The oracle had spoken, and no more was wanted.  Madame d’Urfe thought of an abbe she liked for his tutor, and the count was sent to Lyons, with strong letters of commendation to M. de Rochebaron, a relation of his patroness.  The young man was delighted to travel, and never had any suspicion of the way in which I had slandered him.  It was not a mere fancy which suggested this course of action.  I had discovered that the Corticelli was making up to him, and that her mother favoured the intrigue.  I had surprised her twice in the young man’s room, and though he only cared for the girl as a youth cares for all girls, the Signora Laura did not at all approve of my opposing her daughter’s designs.

Our next task was to fix on some foreign town where we could again attempt the mysterious operation.  We settled on Aix-la-Chapelle, and in five or six days all was ready for the journey.

The Corticeili, angry with me for having thwarted her in her projects, reproached me bitterly, and from that time began to be my enemy; she even allowed herself to threaten me if I did not get back the pretty boy, as she called him.

“You have no business to be jealous,” said she, “and I am the mistress of my own actions.”

“Quite right, my dear,” I answered; “but it is my business to see that you do not behave like a prostitute in your present position.”

The mother was in a furious rage, and said that she and her daughter would return to Bologna, and to quiet them I promised to take them there myself as soon as we had been to Aix-la-Chapelle.

Nevertheless I did not feel at ease, and to prevent any plots taking place I hastened our departure.

We started in May, in a travelling carriage containing Madame d’Urfe, myself, the false Lascaris, and her maid and favourite, named Brougnole.  We were followed by a coach with two seats; in it were the Signora Laura and another servant.  Two men-servants in full livery sat on the outside of our travelling carriage.  We stopped a day at Brussels, and another at Liege.  At Aix there were many distinguished visitors, and at the first ball we attended Madame d’Urfe presented the Lascaris to two Princesses of Mecklenburg as her niece.  The false countess received their embraces with much ease and modesty, and attracted the particular attention of the Margrave of Baireuth and the Duchess of Wurtemberg, his daughter, who took possession of her, and did not leave her till the end of the ball.

I was on thorns the whole time, in terror lest the heroine might make some dreadful slip.  She danced so gracefully that everybody gazed at her, and I was the person who was complimented on her performance.