Naples, your daughter, as you know, remained under my care. I brought
her up from her youth. When she was only four years old she showed
already in a thousand different ways what charms and beauty she would
have. That woman you see there--that infamous hag--who had become
rather intimate with us, robbed me of that treasure. Your good lady,
alas! felt so much grief at this misfortune, that, as I have reason to
believe it shortened her days; so that, fearing your severe reproaches
because your daughter had been stolen from me, I sent you word that both
were dead; but now, as I have found out the thief, she must tell us what
has become of your child." At the name of Zanobio Ruberti, which she
repeated several times throughout the story, Andres, after changing
colour often, addressed to the surprised Trufaldin these words: "What!
has Heaven most happily brought me to him whom I have hitherto sought in
vain! Can I possibly have beheld my father, the author of my being,
without knowing him? Yes, father, I am Horatio, your son; my tutor,
Albert, having died, I felt anew certain uneasiness in my mind, left
Bologna, and abandoning my studies, wandered about for six years in
different places, according as my curiosity led me. However, after the
expiration of that time, a secret impulse drove me to revisit my kindred
and my native country; but in Naples, alas! I could no longer find you,
and could only hear vague reports concerning you; so that having in vain
tried to meet with you, I ceased to roam about idly, and stopped for a
while in Venice. From that time to this I have lived without receiving
any other information about my family, except knowing its name." You may
judge whether Trufaldin was not more than ordinarily moved all this
while; in one word (to tell you shortly that which you will have an
opportunity of learning afterwards more at your leisure, from the
confession of the old gipsy-woman), Trufaldin owns you (_to Celia_)
now for his daughter; Andres is your brother; and as he can no longer
think of marrying his sister, and as he acknowledges he is under some