"There will be four of us in all."

Greppi seemed curious to know who the fourth person could be, but I right
guessed it would be my dear son Cesarino.

As I went down once more to the ball-room two pretty female dominos
attacked me right and left, telling me that Messer-Grande was waiting for
me outside. They then asked me for some snuff, and I gave them a box
ornamented with an indecent picture. I had the impudence to touch the
spring and shew it them, and after inspecting it they exclaimed,--

"Fie, fie! your punishment is never to know who we are."

I was sorry to have displeased the two fair masquers, who seemed worth
knowing, so I followed them, and meeting Barbaro, who knew everybody, I
pointed them out to him, and heard to my delight that they were the two
Marchionesses Q---- and F----. I promised Barbaro to go and see them. He
said that everybody in the ball-room knew me, and that our bank was doing
very well, though, of course, that was a trifle to me.

Towards the end of the ball, when it was already full daylight, a
masquer, dressed as a Venetian gondolier, was accosted by a lady masquer,
also in Venetian costume. She challenged the gondolier to prove himself a
Venetian by dancing the 'forlana' with her. The gondolier accepted, and
the music struck up, but the boatman, who was apparently a Milanese, was
hooted, while the lady danced exquisitely. I was very fond of the dance,
and I asked the unknown Venetian lady to dance it again with me. She
agreed, and a ring was formed round us, and we were so applauded that we
had to dance it over again. This would have sufficed if a very pretty