Rome | Page 8

one invited her. This kind of thing is a characteristic of
nobility all the world over.
Goudar told me all these particulars, and confessed that he only made
his living by gaming. Faro and biribi were the only pillars of his house;
but they must have been strong ones, for he lived in great style.
He asked me to join with him, and I did not care to refuse; my purse
was fast approaching total depletion, and if it were not for this resource
I could not continue living in the style to which I had been accustomed.
Having taken this resolution I declined returning to Rome with Betty

and Sir B---- M-----, who wanted to repay me all I had spent on her
account. I was not in a position to be ostentatious, so I accepted his
generous offer.
Two months later I heard that l'Etoile had been liberated by the
influence of Cardinal Bernis, and had left Rome. Next year I heard at
Florence that Sir B---- M----- had returned to England, where no doubt
he married Betty as soon as he became a widower.
As for the famous Lord Baltimore he left Naples a few days after my
friends, and travelled about Italy in his usual way. Three years later he
paid for his British bravado with his life. He committed the wild
imprudence of traversing the Maremma in August, and was killed by
the poisonous exhalations.
I stopped at "Crocielles," as all the rich foreigners came to live there. I
was thus enabled to make their acquaintance, and put them in the way
of losing their money at Goudar's. I did not like my task, but
circumstances were too strong for me.
Five or six days after Betty had left I chanced to meet the Abby Gama,
who had aged a good deal, but was still as gay and active as ever. After
we had told each other our adventures he informed me that, as all the
differences between the Holy See and the Court of Naples had been
adjusted, he was going back to Rome.
Before he went, however, he said he should like to present me to a lady
whom he was sure I should be very glad to see again.
The first persons I thought of were Donna Leonilda, or Donna Lucrezia,
her mother; but what was my surprise to see Agatha, the dancer with
whom I had been in love at Turin after abandoning the Corticelli.
Our delight was mutual, and we proceeded to tell each other the
incidents of our lives since we had parted.
My tale only lasted a quarter of an hour, but Agatha's history was a
long one.

She had only danced a year at Naples. An advocate had fallen in love
with her, and she shewed me four pretty children she had given him.
The husband came in at supper-time, and as she had often talked to him
about me he rushed to embrace me as soon as he heard my name. He
was an intelligent man, like most of the pagletti of Naples. We supped
together like old friends, and the Abbe Gama going soon after supper I
stayed with them till midnight, promising to join them at dinner the
next day.
Although Agatha was in the very flower of her beauty, the old fires
were not rekindled in me. I was ten years older. My coolness pleased
me, for I should not have liked to trouble the peace of a happy home.
After leaving Agatha I proceeded to Goudar's, in whose bank I took a
strong interest. I found a dozen gamesters round the table, but what was
my surprise to recognize in the holder of the bank Count Medini.
Three or four days before this Medini had been expelled from the house
of M. de Choiseul, the French ambassador; he had been caught cheating
at cards. I had also my reason to be incensed against him; and, as the
reader may remember, we had fought a duel.
On glancing at the bank I saw that it was at the last gasp. It ought to
have held six hundred ounces, and there were scarcely a hundred. I was
interested to the extent of a third.
On examining the face of the punter who had made these ravages I
guessed the game. It was the first time I had seen the rascal at Goudar's.
At the end of the deal Goudar told me that this punter was a rich
Frenchman who had been introduced by Medini. He told me I should
not mind his winning that evening, as he would be sure to lose it all and
a good deal more another time.
"I don't care who the punter is," said I, "it is not of the slightest