“And you have rendered all this, which would have made me happy, an impossibility.”

“The fates decided so; we will say no more about it.  On the death of the duke I left Naples, leaving Cesarino at the same boarding school, under the protection of the Prince de la Riccia, who has always looked upon him as a brother.  Your son, though he does not know it, possesses the sum of twenty thousand ducats, of which I receive the interest, but you may imagine that I let him want for nothing.  My only regret is that I cannot tell him I am his mother, as I think he would love me still more if he knew that he owed his being to me.  You cannot think how glad I was to see your surprise to-day, and how soon you got to love him.”

“He is wonderfully like me.”

“That delights me.  People must think that you were my mother’s lover.  My husband thinks that our friendship is due to the connection between you and my mother.  He told me yesterday that Cesarino might be my brother on the mother’s side, but not on my father’s; as he had seen his father in the theatre, but that he could not possibly be my father, too.  If I have children by Palesi all I have will go to them, but if not Cesarino will be my heir.  My property is well secured, even if the Prince de Riccia were to die.”

“Come,” said she, drawing me in the direction of her bed-room.  She opened a large box which contained her jewels and diamonds, and shares to the amount of fifty thousand ducats.  Besides that she had a large amount of plate, and her talents which assured her the first place in all the Italian theatres.

“Do you know whether our dear Cesarino has been in love yet?” said I.

“I don’t think so, but I fancy my pretty maid is in love with him.  I shall keep my eyes open.”

“You mustn’t be too strict.”

“No, but it isn’t a good thing for a young man to engage too soon in that pleasure which makes one neglect everything else.”

“Let me have him, I will teach him how to live.”

“Ask all, but leave me my son.  You must know that I never kiss him for fear of my giving way to excessive emotion.  I wish you knew how good and pure he is, and how well he loves me, I could not refuse him anything.”

“What will people say in Venice when they see Casanova again, who escaped from The Leads and has become twenty years younger?”

“You are going to Venice, then, for the Ascensa?”

“Yes, and you are going to Rome?”

“And to Naples, to see my friend the Duke de Matalone.”

“I know him well.  He has already had a son by the daughter of the Duke de Bovino, whom he married.  She must be a charming woman to have made a man of him, for all Naples knew that he was impotent.”

“Probably, she only knew the secret of making him a father.”

“Well, it is possible.”

We spent the time by talking with interest on various topics till Cesarino and the husband came back.  The dear child finished his conquest of me at supper; he had a merry random wit, and all the Neapolitan vivacity.  He sat down at the clavier, and after playing several pieces with the utmost skill he began to sing Neapolitan songs which made us all laugh.  Therese only looked at him and me, but now and again she embraced her husband, saying, that in love alone lies happiness.