astounded me. She looked so sweetly pretty that I repented having
outraged her so scandalously. Her insensibility of the evening before
seemed inconceivable, and I began to suspect that the signs I had noticed
to the contrary were only due to the animal faculties which are specially
active in sleep.

"Was she really asleep," said I to myself, "when I was outraging her so
shamefully?"

I hoped it had been so. When her husband left us alone, I said, humbly
and tenderly, that I knew I was a monster, and that she must detest me.

"You a monster?" said she. "On the contrary I owe much to you, and there
is nothing I can think of for which I have cause to reproach you."

I took her hand, tenderly, and would have carried it to my lips, but she
drew it away gently and gave me a kiss. My repentance brought a deep
blush to my face.

When I got back to my room I sealed my letters and went to the ball. I
was absolutely unrecognizable. Nobody had ever seen my watches or my
snuff-boxes before, and I had even changed my purses for fear of anybody
recognizing me by them.

Thus armed against the glances of the curious, I sat down at Canano's
table and commenced to play in quite a different fashion. I had a hundred
Spanish pieces in my pocket worth seven hundred Venetian sequins. I had
got this Spanish money from Greppi, and I took care not to use what
Triulzi had given me for fear he should know me.