We renewed our pleasures on the Friday, but, whatever delight I may feel now in the remembrance of those happy moments, I will spare my readers the description of my new enjoyment, because they might not feel interested in such repetitions.  I must therefore only say that, before parting on that day, we fixed for the following Monday, the last day of the carnival, our last meeting in the Garden of Zuecca.  Death alone could have hindered me from keeping that appointment, for it was to be the last opportunity of enjoying our amorous sport.

On the Monday morning I saw P——­ C——­, who confirmed the appointment for the same hour, and at the place previously agreed upon, and I was there in good time.  In spite of the impatience of a lover, the first hour of expectation passes rapidly, but the second is mortally long.  Yet the third and the fourth passed without my seeing my beloved mistress.  I was in a state of fearful anxiety; I imagined the most terrible disasters.  It seemed to me that if C——­ C——­ had been unable to go out her brother ought to have come to let me know it.

But some unexpected mishap might have detained him, and I could not go and fetch her myself at her house, even if I had feared nothing else than to miss them on the road.  At last, as the church bells were tolling the Angelus, C——­ C——­ came alone, and masked.

“I was certain,” she said, “that you were here, and here I am in spite of all my mother could say.  You must be starving.  My brother has not put in an appearance through the whole of this day.  Let us go quickly to our garden, for I am very hungry too, and love will console us for all we have suffered today.”

She had spoken very rapidly, and without giving me time to utter a single word; I had nothing more to ask her.  We went off, and took a gondola to our garden.  The wind was very high, it blew almost a hurricane, and the gondola having only one rower the danger was great.  C——­ C——­, who had no idea of it, was playing with me to make up for the restraint under which she had been all day; but her movements exposed the gondolier to danger; if he had fallen into the water, nothing could have saved us, and we would have found death on our way to pleasure.  I told her to keep quiet, but, being anxious not to frighten her, I dared not acquaint her with the danger we were running.  The gondolier, however, had not the same reasons for sparing her feelings, and he called out to us in a stentorian voice that, if we did not keep quiet, we were all lost.  His threat had the desired effect, and we reached the landing without mishap.  I paid the man generously, and he laughed for joy when he saw the money for which he was indebted to the bad weather.

We spent six delightful hours in our casino; this time sleep was not allowed to visit us.  The only thought which threw a cloud over our felicity was that, the carnival being over, we did not know how to contrive our future meetings.  We agreed, however, that on the following Wednesday morning I should pay a visit to her brother, and that she would come to his room as usual.