the memories of casanova 111

the memories of casanova 111

I thought it

would be prudent, however, to abstain from calling at Laura's house, for

fear of the chattering nuns contriving to know it, and discovering in

that manner a great deal more than I wished them to find out. But that

existence was literally consuming me by slow degrees, and could not last

long. Besides, I was made to have a mistress, and to live happily with

her. Not knowing what to do with myself, I would gamble, and I almost

invariably won; but, in spite of that, weariness had got hold of me and

I was getting thinner every day.

 

With the five thousand sequins which my partner Croce had won for me in

Padua I had followed M. Bragadin's advice. I had hired a casino where I

held a faro bank in partnership with a matador, who secured me against

the frauds of certain noblemen--tyrants, with whom a private citizen is

always sure to be in the wrong in my dear country.

 

On All Saints' Day, in the year 1753, just as, after hearing mass, I was

going to step into a gondola to return to Venice, I saw a woman,

somewhat in Laura's style who, passing near me, looked at me and dropped

a letter. I picked it up, and the woman, seeing me in possession of the

epistle, quietly went on. The letter had no address, and the seal

represented a running knot. I stepped hurriedly into the gondola, and as

soon as we were in the offing I broke the seal. I read the following

words.

 

"A nun, who for the last two months and a half has seen you every Sunday

in the church of her convent, wishes to become acquainted with you. A

pamphlet which you have lost, and which chance has thrown into her

hands, makes her believe that you speak French; but, if you like it

better, you can answer in Italian, because what she wants above all is a

clear and precise answer. She does not invite you to call for her at the

parlour of the convent, because, before you place yourself under the

necessity of speaking to her, she wishes you to see her, and for that

purpose she will name a lady whom you can accompany to the parlour. That

lady shall not know you and need not therefore introduce you, in case

you should not wish to be known.

 

"Should you not approve of that way to become acquainted, the nun will

appoint a certain casino in Muran, in which you will find her alone, in

the evening, any night you may choose. You will then be at liberty

either to sup with her, or to retire after an interview of a quarter of

an hour, if you have any other engagements.

 

"Would you rather offer her a supper in Venice? Name the night, the

hour, the place of appointment, and you will see her come out of a

gondola. Only be careful to be there alone, masked and with a lantern.

 

"I feel certain that you will answer me, and that you will guess how

impatiently I am waiting for your letter. I entreat you, therefore, to

give it to-morrow to the same woman through whom you will receive mine!

you will find her one hour before noon in the church of St. Cancian,

near the first altar on the right.

 

"Recollect that, if I did not suppose you endowed with a noble soul and

a high mind, I could never have resolved on taking a step which might

give you an unfavorable opinion of my character"

 

The tone of that letter, which I have copied word by word, surprised me

even more than the offer it contained. I had business to attend to, but

I gave up all engagements to lock myself in my room in order to answer

it. Such an application betokened an extravagant mind, but there was in

it a certain dignity, a singularity, which attracted me. I had an idea

that the writer might be the same nun who taught French to C---- C----.

She had represented her friend in her letters as handsome, rich,

gallant, and generous. My dear wife had, perhaps, been guilty of some

indiscretion. A thousand fancies whirled through my brain, but I would

entertain only those which were favourable to a scheme highly pleasing

to me. Besides, my young friend had informed me that the nun who had

given her French lessons was not the only one in the convent who spoke

that language. I had no reason to suppose that, if C---- C---- had made

a confidante of her friend, she would have made a mystery of it to me.

But, for all that, the nun who had written to me might be the beautiful

friend of my dear little wife, and she might also turn out to be a

different person; I felt somewhat puzzled. Here is, however, the letter

which I thought I could write without implicating myself:

 

"I answer in French, madam, in the hope that my letter will have the

clearness and the precision of which you give me the example in yours.

 

"The subject is highly interesting and of the highest importance,

considering all the circumstances. As I must answer without knowing the

person to whom I am writing, you must feel, madam, that, unless I should

possess a large dose of vanity, I must fear some mystification, and my

honour requires that I should keep on my guard.

 

"If it is true that the person who has penned that letter is a

respectable woman, who renders me justice in supposing me endowed with

feeling as noble as her own, she will find, I trust, that I could not

answer in any other way than I am doing now.

 

"If you have judged me worthy, madam, of the honour which you do me by

offering me your acquaintance, although your good opinion can have been

formed only from my personal appearance, I feel it my duty to obey you,

even if the result be to undeceive you by proving that I had unwittingly

led you into a mistaken appreciation of my person.

 

"Of the three proposals which you so kindly made in your letter, I dare

not accept any but the first, with the restriction suggested by your

penetrating mind. I will accompany to the parlour of your convent a lady

who shall not know who I am, and, consequently, shall have no occasion

to introduce me.

