true that
your wine was drugged that you did not lose your watches nor your
snuff-box, for, they say, these articles will be found in your mails
when your goods are sold. For that you will only have to wait till
to-morrow or the day after, and do not think that I am deceiving you
in any particular, or you will be sorry for it. They will come here
and empty your mails, boxes, and pockets, a list will be made, and
they will be sold by auction the same day. If the sum realized is
greater than the debt the surplus will go in costs, and you may
depend upon it that a very small sum will be returned to you; but if,
on the other hand, the sum is not sufficient to pay everything,
including the debt, costs, expenses of the auction, etc., you will be
enrolled as a common soldier in the forces of His Most Serene
Highness. I heard it said to the officer, who is your greatest
creditor, that the four Louis enlistment money would be taken into
account, and that the duke would be glad to get hold of such a fine
man."
The barrister left me without my noticing him. I was so petrified by
what he had said. I was in such a state of collapse that in less
than an hour all the liquids in my body must have escaped. I, a
common soldier in the army of a petty sovereign like the duke, who
only existed by the horrible traffic in human flesh which he carried
on after the manner of the Elector of Hesse. I, despoiled by those
knaves, the victim of an iniquitous sentence. Never! I would
endeavour to hit upon some plan to gain time.
I began by writing to my chief creditor that I had decided to come to
an agreement with them, but I wished them all to wait upon my notary,
with witnesses, to put a formal close to the action and render me a
free man again.
I calculated that one of them was sure to be on duty on the morrow,
and thus I should gain a day at any rate. In the mean time I hoped
to discover some way of escape.
I next wrote to the head of the police, whom I styled "your
excellency" and "my lord," begging him to vouchsafe his all-powerful
protection. I told him that I had resolved on selling all my
property to put an end to the suit which threatened to overwhelm me,
and I begged him to suspend the proceedings, the cost of which could
only add to my difficulties. I also asked him to send me a
trustworthy man to value my effects as soon as I had come to an
agreement with my creditors, with whom I begged for his good offices.
When I had done I sent my Spaniard to deliver the letters.
The officer to whom I had written, who pretended that I was his
debtor to the amount of two thousand Louis, came to see me after
dinner. I was in bed; and I told him I thought I had fever. He
began to offer his sympathy, and, genuine or not, I was pleased with
it. He told me he had just had some conversation with the chief of
the police, who had shewn him my letter.
"You are very wise," said he, "in consenting to a composition, but we
need not all three be present. I have full powers from the other
two, and that will be sufficient for the notary:"
"I am in bad enough case," I replied, "for you to grant me the favour
of seeing you all together; I cannot think you will refuse me."
"Well, well, you shall be satisfied, but if you are in a hurry to
leave Stuttgart I must warn you that we cannot come before Monday,
for we are on duty for the next four days."
"I am sorry to hear it, but I will wait. Give me your word of honour
that all proceedings shall be suspended in the mean time."
"Certainly; here is my hand, and you may reckon on me. In my turn I
have a favour to ask. I like your post-chaise; will you let me have
it for what it cost you?"
"With pleasure."
"Be kind enough to call the landlord, and tell him in my presence
that the carriage belongs to me."
I had the landlord upstairs and did as the rascal had asked me, but
mine host told him that he could dispose of it after he had paid for
it, and with that he turned his back on him and left the room.
"I am certain of having the chaise," said the officer, laughing. He
then embraced me, and went away.
I had derived so much pleasure from my talk with him that I felt
quite another man. I had four days before me; it was a rare piece of
good luck.
Some hours after, an honest-looking fellow who spoke Italian well
came to tell me, from the chief of police, that my creditors would
meet on the ensuing Monday, and that he himself was appointed to
value my goods. He advised me to make it a condition of the
agreement that my goods should not be sold by auction, and that my
creditors should consider his valuation as final and binding. He
told me that I should congratulate myself if I followed his advice.
I told him that I would not forget his services, and begged him to
examine my mails and my jewel-box. He examined everything and told
me that my lace alone was worth twenty thousand francs. "In all," he
added, "your goods are worth more than a hundred thousand francs, but
I promise to tell your adversaries another story, Thus, if you can
persuade them to take half their debt, you will get off with half
your effects."
"In that ease," I said, "you shall have fifty louis, and here are six
as an earnest."
"I am grateful to you, and you can count upon my devotion. The whole
town and the duke as well know your creditors to be knaves, but they
have their reasons for refusing to see their conduct in its true
light."
