n’t believe her; I used to contradict her, and we were forever squabbling.  I was just a little silly in those days—­surely I may say it now—­and I was very fond of being amused.  If my daughter was ugly, it was not that she resembled her mamma; I had no lack of amusement.  People accused me, I believe, of neglecting my little girl; if it was so, I ’ve made up for it since.  One day I went to drive on the Pincio in very low spirits.  A trusted friend had greatly disappointed me.  While I was there he passed me in a carriage, driving with a horrible woman who had made trouble between us.  I got out of my carriage to walk about, and at last sat down on a bench.  I can show you the spot at this hour.  While I sat there a child came wandering along the path—­a little girl of four or five, very fantastically dressed in crimson and orange.  She stopped in front of me and stared at me, and I stared at her queer little dress, which was a cheap imitation of the costume of one of these contadine.  At last I looked up at her face, and said to myself, ’Bless me, what a beautiful child! what a splendid pair of eyes, what a magnificent head of hair!  If my poor Christina were only like that!’ The child turned away slowly, but looking back with its eyes fixed on me.  All of a sudden I gave a cry, pounced on it, pressed it in my arms, and covered it with kisses.  It was Christina, my own precious child, so disguised by the ridiculous dress which the nurse had amused herself in making for her, that her own mother had not recognized her.  She knew me, but she said afterwards that she had not spoken to me because I looked so angry.  Of course my face was sad.  I rushed with my child to the carriage, drove home post-haste, pulled off her rags, and, as I may say, wrapped her in cotton.  I had been blind, I had been insane; she was a creature in ten millions, she was to be a beauty of beauties, a priceless treasure!  Every day, after that, the certainty grew.  From that time I lived only for my daughter.  I watched her, I caressed her from morning till night, I worshipped her.  I went to see doctors about her, I took every sort of advice.  I was determined she should be perfection.  The things that have been done for that girl, sir—­you would n’t believe them; they would make you smile!  Nothing was spared; if I had been told that she must have a bath every morning of molten pearls, I would have found means to give it to her.  She never raised a finger for herself, she breathed nothing but perfumes, she walked upon velvet.  She never was out of my sight, and from that day to this I have never said a sharp word to her.  By the time she was ten years old she was beautiful as an angel, and so noticed wherever we went that I had to make her wear a veil, like a woman of twenty.  Her hair reached down to her feet; her hands were the hands of a princess.  Then I saw that she was as clever as she was beautiful, and that she had only to play her cards.  She had masters, professors, every educational advantage.