happiness. She deserves an
honest young fellow like you for a husband. Now what would you do
supposing I were to make you a present of two hundred crowns to buy the
garden?"

"I should put it to my wife's dowry."

"Then here are the two hundred crowns. I shall give them to Momolo, as I
don't know you well enough, though I think you are perfectly to be
trusted. The garden is yours, as part of your wife's dowry."

Momolo took the money, and promised to buy the garden the following day,
and the young man shedding tears of joy and gratitude fell on his knees
and kissed my hand. All the girls wept, as I myself did, for there's a
contagion in such happy tears. Nevertheless, they did not all proceed
from the same source; some were virtuous and some vicious, and the young
man's were the only ones whose source was pure and unalloyed. I lifted
him from the ground, kissed him, and wished him a happy marriage. He made
bold to ask me to his wedding, but I refused, thanking him kindly. I told
him that if he wanted to please me, he must come and sup at Momolo's on
the eve of his wedding, and I begged the good scopatore to ask Mariuccia,
her father and mother as well. I was sure of seeing her for the last time
on the Sunday morning.

At seven o'clock on the Sunday morning we were in each other's arms, with
four hours before us. After the first burst of mutual ardour she told me
that all arrangements had been made in her house the evening before, in
the presence of her confessor and of Momolo; and that on the receipt for
the two hundred crowns being handed in the notary had put the garden into
the settlement, and that the good father had made her a present of twenty
piastres towards defraying the notary's fees and the wedding expenses.

"Everything is for the best, and I am sure I shall be happy. My intended
adores you, but you did wisely not to accept his invitation, for you
would have found everything so poor, and besides tongues might have been
set wagging to my disadvantage."

"You are quite right, dearest, but what do you intend to do if your
husband finds that the door has been opened by someone else, for possibly
he expects you to be a maid."

"I expect he will know no more about it than I did the first time you
knew me; besides, I do not feel that you have defiled me, and my clean
conscience will not allow me to think of the matter; and I am sure that
he will not think of it any more than I."

"Yes, but if he does?"