A MORNING IN HOME. 311 



old gentleman with his hands loaded and without his 

 carriage. Jerome went to the castle, and not finding his 

 man there, was compelled to journey back again over the 

 bridge. He might, he said, have begged a carriage from 

 the governor, but in so doing there would have been risk. 

 Commending himself, therefore, to Heaven for the gift of 

 patience, he went back over the bridge, and when he had 

 crossed it, obtained rest at the other end by going into 

 the house of the banker Altovito, professing to ask some- 

 thing that he wished to know about a late change in Nea- 

 politan money, and sitting down to recover strength while 

 he was being told about it. While he was so sitting, the 

 governor came in, and Jerome at once rose and departed. 

 Outside he saw his carriage, the driver having been met 

 by Vincenzio, who told him of his error. Still the old 

 man was in doubt whether to go home, or what to do, 

 because he suffered not only from fatigue but from long 

 fasting. But then, having mounted into the vehicle, he 

 found three raisins in his pocket, and so his difficulties 

 were entirely ended. * Here," he said, " you must observe 

 the sequences: the meeting with Vincenzio, his meeting 

 with the driver, my going into the bank, the governor's 

 coming in, my going out, and because I went out just at 

 that time, my meeting with the carriage, and upon that 

 the finding of the raisins. Here were seven things, of 

 which it was necessary that every one should fall out 



