"You have called me a Christian," he said. "No one has ever called me
that before. I thank you. I would die for you."

"Live for me!" I cried. "Sir, sir, sir, I do find that the lower my
bodily fortunes descend, the nearer I get to the kingdom of Heaven."

Aristarcho bowed gravely and said, "I thank you. Count upon me."

He bowed again profoundly, and I returned the salute. When he had
retired I told Belviso that I saw nothing in his state to deserve our
pity, but that, on the contrary, I envied him the possession of a
constant and discerning mind.

My friend replied, "Yes, yes, he is a good fellow and will serve you
well. You have earned his gratitude; but let me warn you again never to
hurt his feelings. You will be sorry for it for many a day."

When we went down, long after dark, to the inn kitchen, I found the
actors seated at supper and was kindly received. Belviso presented me to
the principals--to a pleasant, plump old gentleman, who looked like the
canon of a cathedral foundation, and was, in fact, the famous Arlecchino
'Gritti; to the prima donna, a black-browed lady, who, because she came
from Sicily, was called La Panormita, her own name being Brigida, and
her husband's Minghelli; to the cheerfulest drunkard I ever met, who
played the lovers' parts, and was that same Minghelli; to the sustainers
of Pantaleone, Scaramuccia, Matamorte, Don Basilio, Brighella and the
rest of them--a crew all told of some twenty hands, all males with the
exception of La Panormita. The reason of that was that the company was
very poor, and that fine women did not get sufficiently lucrative side-