Milan | Page 7

he had done well this time, but that for the future he
must not interfere in my affairs.
"Sir," he replied, "your affairs of this kind are mine too, I shall take
care not to go beyond my duty."
With this speech, which I thought very sensible, though I did not tell
him so, he took one of my pistols and saw to the priming, smiling at me
significantly.
All good French servants are of the same stamp as Clairmont; they are
devoted and intelligent, but they all think themselves cleverer than their
masters, which indeed is often the case, and when they are sure of it
they become the masters of their masters, tyrannize over them, and give
them marks of contempt which the foolish gentlemen endeavour to
conceal. But when the master knows how to make himself respected,
the Clairmonts are excellent.
The landlord of my inn sent a report of the affair to the police, and the
French officer was banished from the town the same day. At dinner
Colonel Basili asked to hear the story, and said that no one but a French
officer would think of attacking a man in his own room in such a
foolish manner. I differed from him.
"The French are brave," I replied, "but generally they are perfectly
polite and have wonderful tact. Wretchedness and love, joined to a false
spirit of courage, makes a fool of a man all the world over."
At supper the ballet-girl thanked me for ridding her of the poor devil,
who (as she said) was always threatening to kill her, and wearied her
besides. Though she was not beautiful, there was something captivating
about this girl. She was graceful, well- mannered, and intelligent, her
mouth was well-shaped, and her eyes large and expressive. I think I
should have found her a good bargain, but as I wanted to get away from
Pavia, and piqued myself on having been good-natured without ulterior
motive, I bade her farewell after supper, with many thanks for her
kindness in coming. My politeness seemed rather to confuse her, but
she went away reiterating her gratitude.

Next day I dined at the celebrated Chartreuse, and in the evening I
reached Milan, and got out at Count A---- B----'s, who had not expected
me till the following day.
The countess, of whom my fancy had made a perfect woman,
disappointed me dreadfully. It is always so when passion gives reins to
the imagination. The Countess was certainly pretty, though too small,
and I might still have loved her, in spite of my disappointment, but at
our meeting she greeted me with a gravity that was not to my taste, and
which gave me a dislike to her.
After the usual compliments, I gave her the two pieces of sarcenet she
had commissioned me to get. She thanked me, telling me that her
confessor would reimburse me for my expenditure. The count then took
me to my room, and left me there till supper. It was nicely furnished,
but I felt ill at ease, and resolved to leave in a day or two if the countess
remained immovable. Twenty-four hours was as much as I cared to
give her.
We made a party of four at supper; the count talking all the time to
draw me out, and to hide his wife's sulkiness. I answered in the same
gay strain, speaking to his wife, however, in the hope of rousing her. It
was all lost labour. The little woman only replied by faint smiles which
vanished almost as they came, and by monosyllabic answers of the
briefest description, without taking her eyes off the dishes which she
thought tasteless; and it was to the priest, who was the fourth person
present, that she addressed her complaints, almost speaking affably to
him.
Although I liked the count very well, I could not help pronouncing his
wife decidedly ungracious. I was looking at her to see if I could find
any justification for her ill humour on her features, but as soon as she
saw me she turned away in a very marked manner, and began to speak
about nothing to the priest. This conduct offended me, and I laughed
heartily at her contempt, or her designs on me, for as she had not
fascinated me at all I was safe from her tyranny.
After supper the sarcenet was brought in; it was to be used for a dress

with hoops, made after the extravagant fashion then prevailing.
The count was grieved to see her fall so short of the praises he had
lavished on her, and came to my room with me, begging me to forgive
her Spanish ways, and saying that she would be very pleasant when she
knew me better.
The count was