I breathed again, and now all my thoughts were concentrated on making
my escape with all I possessed, my poor chaise excepted. I had a
difficult task before me, but not so difficult a one as my flight
from The Leads, and the recollection of my great escape gave me fresh
courage.
My first step was to ask Toscani, Baletti, and the dancer Binetti to
supper, as I had measures to concert with these friends of mine, whom
I could rely on, and who had nothing to fear from the resentment of
three rascals.
After we had had a good supper I told them how the affair stood, and
that I was determined to escape, and to carry my goods with me. "And
now," I said, "I want your advice."
After a brief silence Binetti said if I could get to his house I
could lower myself down from a window, and once on the ground I
should be outside the town walls and at a distance of a hundred paces
from the high road, by which I could travel post and be out of the
duke's dominions by daybreak. Thereupon Baletti opened the window
and found that it would be impossible to escape that way, on account
of a wooden roof above a shop. I looked out also, and seeing that he
was right I said that I should no doubt hit on some way of making my
escape from the inn, but what troubled me chiefly was my luggage.
The Toscani then said:--
"You will have to abandon your mails, which you could not take off
without attracting attention, and you must send all your effects to
my house. I engage to deliver safely whatever you may put in my
care. I will take away your effects under my clothes in several
journeys, and I can begin to-night."
Baletti thought this idea a good one, and said that to do it the
quicker his wife would come and help. We fixed on this plan, and I
promised Binetti to be with him at midnight on Sunday, even if I had
to stab the sentry, who was at my door all day, but who went away at
night after locking me in. Baletti said he would provide me with a
faithful servant, and a post-chaise with swift horses, which would
take my effects in other mails. To make the best use of the time,
the Toscani began to load herself, putting two of my suits of clothes
under her dress. For the next few days my friends served me so well
that, at midnight on Saturday, my mails and my dressing case were
empty; I kept back all the jewellery intending to carry it in my
pocket.
On Sunday, the Toscani brought me the keys of the two mails, in which
she had put my goods; and Baletti came also to tell me that all the
necessary measures had been taken, and that I should find a post-
chaise, under the charge of his servant, waiting for me on the high
road. So far good, and the reader shall now hear how I contrived to
escape from my inn.
The sentry confined himself to a small ante-chamber, where he walked
up and down, without ever coming into my room, except at my
invitation. As soon as he heard that I had gone to bed he locked the
door, and went off till the next day. He used to sup on a little
table in a corner of the ante-room; his food being sent out by me.
Profiting by my knowledge of his habits, I gave my Spaniard the
following instructions:
"After supper, instead of going to bed, I shall hold myself in
readiness for leaving my room, and I shall leave it when I see the
light extinguished in the ante-room, while I shall take care that my
candle be so placed as not to shew any light outside, or to reflect
my shadow. Once out of my room, I shall have no difficulty in
reaching the stairs, and my escape will be accomplished. I shall go
to Binetti's, leave the town by his house, and wait for you at
Furstenburg. No one can hinder you from joining me in the course of
a day or two. So when you see me ready in my room, and this will be
whilst the sentry is having his supper, put out the candle on the
table: you can easily manage to do so whilst snuffing it. You will
then take it to re-light it, and I shall seize that moment to get off
in the darkness. When you conclude that I have got out of the ante-
room, you can come back to the soldier with the lighted candle, and
you can help him to finish his bottle. By that time I shall be safe,
and when you tell him I have gone to bed he will come to the door,
wish me good night, and after locking the door and putting the key in
his pocket he will go away with you. It is not likely that he will
come in and speak to me when he hears I have gone to bed."
Nevertheless, as he might possibly take it into his head to come into
the room, I carefully arranged a wig-block in a night-cap on the
pillow, and huddled up the coverlet so as to deceive a casual glance.
All my plans were successful, as I heard afterwards from my Spaniard.
Whilst he was drinking with the sentry I was getting on my great
coat, girding on my hanger (I had no longer a sword), and putting my
loaded pistols in my pocket. As soon as the darkness told me that Le
Duc had put out the candle I went out softly, and reached the
staircase without making the least noise. Once there the rest was
easy, for the stair led into the passage, and the passage to the main
door, which was always open till nearly midnight.
