careless of his physical appearance; he must dress badly, wear nothing in
good taste, ridicule every foreign importation, make his bow without
grace, be careless in his manner; care nothing for the fine arts, conceal
his good breeding, have no foreign cook, wear an uncombed wig, and look
rather dirty. M. Dolfin was not endowed with any of those eminent
qualities, and therefore he had no hope of a great fortune in his native
country.

The day before my departure from Venice I did not go out; I devoted the
whole of the day to friendship. Madame Orio and her lovely nieces shed
many tears, and I joined them in that delightful employment. During the
last night that I spent with both of them, the sisters repeated over and
over, in the midst of the raptures of love, that they never would see me
again. They guessed rightly; but if they had happened to see me again
they would have guessed wrongly. Observe how wonderful prophets are!

I went on board, on the 5th of May, with a good supply of clothing,
jewels, and ready cash. Our ship carried twenty-four guns and two hundred
Sclavonian soldiers. We sailed from Malamacca to the shores of Istria
during the night, and we came to anchor in the harbour of Orsera to take
ballast. I landed with several others to take a stroll through the
wretched place where I had spent three days nine months before, a
recollection which caused me a pleasant sensation when I compared my
present position to what it was at that time. What a difference in
everything--health, social condition, and money! I felt quite certain
that in the splendid uniform I was now wearing nobody would recognize the
miserable-looking abbe who, but for Friar Stephano, would have
become--God knows what!