genius, whose work upon our ceiling would make
the Court for ever glorious. And while in this humour she bade me go to
Simon, whose presence she would not tolerate in her house, and make him
acquainted with her high displeasure, and furthermore, to command that
he should make satisfactory apology to Dario upon his return. So to him
I went, and he wringing his hands in anguish deplored that his best
endeavours to serve his mistress served only to incense her the more
against him. But for his apology he declared that has been made the
moment he heard of the gentleman's release, at the same time that he
restored to him his hat and a pocket-book which had fallen from his
pocket.

This did somewhat reassure me, knowing full well that Simon would not
have given up this book without first acquainting himself with its
contents, and urging that had there been anything in it to incriminate
him, he had certainly laid it before his mistress for his own
justification.

A couple of days after this, as Don Sanchez and I were discoursing in
the great avenue, Dario presents himself, looking all the better for a
decent suit of clothes and a more prosperous condition, and Moll joining
us at that moment, he makes her a very handsome obeisance and standing
uncovered before her, begs to know if it is her will that he should
paint the ceiling of her dining-hall.

As he spoke, the colour rose on his cheek, and a shaft of sunlight
falling on his curling hair, which shone with the lustre of health, made
him look as comely a man as ever I did see, and a good five years
younger than when he stood before us in the extremity of distress.

"Sir," says Moll, "were you my debtor as much as I am yours, I could not
ask for better payment."

Don Sanchez put an end to this pretty exchange of courtesies--which
maybe he considered overmuch as between a lady of Moll's degree and one
who might turn out to be no more than an indifferent painter at the
best--by proposing that Dario should point out what disposition he would
have made for his convenience in working. So he went within doors, and
there Dario gave orders to our gardener, who was a handy sort of
Jack-of-all-trades, what pieces of furniture should be removed, how the
walls and floor should be protected, and how a scaffold should be set up
for him to work on. And the gardener promising to carry out all these
instructions in the course of the day, Dario took his leave of us in a
very polished styl