mpressions left upon my mind after this night's reading were
painful. I expected some disturbance of the peace through the malice of
that woman, who had now become irreconcilably antagonistic. Meeting
Sacchi next morning on the Piazza di San Marco, I asked him whether he
had noticed the strange conduct of Mme. Ricci on the previous evening.
He said that he had certainly been aware of something wrong, but that he
could not ascribe it to any cause. Then I communicated my suspicion.
"The actress," said I, "means to persuade Signor Gratarol that he is
being satirised under the character of Don Adone." "What is her object?"
exclaimed Sacchi. "That I will tell you briefly," I replied: "she wants
to gain credit with her new friend, to inflict an injury on your troupe,
and to cause me annoyance by stirring up a quarrel between me and the
gentleman in question." "It is not impossible," said Sacchi, "that she
is planning something of the kind. But what are your reasons for
thinking so?" "If you had only been attentive to her mutterings and
attitudinisings last evening, when the part of Don Adone was being read,
you would not put that question," I answered. "I ask you, therefore, as
a friend, to withdraw my play until the next season. Lent will soon
arrive. The Ricci will go to Paris, and Signor Gratarol to Naples. You
can make use of the _Droghe d'Amore_ later on, when its appearance will
cause no scandal." After some persuasion, he promised to fulfil my
wishes; and next morning he told me that the play had been suspended.

Here the affair would have rested if Signor Gratarol, poisoned by his
mistress's report, had not taken a step fatal for his own tranquillity.
She returned, as I had imagined, from the reading of my play, and told
him that he was going to be exposed upon the stage in the person of Don
Adone. He set all his influence at work to prevent the public exhibition
of the comedy. The result was that, four days afterwards, Sacchi came to
me in great confusion and told me that Signor Francesco Agazi, censor of
plays for the Magistrato sopra alla Bestemmia, had sent for the _Droghe
d'Amore_. A new revision was necessitated by certain complaints which
had been brought against the role of Don Adone.

"So then," said I, "you have given the manuscript to Signor Agazi?"
"No," he answered; "I was afraid that I might lose it altogether. I told
that gentleman that I had lent it to a certain lady.[60] He smiled and
said that when s