Here is the note which C——­ C——­ had given to the woman, with the letter addressed to me: 

“God Himself, my good woman, prompts me to have confidence in you rather than in anybody else.  Take this letter to Venice, and should the person to whom it is addressed not be in the city, bring it back to me.  You must deliver it to that person himself, and if you find him you will most likely have an answer, which you must give me, but only when you are certain that nobody can see you.”

If Love is imprudent, it is only in the hope of enjoyment; but when it is necessary to bring back happiness destroyed by some untoward accident, Love foresees all that the keenest perspicacity could possibly find out.  The letter of my charming wife overwhelmed me with joy, and in one moment I passed from a state of despair to that of extreme felicity.  I felt certain that I should succeed in carrying her off even if the walls of the convent could boast of artillery, and after the departure of the messenger my first thought was to endeavour to spend the seven days, before I could receive the second letter, pleasantly.  Gambling alone could do it, but everybody had gone to Padua.  I got my trunk ready, and immediately sent it to the burchiello then ready to start, and I left for Frusina.  From that place I posted, and in less than three hours I arrived at the door of the Bragadin Palace, where I found my dear protector on the point of sitting down to dinner.  He embraced me affectionately, and seeing me covered with perspiration he said to me,

“I am certain that you are in no hurry.”

“No,” I answered, “but I am starving.”

I brought joy to the brotherly trio, and I enhanced their happiness when I told my friends that I would remain six days with them.  De la Haye dined with us on that day; as soon as dinner was over he closeted himself with M. Dandoio, and for two hours they remained together.  I had gone to bed during that time, but M. Dandolo came up to me and told me that I had arrived just in time to consult the oracle respecting an important affair entirely private to himself.  He gave me the questions, and requested me to find the answers.  He wanted to know whether he would act rightly if he accepted a project proposed to him by De la Haye.

The oracle answered negatively.

M. Dandolo, rather surprised, asked a second question:  he wished Paralis to give his reasons for the denial.

I formed the cabalistic pile, and brought out this answer: 

“I asked Casanova’s opinion, and as I find it opposed to the proposal made by De la Haye, I do not wish to hear any more about it.”

Oh! wonderful power of self-delusion!  This worthy man, pleased at being able to throw the odium of a refusal on me, left me perfectly satisfied.  I had no idea of the nature of the affair to which he had been alluding, and I felt no curiosity about it; but it annoyed me that a Jesuit should interfere and try to make my friends do anything otherwise than through my instrumentality, and I wanted that intriguer to know that my influence was greater than his own.