462 A Night at Covigliajo. [MAY, 



girlish tales. It would have been cruel to have encouraged in her 

 a regard for a wanderer of no condition, or to sue her in marriage ; for her 

 father was a substantial merchant, and her mother would rather have 

 died than lose her from her presence. But then she was so young, and 

 beautiful, and full of rosy attraction to a friendless man like myself ; and 

 I could not be away from her in my commercial engagements but there 

 was a phantom before me that distracted my mind, and almost drew me 

 away from my better fortune. So the matter went on, until the return 

 of her father from an inland journey ; when, either persuaded by some 

 poisonous friend, or himself distrustful of me, almost the first words he 

 uttered were to forbid any farther intercourse with his daughter. In 

 vain did I remonstrate : the old man was inexorable ; and a few useless 

 tears and affectionate sighs seemed all that was now left me of my beau- 

 tiful Teresa. I left the house, heart-broken and despairing. But a 

 stronger energy was soon given to me ; and my only aim was how to 

 take, by treachery, what had been denied to my honest claims. I cannot 

 dwell on the hidden interviews that resulted from this determination : 

 they were then too sweet not to disguise from us their sin and folly ; but 

 I look on them now as the source of all my most bitter calamities, and 

 abhor and curse myself that I could thus beguile away the treasure of 

 her father's house, to plunge her in more evil than I certainly 

 know of." 



[At this point of the narration, the Bolognese gentleman began vio- 

 lently to disturb the crumbs of cheese that speckled his plate, and a 

 nervous twitter of the fingers gave evidence of some emotion which he 

 would fain have concealed by the low inclination of his head. The two 

 fellow-seamen folded their arms upon the table, and threw all their intel- 

 lect into their fixed and unmeaning eyes. Indeed, there was no one who 

 resisted the curiosity excited by the manner, perhaps, as much as by the 

 details, of the narrator. He proceeded : ~j 



"Well, sirs, we projected and accomplished our plot. I sold my 

 interest in the felucca, converted into money my merchandize and other 

 property, and engaged a passage for myself and Teresa in a small vessel 

 bound to Leghorn. Our purpose was, in the first place, to escape from 

 Constantinople ; and, in the second, to make known our story to my 

 mother, in case she might be induced to adopt my betrothed love as a 

 daughter, and give her a home during my future voyages and enterprises. 

 It was a long, circuitous route, which we were, compelled to adopt ; but 

 the unfrequency of better opportunities determined us not to delay. How 

 well I remember each little incident of that bright evening when she 

 stole from her father's house, and, full of fears, which made her dearer 

 to me, entered the boat that took her for ever from his protection ! We 

 set sail at daybreak, and our voyage was prosperous for some time. Some 

 deviations from a direct route were caused by the different engage- 

 ments of the trader ; and I cannot remember how long it was before we 

 were off Sapienza the scene of my heavy disaster, and the occasion of 

 my ruin ! We were a little to the north-west of it, and in sight of 

 Modon, when a vessel, bearing a contrary course, hove in sight. She 

 passed us, and hoisted Greek colours : we displayed the Tuscan flag ; 

 and it was with no little surprise that we observed her course suddenly 

 change, and a gun fired to bring us to. We were unarmed ; and the 

 whole of our misfortune flashed upon us without the possibility of doubt. 



