the memories of casanova 128

the memories of casanova 128

"And I hope it will not make you angry. Now I am happy. Our friend is M.

de Bernis, the French ambassador. He will come masked, and as soon as he

shews his features I shall present him to you. Recollect that you must

treat him as my lover, but you must not appear to know that he is aware

of our intimacy."

 

"I understand that very well, and you shall have every reason to be

pleased with my urbanity. The idea of that supper is delightful to me,

and I hope that the reality will be as agreeable. You were quite right,

my love, to dread my being a patrician, for in that case the State-

Inquisitors, who very often think of nothing but of making a show of

their zeal, would not have failed to meddle with us, and the mere idea

of the possible consequences makes me shudder. I under The Leads--you

dishonoured--the abbess--the convent! Good God! Yes, if you had told me

what you thought, I would have given you my name, and I could have done

so all the more easily that my reserve was only caused by the fear of

being known, and of C---- C---- being taken to another convent by her

father. But can you appoint a day for the supper? I long to have it all

arranged."

 

"To-day is the fourth; well, then, in four days."

 

"That will be the eighth?"

 

"Exactly so. We will go to your casino after the second ballet. Give me

all necessary particulars to enable us to find the house without

enquiring from anyone."

 

I sat down and I wrote down the most exact particulars to find the

casino either by land or by water. Delighted with the prospect of such a

party of pleasure, I asked my mistress to go to bed, but I remarked to

her that, being convalescent and having made a hearty supper, I should

be very likely to pay my first homages to Morpheus. Yielding to the

circumstances, she set the alarum for ten o'clock, and we went to bed in

the alcove. As soon as we woke up, Love claimed our attention and he had

no cause of complaint, but towards midnight we fell asleep, our lips

fastened together, and we found ourselves in that position in the

morning when we opened our eyes. Although there was no time to lose, we

could not make up our minds to part without making one more offering to

Venus.

 

I remained in the casino after the departure of my divinity, and slept

until noon. As soon as I had dressed myself, I returned to Venice, and

my first care was to give notice to my cook, so that the supper of the

8th of February should be worthy of the guests and worthy of me.

 

 

 

 

 

EPISODE 9 -- THE FALSE NUN

 

 

 

CHAPTER XXI

 

 

Supper at My Casino With M. M. and M. de Bernis, the French Ambassador--

A Proposal from M. M.; I Accept It--Consequences--C. C. is Unfaithful to

Me, and I Cannot Complain

 

I felt highly pleased with the supper-party I had arranged with M---- M-

---, and I ought to have been happy. Yet I was not so; but whence came

the anxiety which was a torment to me? Whence? From my fatal habit of

gambling. That passion was rooted in me; to live and to play were to me

two identical things, and as I could not hold the bank I would go and

punt at the ridotto, where I lost my money morning and night. That state

of things made me miserable. Perhaps someone will say to me:

 

"Why did you play, when there was no need of it, when you were in want

of nothing, when you had all the money you could wish to satisfy your

fancies?"

 

That would be a troublesome question if I had not made it a law to tell

the truth. Well, then, dear inquisitive reader, if I played with almost

the certainty of losing, although no one, perhaps, was more sensible

than I was to the losses made in gambling, it is because I had in me the

evil spirit of avarice; it is because I loved prodigality, and because

my heart bled when I found myself compelled to spend any money that I

had not won at the gaming-table. It is an ugly vice, dear reader, I do

not deny it. However, all I can say is that, during the four days

previous to the supper, I lost all the gold won for me by M---- M----

 

On the anxiously-expected day I went to my casino, where at the

appointed hour M---- M---- came with her friend, whom she introduced to

me as soon as he had taken off his mask.

 

"I had an ardent wish, sir," said M. de Bernis to me, "to renew

acquaintance with you, since I heard from madame that we had known each

other in Paris."

 

With these words he looked at me attentively, as people will do when

they are trying to recollect a person whom they have lost sight of. I

then told him that we had never spoken to one another, and that he had

not seen enough of me to recollect my features now.

 

"I had the honour," I added, "to dine with your excellency at M. de

Mocenigo's house, but you talked all the time with Marshal Keith, the

Prussian ambassador, and I was not fortunate enough to attract your

attention. As you were on the point of leaving Paris to return to

Venice, you went away almost immediately after dinner, and I have never

had the honour of seeing you since that time."

