es and added wisdom, since
their peace was destroyed for ever.

At last Giardini came to him with a note from Marianna.

"Come," she wrote, "the mischief is not so great as you so cruelly meant
it to be."

"Excellenza," said the cook, while Andrea was making ready, "you
treated us splendidly last evening. But apart from the wine, which
was excellent, your steward did not put anything on the table that was
worthy to set before a true epicure. You will not deny, I suppose, that
the dish I sent to you on the day when you did me the honor to sit down
at my board, contained the quintessence of all those that disgraced your
magnificent service of plate? And when I awoke this morning I remembered
the promise you once made me of a place as _chef_. Henceforth I consider
myself as a member of your household."

"I thought of the same thing a few days ago," replied Andrea. "I
mentioned you to the secretary of the Austrian Embassy, and you have
permission to recross the Alps as soon as you please. I have a castle
in Croatia which I rarely visit. There you may combine the offices of
gate-keeper, butler, and steward, with two hundred crowns a year. Your
wife will have as much for doing all the rest of the work. You may make
all the experiments you please _in anima vili_, that is to say on the
stomach of my vassals. Here is a cheque for your traveling expenses."

Giardini kissed the Count's hand after the Neapolitan fashion.

"Excellenza," said he, "I accept the cheque, but beg to decline the
place. It would dishonor me to give up my art by losing the opinion of
the most perfect epicures, who are certainly to be found in Paris."

When Andrea arrived at Gambara's lodgings, the musician rose to welcome
him.

"My generous friend," said he, with the utmost frankness, "you either
took advantage, last evening, of the weakness of my brain to make a fool
of me, or else your brain is no more capable of standing the test of
the heady liquors of our native Latium, than mine is. I will assume this
latter hypothesis; I would rather doubt your digestion than your heart.
Be this as it may, henceforth I drink no more wine--for ever. The
abuse of good liquor last evening led me into much guilty folly. When I
remember that I very nearly----" He gave a glance of terror at Marianna.
"As to the wretched opera you took me to hear, I have thought it over,
and it is, after all, music written on ordinary lines, a mountain of
piled-up notes, _verba et