moccoletto is kindled by approaching it to a light. But who can
describe the thousand means of extinguishing the moccoletto?--the
gigantic bellows, the monstrous extinguishers, the superhuman fans.
Every one hastened to purchase moccoletti--Franz and Albert among the
rest.

The night was rapidly approaching; and already, at the cry of
"Moccoletti!" repeated by the shrill voices of a thousand vendors, two
or three stars began to burn among the crowd. It was a signal. At the
end of ten minutes fifty thousand lights glittered, descending from
the Palazzo di Venezia to the Piazza del Popolo, and mounting from the
Piazzo del Popolo to the Palazzo di Venezia. It seemed like the fete of
jack-o'-lanterns. It is impossible to form any idea of it without having
seen it. Suppose that all the stars had descended from the sky and
mingled in a wild dance on the face of the earth; the whole accompanied
by cries that were never heard in any other part of the world. The
facchino follows the prince, the Transteverin the citizen, every one
blowing, extinguishing, relighting. Had old AEolus appeared at this
moment, he would have been proclaimed king of the moccoli, and Aquilo
the heir-presumptive to the throne. This battle of folly and flame
continued for two hours; the Corso was light as day; the features of
the spectators on the third and fourth stories were visible. Every five
minutes Albert took out his watch; at length it pointed to seven. The
two friends were in the Via dei Pontefici. Albert sprang out, bearing
his moccoletto in his hand. Two or three masks strove to knock his
moccoletto out of his hand; but Albert, a first-rate pugilist, sent them
rolling in the street, one after the other, and continued his course
towards the church of San Giacomo. The steps were crowded with masks,
who strove to snatch each other's torches. Franz followed Albert with
his eyes, and saw him mount the first step. Instantly a mask, wearing
the well-known costume of a peasant woman, snatched his moccoletto from
him without his offering any resistance. Franz was too far off to hear
what they said; but, without doubt, nothing hostile passed, for he saw
Albert disappear arm-in-arm with the peasant girl. He watched them pass
through the crowd for some time, but at length he lost sight of them in
the Via Macello. Suddenly the bell that gives the signal for the end of
the carnival sounded, and at the same instant all the moccoletti were
extinguished as if b