telling Le Duc and Costa that we must begin to pack up next day.

I was just getting up when they brought me a note from Lord Lismore,
begging me to come and speak to him at noon at the Villa Borghese.

I had some suspicion of what he might want, and kept the appointment. I
felt in a mood to give him some good advice. Indeed, considering the
friendship between his mother and myself, it was my duty to do so.

He came up to me and gave me a letter he had received the evening before
from his mother. She told him that Paris de Monmartel had just informed
her that he was in possession of a bill for two hundred thousand francs
drawn by her son, and that he would honour it if she would furnish him
with the funds. She had replied that she would let him know in two or
three days if she could do so; but she warned her son that she had only
asked for this delay to give him time to escape, as the bill would
certainly be protested and returned, it being absolutely out of the
question for her to get the money.

"You had better make yourself scarce as soon as you can," said I,
returning him the letter.

"Buy this ring, and so furnish me with the means for my escape. You would
not know that it was not my property if I had not told you so in
confidence."

I made an appointment with him, and had the stone taken out and valued by
one of the best jewellers in Rome.

"I know this stone," said he, "it is worth two thousand Roman crowns."