teeth, which latter challenged admiration from her enormous mouth by
their regularity and whiteness. The Astrodi rushed up to me and gave me
an Italian embrace, to which, willy nilly, I was obliged to submit. The
quieter Lepi offered me her cheek, which I pretended to kiss. I saw that
the Astrodi was in a fair way to become intolerable, so I begged her to
moderate her transports, because as a novice at these parties I wanted to
get accustomed to them by degrees. She promised that she would be very
good.

While we were waiting for supper I asked her, for the sake of something
to say, whether she had found a lover at Avignon.

"Only the vice-legate's auditor," she replied; "and though he makes me
his pathic he is good-natured and generous. I have accustomed myself to
his taste easily enough, though I should have thought such a thing
impossible a year ago, as I fancied the exercise a harmful one, but I was
wrong."

"So the auditor makes a boy of you?"

"Yes. My sister would have adored him, as that sort of love is her
passion."

"But your sister has such fine haunches."

"So have I! Look here, feel me."

"You are right; but wait a bit, it is too soon for that kind of thing
yet."