South of France | Page 9

the chief
topic of conversation. Before leaving I asked Signora Isola-Bella and
her marquis to dine with me, and they eagerly accepted the invitation.
When I got home I went to see my niece, who told me she had spent a
delightful evening.
"A very pleasant young man," said she, "who is coming to dine with us
to-morrow, paid me great attention."
"The same, I suppose, that did so yesterday?"
"Yes. Amongst other pretty things he told me that if I liked he would
go to Marseilles and ask my hand of my father. I said nothing, but I
thought to myself that if the poor young man gave himself all this
trouble he would be woefully misled, as he would not see me."
"Why not?"
"Because I should be in a nunnery. My kind good father will forgive
me, but I must punish myself."
"That is a sad design, which I hope you will abandon. You have all that
would make the happiness of a worthy husband. The more I think it
over, the more I am convinced of the truth of what I say."
We said no more just then, for she needed rest. Annette came to

undress her, and I was glad to see the goodness of my niece towards her,
but the coolness with which the girl behaved to her mistress did not
escape my notice. As soon as she came to sleep with me I gently
remonstrated with her, bidding her to do her duty better for the future.
Instead of answering with a caress, as she ought to have done, she
began to cry.
"My dear child," said I, "your tears weary me. You are only here to
amuse me, and if you can't do that, you had better go."
This hurt her foolish feelings of vanity, and she got up and went away
without a word, leaving me to go to sleep in a very bad temper.
In the morning I told her, in a stern voice, that if she played me such a
trick again I would send her away. Instead of trying to soothe me with a
kiss the little rebel burst out crying again. I sent her out of the room
impatiently, and proceeded to count my gains.
I thought no more about it, but presently my niece came in and asked
me why I had vexed poor Annette.
"My dear niece," said I, "tell her to behave better or else I will send her
back to her mother's."
She gave me no reply, but took a handful of silver and fled. I had not
time to reflect on this singular conduct, for Annette came in rattling her
crowns in her pocket, and promised, with a kiss, not to make me angry
any more.
Such was my niece. She knew I adored her, and she loved me; but she
did not want me to be her lover, though she made use of the ascendancy
which my passion gave her. In the code of feminine coquetry such
cases are numerous.
Possano came uninvited to see me, and congratulated me on my victory
of the evening before.
"Who told you about it?"

"I have just been at the coffee-house, where everybody is talking of it.
It was a wonderful victory, for those biribanti are knaves of the first
water. Your adventure is making a great noise, for everyone says that
you could not have broken their bank unless you had made an
agreement with the man that kept the bag."
"My dear fellow, I am tired of you. Here, take this piece of money for
your wife and be off."
The piece of money I had given him was a gold coin worth a hundred
Genoese livres, which the Government had struck for internal
commerce; there were also pieces of fifty and twenty-five livres.
I was going on with my calculations when Clairmont brought me a note.
It was from Irene, and contained a tender invitation to breakfast with
her. I did not know that she was in Genoa, and the news gave me very
great pleasure. I locked up my money, dressed in haste, and started out
to see her. I found her in good and well-furnished rooms, and her old
father, Count Rinaldi, embraced me with tears of joy.
After the ordinary compliments had been passed, the old man
proceeded to congratulate me on my winnings of the night before.
"Three thousand sequins!" he exclaimed, "that is a grand haul indeed."
"Quite so."
"The funny part of it is that the man who keeps the bag is in the pay of
the others."
"What strikes you as funny in that?"
"Why, he gained half without any risk, otherwise he would not have
been likely to have entered into an agreement with you."