My kisses making her happy, and seeing that I had no objection to her caresses, she loaded me with them.  I was so pleased at all the amorous enjoyment her senses were evidently experiencing, that I made her easy by telling her that the success of the great magic operation depended upon the amount of pleasure she enjoyed.  She then made extraordinary efforts to persuade me that she was happy, and without overstepping the limits where I had made up my mind to stop, we got out of the bath highly pleased with each other.

As we were on the point of going to bed, she said to me,

“Would it injure the success of your operation if we were to sleep together?”

“No, my dear girl; provided you are a virgin on the day of the great incantation, it is all I require.”

She threw herself in my arms, and we spent a delightful night, during which I had full opportunity of admiring the strength of her constitution as well as my own restraint, for I had sufficient control over myself not to break through the last obstacle.

I passed a great part of the following night with Franzia and Capitani in order to see with my own eyes the wonderful things which the worthy peasant had mentioned to me.  Standing in the yard, I heard distinctly heavy blows struck under the ground at intervals of three or four minutes.  It was like the noise which would be made by a heavy pestle falling in a large copper mortar.  I took my pistols and placed myself near the self-moving door of the cellar, holding a dark lantern in my hand.  I saw the door open slowly, and in about thirty seconds closing with violence.  I opened and closed it myself several times, and, unable to discover any hidden physical cause for the phenomenon, I felt satisfied that there was some unknown roguery at work, but I did not care much to find it out.

We went upstairs again, and, placing myself on the balcony, I saw in the yard several shadows moving about.  They were evidently caused by the heavy and damp atmosphere, and as to the pyramidal flames which I could see hovering over the fields, it was a phenomenon well known to me.  But I allowed my two companions to remain persuaded that they were the spirits keeping watch over the treasure.

That phenomenon is very common throughout southern Italy where the country is often at night illuminated by those meteors which the people believe to be devils, and ignorance has called night spirits, or will-o’-the-wisps.

Dear reader, the next chapter will tell you how my magic undertaking ended, and perhaps you will enjoy a good laugh at my expense, but you need not be afraid of hurting my feelings.

CHAPTER XXII

The Incantation—­A Terrible Storm—­My Fright—­Javotte’s Virginity Is
Saved—­I Give Up the Undertaking, and Sell the Sheath to Capitani—­I Meet
Juliette and Count Alfani, Alias Count Celi—­I Make Up My Mind to Go to
Naples—­Why I Take a Different Road