The worthy Dolci was kindled by my enthusiasm.  He threw himself upon me, and kissed me again and again; the fool Stuard laughed; and his wife, who possibly thought me mad, did not evince the slightest emotion.  She took my arm, and we walked slowly towards the house of Messer Francesco d’Arezzo, where I spent a quarter of an hour in cutting my name.  After that we had our dinner.

Dolci lavished more attention on the extraordinary woman than I did.  Stuard did nothing but eat and drink, and despised the Sorgue water, which, said he, would spoil the Hermitage; possibly Petrarch may have been of the same opinion.  We drank deeply without impairing our reason, but the lady was very temperate.  When we reached Avignon we bade her farewell, declining the invitation of her foolish husband to come and rest in his rooms.

I took Dolci’s arm and we walked beside the Rhone as the sun went down.  Among other keen and witty observations the young man said,—­

“That woman is an old hand, infatuated with a sense of her own merit.  I would bet that she has only left her own country because her charms, from being too freely displayed, have ceased to please there.  She must be sure of making her fortune out of anybody she comes across.  I suspect that the fellow who passes for her husband is a rascal, and that her pretended melancholy is put on to drive a persistent lover to distraction.  She has not yet succeeded in finding a dupe, but as she will no doubt try to catch a rich man, it is not improbable that she is hovering over you.”.

When a young man of Dolci’s age reasons like that, he is bound to become a great master.  I kissed him as I bade him good-night, thanked him for his kindness, and we agreed that we would see more of one another.

As I came back to my inn I was accosted by a fine-looking man of middle age, who greeted me by name and asked with great politeness if I had found Vaucluse as fine as I had expected.  I was delighted to recognize the Marquis of Grimaldi, a Genoese, a clever and good-natured man, with plenty of money, who always lived at Venice because he was more at liberty to enjoy himself there than in his native country; which shews that there is no lack of freedom at Venice.

After I had answered his question I followed him into his room, where having exhausted the subject of the fountain he asked me what I thought of my fair companion.

“I did not find her satisfactory in all respects,” I answered; and noticing the reserve with which I spoke, he tried to remove it by the following confession: 

“There are some very pretty women in Genoa, but not one to compare with her whom you took to Vaucluse to-day.  I sat opposite to her at table yesterday evening, and I was struck with her perfect beauty.  I offered her my arm up the stair; I told her that I was sorry to see her so sad, and if I could do anything for her she had only to speak.  You know I was aware she had no money.  Her husband, real or pretended, thanked me for my offer, and after I had wished them a good night I left them.