 

"Do not judge too severely, madam, the specious reasons which compel me

not to give you my name, and receive my word of honour that I shall

learn yours only to render you homage. If you choose to speak to me, I

will answer with the most profound respect. Permit me to hope that you

will come to the parlour alone. I may mention that I am a Venetian, and

perfectly free.

 

"The only reason which prevents me from choosing one of the two other

arrangements proposed by you, either of which would have suited me

better because they greatly honour me, is, allow me to repeat it, a fear

of being the victim of a mystification; but these modes of meeting will

not be lost when you know me and when I have seen you. I entreat you to

have faith in my honour, and to measure my patience by your own.

Tomorrow, at the same place and at the same hour, I shall be anxiously

expecting your answer."

 

I went to the place appointed, and having met the female Mercury I gave

her my letter with a sequin, and I told her that I would come the next

day for the answer. We were both punctual. As soon as she saw me, she

handed me back the sequin which I had given her the day before, and a

letter, requesting me to read it and to let her know whether she was to

wait for an answer. Here is the exact copy of the letter:

 

"I believe, sir, that I have not been mistaken in anything. Like you, I

detest untruth when it can lead to important consequences, but I think

it a mere trifle when it can do no injury to anyone. Of my three

proposals you have chosen the one which does the greatest honour to your

intelligence, and, respecting the reasons which induce you to keep your

incognito, I have written the enclosed to the Countess of S----, which I

request you to read. Be kind enough to seal it before delivery of it to

her. You may call upon her whenever convenient to yourself. She will

name her own hour, and you will accompany her here in her gondola. The

countess will not ask you any questions, and you need not give her any

explanation. There will be no presentation; but as you will be made

acquainted with my name, you can afterwards call on me here, masked,

whenever you please, and by using the name of the countess. In that way

we shall become acquainted without the necessity of disturbing you, or

of your losing at night some hours which may be precious to you. I have

instructed my servant to wait for your answer in case you should be

known to the countess and object to her. If you approve of the choice I

have made of her, tell the messenger that there is no answer."

 

As I was an entire stranger to the countess, I told the woman that I had

no answer to give, and she left me.

 

Here are the contents of the note addressed by the nun to the countess,

and which I had to deliver to her:

 

"I beg of you, my dear friend, to pay me a visit when you are at

leisure, and to let the masked gentleman-bearer of this note know the

hour, so that he can accompany you. He will be punctual. Farewell. You

will much oblige your friend."

 

That letter seemed to me informed by a sublime spirit of intrigue; there

was in it an appearance of dignity which captivated me, although I felt

conscious that I was playing the character of a man on whom a favour

seemed to be bestowed.

 

In her last letter, my nun, pretending not to be anxious to know who I

was, approved of my choice, and feigned indifference for nocturnal

meetings; but she seemed certain that after seeing her I would visit

her. I knew very well what to think of it all, for the intrigue was sure

to have an amorous issue. Nevertheless, her assurance, or rather

confidence, increased my curiosity, and I felt that she had every reason

to hope, if she were young and handsome. I might very well have delayed

the affair for a few days, and have learned from C---- C---- who that

nun could be; but, besides the baseness of such a proceeding, I was

afraid of spoiling the game and repenting it afterwards. I was told to

call on the countess at my convenience, but it was because the dignity

of my nun would not allow her to shew herself too impatient; and she

certainly thought that I would myself hasten the adventure. She seemed

to me too deeply learned in gallantry to admit the possibility of her

being an inexperienced novice, and I was afraid of wasting my time; but

I made up my mind to laugh at my own expense if I happened to meet a

superannuated female. It is very certain that if I had not been actuated

by curiosity I should not have gone one step further, but I wanted to

see the countenance of a nun who had offered to come to Venice to sup

with me. Besides, I was much surprised at the liberty enjoyed by those

sainted virgins, and at the facility with which they could escape out of

their walls.

 

At three o'clock I presented myself before the countess and delivered

the note, and she expressed a wish to see me the next day at the same

hour. We dropped a beautiful reverence to one another, and parted. She

was a superior woman, already going down the hill, but still very

handsome.

 

The next morning, being Sunday, I need not say that I took care to

attend mass at the convent, elegantly dressed, and already unfaithful--

at least in idea--to my dear C---- C----, for I was thinking of being

seen by the nun, young or old, rather than of shewing myself to my

charming wife.

 

In the afternoon I masked myself again, and at the appointed time I

repaired to the house of the countess who was waiting for me. We went in

a two-oared gondola, and reached the convent without having spoken of

anything but the weather. When we arrived at the gate, the countess

asked for M---- M----. I was surprised by that name, for the woman to

whom it belonged was celebrated. We were shewn into a small parlour, and

a few minutes afterwards a nun came in, went straight to the grating,

touched a spring, and made four squares of the grating revolve, which

left an opening sufficiently large to enable the two friends to embrace

the ingenious window was afterwards carefully closed.