that she has
given him at least one half of her heart, and that all he has to do is
to win the other half. And Marianna, since she imbibed the poison of
your kisses, has advanced three years in shrewdness, artfulness, and
experience. She has convinced the old man, not only that she had no
share in our trick, but that she hates our goings-on, and will meet
with scorn every device on your part to approach her. In his excessive
delight the old man was too hasty, and swore that if he could do
anything to please his adored Marianna he would do it immediately, she
had only to give utterance to her wish. Whereupon Marianna modestly
asked for nothing except that her _zio carissimo_ (dearest uncle) would
take her to see Signor Formica in the theatre outside the Porta del
Popolo. This rather posed Capuzzi; there were consultations with the
Pyramid Doctor and with Pitichinaccio; at last Signor Pasquale and
Signor Splendiano came to the resolution that they really would take
Marianna to this theatre to-morrow. Pitichinaccio, it was resolved,
should accompany them in the disguise of a handmaiden, to which he only
gave his consent on condition that Signor Pasquale would make him a
present, not only of the plush waistcoat, but also of a wig, and at
night would, alternately with the Pyramid Doctor, carry him home. That
bargain they finally made; and so the curious leash will certainly go
along with pretty Marianna to see Signor Formica to-morrow, in the
theatre outside the Porta del Popolo."

It is now necessary to say who Signor Formica was, and what he had to
do with the theatre outside the Porta del Popolo.

At the time of the Carnival in Rome, nothing is more sad than when the
theatre-managers have been unlucky in their choice of a musical
composer, or when the first tenor at the Argentina theatre has lost
his voice on the way, or when the male prima donna[4.1] of the Valle
theatre is laid up with a cold,--in brief, when the chief source of
recreation which the Romans were hoping to find proves abortive, and
then comes Holy Thursday and all at once cuts off all the hopes which
might perhaps have been realized It was just after one of these unlucky
Carnivals--almost before the strict fast-days were past, when a certain
Nicolo Musso opened a theatre outside the Porta del Popolo, where he
stated his intention of putting nothing but light impromptu comic
sketches on the boards. The advertisement was drawn up in an ingenious
and witt