 

"Now I recollect you," he answered, "and I remember asking whether you

were not the secretary of the embassy. But from this day we shall not

forget each other again, for the mysteries which unite us are of a

nature likely to establish a lasting intimacy between us."

 

The amiable couple were not long before they felt thoroughly at ease,

and we sat down to supper, of which, of course, I did the honours. The

ambassador, a fine connoisseur in wines, found mine excellent, and was

delighted to hear that I had them from Count Algarotti, who was reputed

as having the best cellar in Venice.

 

My supper was delicate and abundant, and my manners towards my handsome

guests were those of a private individual receiving his sovereign and

his mistress. I saw that M---- M---- was charmed with the respect with

which I treated her, and with my conversation, which evidently

interested the ambassador highly. The serious character of a first

meeting did not prevent the utterance of witty jests, for in that

respect M. de Bernis was a true Frenchman. I have travelled much, I have

deeply studied men, individually and in a body, but I have never met

with true sociability except in Frenchmen; they alone know how to jest,

and it is rare, delicate, refined jesting, which animates conversation

and makes society charming.

 

During our delightful supper wit was never wanting, and the amiable M---

- M---- led the conversation to the romantic combination which had given

her occasion to know me. Naturally, she proceeded to speak of my passion

for C---- C----, and she gave such an interesting description of that

young girl that the ambassador listened with as much attention as if he

had never seen the object of it. But that was his part, for he was not

aware that I had been informed of his having witnessed from his hiding-

place my silly interview with C---- C----. He told M---- M---- that he

would have been delighted if she had brought her young friend to sup

with us.

 

"That would be running too great a risk," answered the cunning nun, "but

if you approve of it," she added, looking at me, "I can make you sup

with her at my casino, for we sleep in the same room."

 

That offer surprised me much, but it was not the moment to shew it, so I

replied:

 

"It is impossible, madam, to add anything to the pleasure of your

society, yet I confess I should be pleased if you could contrive to do

us that great favour:"

 

"Well, I will think of it."

 

"But," observed the ambassador, "if I am to be one of the party, I think

it would be right to apprize the young lady of it."

 

"It is not necessary, for I will write to her to agree to whatever madam

may propose to her. I will do so to-morrow."

 

I begged the ambassador to prepare himself with a good stock of

indulgence for a girl of fifteen who had no experience of the world. In

the course of the evening I related the history of O-Morphi, which

greatly amused him. He entreated me to let him see her portrait. He

informed me that she was still an inmate of the 'Parc-aux-cerfs', where

she continued to be the delight of Louis XV., to whom she had given a

child. My guests left me after midnight, highly pleased, and I remained

alone.

 

The next morning, faithful to the promise I had made to my beautiful

nun, I wrote to C---- C---- without informing her that there would be a

fourth person at the projected supper, and having given my note to Laura

I repaired to Muran, where I found the following letter from M---- M----

:

 

"I could not sleep soundly, my love, if I did not ease my conscience of

an unpleasant weight. Perhaps you did not approve of the 'partie carree'

with our young friend, and you may not have objected out of mere

politeness. Tell me the truth, dearest, for, should you not look forward

to that meeting with pleasure, I can contrive to undo it without

implicating you in any way; trust me for that. If, however, you have no

objection to the party, it will take place as agreed. Believe me, I love

your soul more than your heart--I mean than your person. Adieu."

 

Her fear was very natural, but out of shamefacedness I did not like to

retract. M---- M---- knew me well, and as a skilful tactician she

attacked my weak side.

 

Here is my answer:

 

"I expected your letter, my best beloved, and you cannot doubt it,

because, as you know me thoroughly, you must be aware that I know you as

well. Yes, I know your mind, and I know what idea you must entertain of

mine, because I have exposed to you all my weakness and irritability by

my sophisms. I do penance for it, dearest, when I think that having

raised your suspicions your tenderness for me must have been weakened.

Forget my visions, I beg, and be quite certain that for the future my

soul will be in unison with yours. The supper must take place, it will

be a pleasure for me, but let me confess that in accepting it I have

shewn myself more grateful than polite. C---- C---- is a novice, and I

am not sorry to give her an opportunity of seeing the world. In what

school could she learn better than yours? Therefore I recommend her to

you, and you will please me much by continuing to shew your care and

friendship towards her, and by increasing, if possible, the sum of your

goodness. I fear that you may entice her to take the veil, and if she

did I would never console myself. Your friend has quite captivated me; he is a superior man, and truly charming."