Expelled from Spain | Page 5

no surety. All the same, the
landlord would think that if I did not stand your surety, it must be from
my entertaining doubts as to your solvency."
I had introduced Fraiture to Count Manucci, on the Pando, and he
requested me to take him to see the count, to which request I was
foolish enough to accede.
A few days later the baron opened his soul to Manucci.
He found the Venetian disposed to be obliging, but wary. He refused to
lend money himself, but introduced the baron to someone who lent him
money on pledges without interest.
The baron and his friend did a little gaming and won a little money, but
I held aloof from them to the best of my ability.
I had my colony and Donna Ignazia, and wanted to live peacefully; and
if I had spent a single night away from home, the innocent girl would
have been filled with alarm.
About that time M. de Mocenigo went as ambassador to France, and
was replaced by M. Querini. Querini was a man of letters, while
Mocenigo only liked music and his own peculiar kind of love.
The new ambassador was distinctly favourable to me, and in a few days
I had reason to believe that he would do more for me than ever
Mocenigo would have done.
In the meanwhile, the baron and his friend began to think of beating a
retreat to France. There was no gaming at the ambassador's and no
gaming at the Court; they must return to France, but they owed money
to their landlord, and they wanted money for the journey. I could give
them nothing, Manucci would give them nothing; we both pitied them,
but our duty to ourselves made us cruel to everyone else. However, he
brought trouble on us.

One morning Manucci came to see me in evident perturbation.
"What is the matter?" said I.
"I do not know exactly. For the last week I have refused to see the
Baron Fraiture, as not being able to give him money, his presence only
wearied me. He has written me a letter, in which he threatens to blow
out his brains to-day if I will not lend him a hundred pistoles."
"He said the same thing to me three days ago; but I replied that I would
bet two hundred pistoles that he would do nothing of the kind. This
made him angry, and he proposed to fight a duel with me; but I
declined on the plea that as he was a desperate man either he would
have an advantage over me or I, over him. Give him the same answer,
or, better still, no answer at all."
"I cannot follow your advice. Here are the hundred pistoles. Take them
to him and get a receipt."
I admired his generosity and agreed to carry out his commission. I
called on the baron, who seemed rather uncomfortable when I walked
in; but considering his position I was not at all surprised.
I informed him that I was the bearer of a thousand francs from Count
Manucci, who thereby placed him in a position to arrange his affairs
and to leave Madrid. He received the money without any signs of
pleasure, surprise, or gratitude, and wrote out the receipt. He assured
me that he and his friend would start for Barcelona and France on the
following day.
I then took the document to Manucci, who was evidently suffering
from some mental trouble; and I remained to dinner with the
ambassador. It was for the last time.
Three days after I went to dine with the ambassadors (for they all dined
together), but to my astonishment the porter told me that he had
received orders not to admit me.

The effect of this sentence on me was like that of a thunderbolt; I
returned home like a man in a dream. I immediately sat down and
wrote to Manucci, asking him why I had been subjected to such an
insult; but Philippe, my man, brought me back the letter unopened.
This was another surprise; I did not know what to expect next. "What
can be the matter?" I said to myself. "I cannot imagine, but I will have
an explanation, or perish."
I dined sadly with Donna Ignazia, without telling her the cause of my
trouble, and just as I was going to take my siesta a servant of Manucci's
brought me a letter from his master and fled before I could read it. The
letter contained an enclosure which I read first. It was from Baron de
Fraiture. He asked Manucci to lend him a hundred pistoles, promising
to shew him the man whom he held for his dearest friend to be his
worst enemy.
Manucci (honouring me, by the