I stepped out along the street, and at a quarter to twelve I got to
Binetti's, and found his wife looking out for me at the window. When
I was in the room, whence I intended to escape, we lost no time. I
threw my overcoat to Baletti, who was standing in the ditch below, up
to the knees in mud, and binding a strong cord round my waist I
embraced the Binetti and Baletti's wife, who lowered me down as
gently as possible. Baletti received me in his arms, I cut the cord,
and after taking my great coat I followed his footsteps. We strode
through the mud, and going along a hedge we reached the high road in
a state of exhaustion, although it was not more than a hundred paces
as the crow flies from where we stood to the house. At a little
distance off, beside a small wayside inn, we found the postchaise in
which sat Baletti's servant. He got out, telling us that the
postillion had just gone into the inn to have a glass of beer and
light his pipe. I took the good servant's place, and gave him a
reward, and begged them both to be gone, saying I would manage all
the rest myself.
It was April and, 1760--my birthday--and a remarkable period in my
career, although my whole life has been filled with adventures, good
or bad.
I had been in the carriage for two or three minutes when the
postillion came and asked me if we had much longer to wait. He
thought he was speaking to the same person that he had left in the
chaise, and I did not undeceive him. "Drive on," I answered, "and
make one stage of it from here to Tubingen, without changing horses
at Waldenbach." He followed my instructions, and we went along at a
good pace, but I had a strong inclination to laugh at the face he
made when he saw me at Tubingen. Baletti's servant was a youth, and
slightly built; I was tall, and quite a man. He opened his eyes to
their utmost width, and told me I was not the same gentleman that was
in the carriage when he started. "You're drunk," said I, putting in
his hand four times what he was accustomed to get, and the poor devil
did not say a word. Who has not experienced the persuasive influence
of money? I went on my journey, and did not stop till I reached
Furstenburg, where I was quite safe.
I had eaten nothing on the way, and by the time I got to the inn I
was dying of hunger. I had a good supper brought to me, and then I
went to bed and slept well. As soon as I awoke I wrote to my three
rascals. I promised to wait ten days for them at the place from
which I dated the letter, and I challenged them to a duel a
l'outrance, swearing that I would publish their cowardice all over
Europe if they refused to measure swords with me. I next wrote to
the Toscani, to Baletti, and to the good-natured mistress of the
Austrian ambassador, commending Le Duc to their care, and thanking
them for their friendly help.
The three rascals did not come, but the landlord's two daughters,
both of them pretty, made me pass the three days very agreeably.
On the fourth day, towards noon, I had the pleasure of seeing my
faithful Spaniard riding into the town carrying his portmanteau on
his saddle.
"Sir," said he, "all Stuttgart knows you to be here, and I fear, lest
the three officers who were too cowardly to accept your challenge may
have you assassinated. If you are wise you will set out for
Switzerland forthwith."
"That's cowardly, my lad," said I. "Don't be afraid about me, but
tell me all that happened after my escape."
"As soon as you were gone, sir, I carried out your instructions, and
helped the poor devil of a sentry to empty his bottle, though he
would have willingly dispensed with my assistance in the matter; I
then told him you had gone to bed, and he locked the door as usual,
and went away after shaking me by the hand. After he had gone I went
to bed. Next morning the worthy man was at his post by nine o'clock,
and at ten the three officers came, and on my telling them that you
were still asleep they went away, bidding me come to a coffee-house,
and summon them when you got up. As they waited and waited to no
purpose, they came again at noon, and told the soldier to open the
door. What followed amused me, though I was in some danger in the
midst of the rascals.
"They went in, and taking the wig-block for your head they came up to
the bed and politely wished you good morning. You took no notice, so
one of them proceeded to give you a gentle shake, and the bauble fell
and rolled along the floor. I roared with laughter at the sight of
their amazement.
"'You laugh, do you, rascal? Tell us where your master is.' And to
give emphasis to their words they accompanied them with some strokes
of the cane.
"I was not going to stand this sort of thing, so I told them, with an
oath, that if they did not stop I should defend myself, adding that I
was not my master's keeper, and advising them to ask the sentry.
"The sentry on his part swore by all the saints that you must have
escaped by the window, but in spite of this a corporal was summoned,
and the poor man was sent to prison.
"The clamour that was going on brought up the landlord, who opened
your mails, and on finding them empty said that he would be well
enough paid by your postchaise, replying only with a grin to the
officer who pretended you had given it him.
