t did come
into the street; he might just go inside and stop up his ears if he
didn't want to listen to good singing. And so Signor Pasquale had to
bear nearly all night long the torture of hearing Salvator and Antonio
sing songs which at one time were the sweetest of love-songs and at
another mocked at the folly of amorous old fools. They plainly saw
Marianna standing at the window, notwithstanding that Signor Pasquale
besought her in the sweetest phrases and protestations not to expose
herself to the noxious night air.

Next evening the most remarkable company that ever was seen proceeded
down the Via Ripetta towards the Porta del Popolo. All eyes were turned
upon them, and people asked each other if these were maskers left from
the Carnival. Signor Pasquale Capuzzi, spruce and smug, all elegance
and politeness, wearing his gay Spanish suit well brushed, parading a
new yellow feather in his conical hat, and stepping along in shoes too
little for him, as if he were walking amongst eggs, was leading pretty
Marianna on his arm; her slender figure could not be seen, still less
her face, since she was smothered up to an unusual extent in her veil
and wraps. On the other side marched Doctor Splendiano Accoramboni in
his great wig, which covered the whole of his back, so that to look at
him from behind there appeared to be a huge head walking along on
two little legs. Close behind Marianna, and almost clinging to her,
waddled the little monster Pitichinaccio, dressed in fiery red
petticoats, and having his head covered all over in hideous fashion
with bright-coloured flowers.

This evening Signor Formica outdid himself even, and, what he had never
done before, introduced short songs into his performance, burlesquing
the style of certain well-known singers. Old Capuzzi's passion for the
stage, which in his youth had almost amounted to infatuation, was now
stirred up in him anew. In a rapture of delight he kissed Marianna's
hand time after time, and protested that he would not miss an evening
visiting Nicolo Musso's theatre with her. Signor Formica he extolled to
the very skies, and joined hand and foot in the boisterous applause of
the rest of the spectators. Signor Splendiano was less satisfied, and
kept continually admonishing Signor Capuzzi and lovely Marianna not to
laugh so immoderately. In a single breath he ran over the names of
twenty or more diseases which might arise from splitting the sides with
laughing. But nei