enough to bring the old house down about their ears. Up came the padrona
to see the fun; up came her fat husband, in his shirt-sleeves and
slippers; and her long-legged sons, and her tousle-headed daughters, and
the maid-servant, and the cook, and the ostler--the whole establishment,
in fact, collected at the open folding-doors, and watched with delight
the progress of this battle of words. Last of all, a poor little
trembling figure, with pale face and eyes big with fright, crept in, and
stood, hand on heart, a little in advance of the group. I slipped to her
side, and offered her a chair, but she neither answered me nor noticed
my presence. She was staring at her father as a bird stares at a snake,
and seemed unable to realise anything except the terrible fact that he
had followed and found her.

Presently the old man wheeled round, and became aware of his daughter.

"Unhappy girl!" he exclaimed, "what is this that you have done?"

I greatly fear that the marchese's paternal corrections must have
sometimes taken a more practical shape than mere verbal upbraidings; for
poor Bianca shrank back, throwing up one arm, as if to shield her face,
and, with a wild cry of "Alberto! come to me!" fell into the arms
of that tardy lover, who at that appropriate moment had made his
appearance, unobserved, upon the scene.

The polyglot disturbance that ensued baffles all description. Indeed,
I should be puzzled to say exactly what took place, or after how many
commands, defiances, threats, protestations, insults, and explanations,
a semblance of peace was finally restored. I only know that, at the
expiration of a certain time, three of us were sitting by the open
window, in a softened and subdued frame of mind, considerately turning