depended over the table, seized the melon, and
climbing again beyond Dovizio's reach pelted the company with the
jewels.

Great was the indignation of the Cardinal as he saw them scrambled for
and pocketed as souvenirs by the guests, until our host presented Leo
with the casket containing the original intaglios of which the ones
placed before Dovizio were but imitations.

The banquet being now concluded, the tapestries concealing the stalls
were drawn aside, and a hundred pages, each habited like a prince, led
in as many superb horses caparisoned in cloth of gold, and fastened them
with silver chains to feeding-racks of the same metal.

Chigi then apologised for having received his Holiness in a stable,
saying that he would not have dared to do so had not the great Head of
the Church accepted such humble hospitality for his birthplace. Leo
graciously admitted that his host had fulfilled his boast, for Riario,
with all his extravagance, had never attempted a scene like this.

The tapestries were sent to the Vatican on the morrow, but, in
displaying them and returning publicly the Medici jewels, we had
over-shot the mark, for the Pope's self-love was wounded by the
exposition of the straits to which he must have been reduced, to have
accounted for their having been even temporarily in Chigi's possession,
and another banker received the patronage which our friend had coveted.

On Bernardo Dovizio, however, this feast made an immense impression, and
when Chigi invited him to bring his niece to dine more intimately at his
villa, he accepted the invitation with an alacrity which gave color to
Agostino's hopes.

Chigi had no intention that Imperia should either preside on this
occasion or suspect what he was planning. He had asked a sister-in-law
to do the honours of his villa for the day, and had requested me to
escort Imperia to the Pope's villa of Magliana, where he had secured her
an invitation to sing for a party of sport-loving cardinals whom Leo had
asked to enjoy his favourite pastime of hunting.

"And see to it, my dear Bazzi," Agostino had said to me, "that you on no
account bring her back until late at night, for Maria Dovizio must not
know that Imperia is an inmate of my house."

As in duty bound I secretly took counsel with Imperia, discussing, as we
fancied, every phase of the situation.

Chigi, over-confident in the superiority of his own attractions, had not
at first deemed it necessary to send Raphae