salutation of an adorable hand; and when I retired at last, it was not
to my bed, but to my window; to the velvet spaces of the night, to the
rustling trees, the eloquent congress of the stars; to sigh my secret
abroad to those sympathetic witnesses, to whisper her name, to link it
with my own; to tell, in a word, to the deep-bosomed dark all the daring
fancies of a young man intoxicated with first love. And from privilege
to privilege I strode, a fine conqueror. A very few months more, and not
only was I for ever with Aurelia, but there was no doubt nor affectation
of concealment on my part of how I stood or wished to stand before her.
I postulated myself, in fine, as her servant in amours--cavalier I will
not say, for that has an odious meaning in Italy, than which to describe
my position nothing could be wider of the truth. I did but ask liberty
to adore, sought nothing further, and got nothing else. This, upon my
honour, was ever the sum of my offence--up to my last day of bliss.

You would have supposed that she could hardly have misunderstood the
state of my affairs, had I said or done nothing. So quick-witted was
she, it is inconceivable. But as time went on, and success with it, I
quite got out of the way of concealment, and spoke of myself openly as
her slave. She used to laugh at me, pretend to think me an absurd boy;
and now and then threatened (and that half in jest) to tell her husband.
I know very well that she never did. The padron, we used to call him to
each other, having taken the name from old Nonna. It was one of our
little foolish jokes to pretend the house an inn, he the landlord, and
ourselves travellers met there by hazard. We had a many familiar,
private sayings and nicknames of the sort, secret cues to look across
the table when he was there, and smile at each other--as when he railed
(as he was fond of doing) at Tuscan ways and speech, at the usage of
Siena, her own country, or when (after his meal) he made a noise,
sucking his teeth. Sweetly pleasant, dangerous days--were they as lovely