He looked at me pleasantly but with penetration.  “We have arrived at the dreadful field of Altopascio, where Castruccio Castracane cut up the Florentine legions,” says he, “and now, friend, your trials begin.  My dear Signor Francis, believe me that I shall never forget the honour you and your charming lady have done to the equipage and solitary splendour of Aquamorta, nor the many marks of confidence and esteem you have both shown me throughout our delightful journey.  Unhappily, so far as you are concerned, dear sir, it is over for a while.  It will be necessary for you to leave us.  My passport”—­he produced it—­“is made out for the Cavaliere Aquamorta, his lady, and servants.  Your plan, therefore, will be to mount the box.  I would take your place and give you mine, but that I am too well known to be supposed my own lacquey; nor could my sensitive honour brook it if I were.  I would offer you my cloak, again, but that I fear it would betray you.  It is perhaps a little out of key with the rest of your apparel.  Better, after all, take one of those rascals’.  For the next few hours you are Fritz, remember—­Fritz from Buda Pesth; and I,” he cried with a sprightly air, “am the happy, the indulged possessor of the most lovely of women.”  Again he kissed Virginia’s hand.  Deeply annoyed as I was, there was nothing for it but to obey; and it was under these by no means dignified circumstances that I entered the Republic of Lucca for the first time.

Worse was to follow—­much worse.  The man was without conscience in exacting from me the uttermost farthing of the bargain.  Arrived at the inn, where, it seemed, he had already bespoken the whole of the first floor, he led Virginia upstairs with the greatest deference, hat in hand, past the bowing landlord and all his array of scullions, maidservants, lacqueys, porters and cooks; and took no more notice of me than he had done of the horde of beggars at the door.  Full of indignation, I started to follow him, but his body-servant, an assured rogue if ever there was one, stopped me with a firm grip of my elbow.  “Softly, comrade, softly,” says he.  “They won’t need you yet awhile.  When hot metal is on the anvil my master is accustomed to strike.”

“What do you mean, you rascal?” I cried; and he, still holding my arm, “Why, my fine man,” says he, “since you won’t take a hint, I must deal plainly with you.”  As we were then at the foot of the stairs, he suddenly wheeled me to the right about, and plunged me into the crowd of inn-servants.  “Landlord,” cried he, “take this fellow in and give him his hire on my master’s account.  ’Tis a runaway gaolbird by the look of him for whom we have no sort of use here.  A few pauls will be handsome.”

He carried out his part with such bounce that he was completely successful; between him and the landlord and his crew I was hustled into the kitchens where I found the preparations for the cavaliere’s supper in full blast.

CHAPTER XXXI