her paladins. An angel came to him and
said, 'Now the Turks will make much war against the Christians and, since
the Christians always want a magician, it is the will of heaven that you
shall have the rod of Malagigi, who is no longer here, and that Guido
Santo shall have la Durlindana, the sword of Orlando.' And it was so,
and Argantino thereafter appeared as a pilgrim."

"I remember about Malagigi; he made all Rinaldo's armour."

"Excuse me, he made some of his armour; but he did not make his helmet,
nor his sword Fusberta, nor his horse Baiardo. First you must know that
Rinaldo was one of the four brothers, sons of Amone, and their sister was
Bradamante."

"I saw her die at Trapani. The Empress Marfisa came and found her dying
of grief in a grotto for the loss of her husband, Ruggiero da Risa."

"Precisely. She was Marfisa's sister-in-law because she married
Marfisa's brother Ruggiero da Risa."

"Then who was the cavaliere errante, Ruggiero Persiano?"

"He was the son of Marfisa and Guidon Selvaggio, and this Guidon
Selvaggio was the son of Rinaldo."

"Had Bradamante no children?"

"Guido Santo is the son of Bradamante and Ruggiero da Risa."

"I heard something about Guido Santo at Castellinaria the other day--let
me see, what was it? Never mind. I hope he left children."

"I told you last year that he never married."

"Oh yes, of course; that is what I was thinking of. One cannot remember
everything at once and pedigrees are always confusing at first. Then it
is for love of Bradamante's nephew by marriage, Ruggiero Persiano, that
Ettorina has now gone mad?"

"Bravo. And Malagigi was Bradamante's cousin."

"How was that?"

"Amone had a brother Buovo, and Malagigi was the son of Buovo. Therefore
Malagigi was the cousin of Rinaldo and of Bradamante. And that is all
you need know about the pedigree for the present. Malagigi was Emperor
of Magic. Other magicians only commanded a devil or two each, but
Malagigi dominated all the hosts of the inferno, all the devils, harpies,
serpents, gorgons, hydras, furies and also the monster Briareus."

"Just as the buffo dominates all the marionettes in the teatrino," I
interpolated.

He bowed and proceeded: "Rinaldo's helmet used to belong to Mambrino."

"I have read about it in _Don Quixote_."

"Ah! but that was not a real helmet; that was only a barber's basin
because Cervantes wanted to laugh at Don Quixote. Rinaldo slew Mambrino
and took his