"In the midst of the tumult a superior officer came up, who decided
that you must have escaped through the window, and ordered the sentry
to be set at liberty on the spot. Then came my turn, for, as I kept
on laughing and answered all questions by 'I don't know,' these
gentleman had me taken to prison, telling me I should stay there till
I informed them where you, or at least your effects, could be found.
"The next day one of them came to the prison, and told me that unless
I confessed I should undoubtedly be sent to the galleys.
"'On the faith of a Spaniard,' I answered, I know nothing, but if I
did it would be all the same to you, for no one can make an honest
servant betray his master.
"At this the rascal told the turnkey to give me a taste of the lash,
and after this had been done I was set at liberty.
"My back was somewhat scarified, but I had the proud consciousness of
having done my duty, and I went back and slept at the inn, where they
were glad to see me. Next morning everyone knew you were here and
had sent a challenge to the three sharpers, but the universal opinion
was that they were too knowing to risk their lives by meeting you.
Nevertheless, Madame Baletti told me to beg you to leave Furstenburg,
as they might very likely have you assassinated. The landlord sold
your chaise and your mails to the Austrian ambassador, who, they say,
let you escape from a window in the apartment occupied by his
mistress. No one offered to prevent me coming here:
Three hours after Le Duc's arrival I took post and went to
Schaffhaus, and from there to Zurich, with hired horses, as there are
no posts in Switzerland. At Zurich I put up at the "Sward," an
excellent inn.
After supper, powdering over my arrival in Zurich where I had dropped
from the clouds as it were, I began, to reflect seriously upon my
present situation and the events of my past life. I recalled my
misfortunes and scrutinized my conduct; and was not long in
concluding that all I had suffered was through my own fault, and that
when fortune would have crowned me with happiness I had persistently
trifled that happiness away. I had just succeeded in escaping from a
trap where I might have perished, or at least have been overwhelmed
with shame, and I shuddered at the thought. I resolved to be no more
fortune's plaything, but to escape entirely from her hands. I
calculated my assets and found I was possessed of a hundred thousand
crowns. "With that," said I, "I can live secure amidst the changes
and chances of this life, and I shall at last experience true
happiness."
I went to bed pondering over these fancies, and my sleep was full of
happy dreams. I saw myself dwelling in a retired spot amidst peace
and plenty. I thought I was surrounded on all sides by a fair
expanse of country which belonged to me, where I enjoyed that freedom
the world cannot give. My dreams had all the force of reality, till
a sudden awakening at day-break came to give them the lie. But the
imaginary bliss I had enjoyed had so taken my fancy that I could not
rest till I realized it. I arose, dressed myself hastily, and went
out, fasting, without knowing where I was going.
I walked on and on, absorbed in contemplation, and did not really
awake till I found myself in a ravine between two lofty mountains.
Stepping forward I reached a valley surrounded by mountains on all
sides, and in the distance a fine church, attached to a pile of
buildings, magnificently situated. I guessed it to be a monastery,
and I made my way towards it.
The church door was open, and I went in and was amazed at the rich
marbles and the beauty of the altars; and, after hearing the last
mass, I went to the sacristy and found myself in a crowd of
Benedictines.
The abbot, whom I recognized by his cross, came towards me and asked
if I wished to see the church and monastery. I replied that I should
be delighted, and he, with two other brethren, offered to shew me
all. I saw their rich ornaments, chasubles embroidered with gold and
pearls, the sacred vessels adorned with diamonds and other precious
stones, a rich balustrade, etc.
As I understood German very imperfectly and the Swiss dialect (which
is hard to acquire and bears the same relation to German that Genoese
has to Italian) not at all, I began to speak Latin, and asked the
abbot if the church had been built for long. Thereupon the very
reverend father entered into a long history, which would have made me
repent my inquisitiveness if he had not finished by saying that the
church was consecrated by Jesus Christ Himself. This was carrying
its foundation rather far back, and no doubt my face expressed some
surprise, for to convince me of the truth of the story the abbot bade
me follow him into the church, and there on a piece of marble
pavement he shewed me the imprint of the foot of Jesus, which He had
left there at the moment of the consecration, to convince the
infidels and to save the bishop the trouble of consecrating the
church.
The abbot had had this divinely revealed to him in a dream, and going
into the church to verify the vision he saw the print of the Divine
Foot, and gave thanks to the Lord.
End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of MEMOIRES OF JACQUES CASANOVA
THE ETERNAL QUEST, Vol. 3c, HOLLAND AND GERMANY
by Jacques Casanova de Seingalt