r; and along came a young fool to pay the
monstrous price, but what could I do? I finally consented to the
bargain, as from one point of view I should be well compensated for my
night's adventure. The youth put on the mantle and left, but turned on
the threshold and detached a paper that was fastened to the mantle,
which he threw to me, saying: "Here, Zaleukos, is something that
evidently does not go with the cloak."

I took the paper unconcernedly, and found the following words were
written on it: "Bring the cloak to the Ponte Vecchio to-night, at the
appointed time, and you will receive four hundred sequins."

I was thunderstruck. I had forfeited this chance, and, had not even
attained my purpose. But not stopping to consider the matter, I
gathered up the two hundred sequins, and rushed out after the man who
had bought the cloak. "Take back your money my good friend," said I,
"and leave me the mantle, as it is impossible for me to part with it."

At first the young man looked on this as a joke; but when he saw that I
was really in earnest, he angrily refused to comply with my demand,
treated me as a fool, and thus we speedily came to blows. I was so
fortunate as to snatch the cloak away from him in the scuffle, and was
hastening away with it, when the young man summoned the police, and we
were taken to court. The judge was surprised at the accusation against
me, and awarded the cloak to my opponent. But I offered the young man
twenty, fifty, eighty, yes, one hundred sequins, over and above his two
hundred, if he would leave me in possession of the mantle. My gold
accomplished what my entreaties could not. He took my sequins, while I
carried away the mantle in triumph, contenting myself with the thought
that even if all Florence considered me insane, I knew, better than
they, that I should clear something by this transaction.

Impatiently I awaited the night. At the same hour as on the previous
night, I went to the Ponte Vecchio with the mantle on my arm. At the
last stroke of the clock, a form approached out of the darkness. It was
undoubtedly the man I had met the night before.

"Have you the mantle?" I was asked.

"Yes," replied I; "but it cost me a hundred sequins cash."

"I know it," was the reply, "look here, there are four hundred."

He walked with me up to the broad balustrade of the bridge, and counted
out the gold pieces. They glistened brightly in the moonlight; their
gleam rejoiced my heart. Oh, I d