ero of the occasion; the Duke of Gandia;
Prince of Squillace; Dona Sancha, his wife; the Cardinal of Monte Reale,
Francesco Borgia, son of Calixtus III; Don Roderigo Borgia, captain of
the apostolic palace; Don Goffredo, brother of the cardinal; Gian Borgia,
at that time ambassador at Perugia; and lastly, Don Alfonso Borgia, the
pope's nephew: the whole family therefore was present, except Lucrezia,
who was still in retreat, and would not come.

The repast was magnificent: Caesar was quite as cheerful as usual, and
the Duke of Gandia seemed more joyous than he had ever been before.

In the middle of supper a man in a mask brought him a letter. The duke
unfastened it, colouring up with pleasure; and when he had read it
answered in these words, "I will come": then he quickly hid the letter in
the pocket of his doublet; but quick as he was to conceal it from every
eye, Caesar had had time to cast a glance that way, and he fancied he
recognised the handwriting of his sister Lucrezia. Meanwhile the
messenger had gone off with his answer, no one but Caesar paying the
slightest attention to him, for at that period it was the custom for have
messages to be conveyed by men in domino or by women whose faces were
concealed by a veil.

At ten o'clock they rose from the table, and as the air was sweet and
mild they walked about a while under the magnificent pine trees that
shaded the house of Rosa Vanozza, while Caesar never for an instant let
his brother out of his sight. At eleven o'clock the Duke of Gandia bade
good-night to his mother. Caesar at once followed suit, alleging his
desire to go to the Vatican to bid farewell to the pope, as he would not
be able to fulfil this duty an the morrow, his departure being fixed at
daybreak. This pretext was all the more plausible since the pope was in
the habit of sitting up every night till two or three o'clock in the
morning.

The two brothers went out together, mounted their horses, which were
waiting for them at the door, and rode side by side as far as the Palazzo
Borgia, the present home of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, who had taken it as
a gift from Alexander the night before his election to the papacy. There
the Duke of Gandia separated from his brother, saying with a smile that
he was not intending to go home, as he had several hours to spend first
with a fair lady who was expecting him. Caesar replied that he was no
doubt free to make any use he liked best of his opportunitie