can still see in memory the signorina at sixteen; a sweeter creature,
Herr Wilhelm, my eyes have never beheld before or since, and yet she
never remained the same. I have seen her as soft as Flemish velvet, but
at other times she could rage like a November storm in your country. She
was always beautiful as a rose and, as her mother's old cameriera--she
was a native of Lugano--had brought her up, and the priest who taught her
came from Pisa and was acknowledged to be an excellent musician, she
spoke my language like a child of Tuscany and was perfectly familiar with
music. You have doubtless heard her singing, her harp and lute-playing,
but you should know that all the ladies of the Hoogstraten family, with
the exception of my mistress, possess a special talent for your art. In
summer we lived in the beautiful country-house, that was torn down before
the seige by your friends--with little justice I think. Many a stately
guest rode out to visit us. We kept open house, and where there is a
good table and a beautiful young lady like our signorina, the gallants
are not far off. Among them was a very aristocratic gentleman of middle
age, the Marquis d'Avennes, whom her excellenza had expressly invited.
We had never received any prince with so much attention; but this was a
matter of course, for his mother was a relative of her excellenza. You
must know that my mistress; on her mother's side, is descended from a
family in Normandy. The Marquis d'Avennes was certainly an elegant
cavalier, but rather dainty than manly. He was soon madly in love with
Fraulein Anna, and asked in due form for her hand. Her excellenza
favored the match, and the father said simply: 'You will take him!'
He would listen to no opposition. Other gentlemen don't consult their
daughters when a suitable lover appears. So the signorina became the
marquis's betrothed wife, but the padrona said firmly that her niece was
too young to be married. She induced Junker Van Hoogstraten, whom she
held as firmly as a farrier holds a filly, to defer the wedding until
Easter. The outfit was to be provided during the winter. The condition