On the upper terrace a dozen lacqueys with wax lights hastened out toreceive the travellers. A laughing group followed, headed by a tallvivacious woman covered with jewels, whom Odo guessed to be theProcuratessa Bra. The Marquess, hastening forward, kissed the lady'shand, and turned to summon the actors, who hung back at the farther endof the terrace. The light from the windows and from the lacquey's tapersfell full on the motley band, and Odo, roused to the singularity of hisposition, was about to seek shelter behind the Pantaloon when he heard acry of recognition, and Mirandolina, darting out of the Procuratessa'scircle, fell at that lady's feet with a whispered word.

　　The Procuratessa at once advanced with a smile of surprise and bade theCavaliere Valsecca welcome. Seeing Odo's embarrassment, she added thathis Highness of Monte Alloro had already apprised her of the cavaliere'scoming, and that she and her husband had the day before despatched amessenger to Venice to enquire if he were already there to invite him tothe villa. At the same moment a middle-aged man with an air of carelesskindly strength emerged from the house and greeted Odo.

　　"I am happy," said he bowing, "to receive at Bellocchio a member of theprincely house of Pianura; and your excellency will no doubt be aswell-pleased as ourselves that accident enables us to make acquaintancewithout the formalities of an introduction."This, then, was the famous Procuratore Bra, whose house had given threeDoges to Venice, and who was himself regarded as the most powerful ifnot the most scrupulous noble of his day. Odo had heard many tales ofhis singularities, for in a generation of elegant triflers his figurestood out with the ruggedness of a granite boulder in a clipped andgravelled garden. To hereditary wealth and influence he added a love ofpower seconded by great political sagacity and an inflexible will. Ifhis means were not always above suspicion they at least tended tostatesmanlike ends, and in his public capacity he was faithful to thehighest interests of the state. Reports differed as to his private useof his authority. He was noted for his lavish way of living, and for ahospitality which distinguished him from the majority of his class, who,however showy in their establishments, seldom received strangers, andentertained each other only on the most ceremonious occasions. TheProcuratore kept open house both in Venice and on the Brenta, and in hisdrawing-rooms the foreign traveller was welcomed as freely as in Parisor London. Here, too, were to be met the wits, musicians and literatiwhom a traditional morgue still excluded from many aristocratic houses.

　　Yet in spite of his hospitality (or perhaps because of it) theProcuratore, as Odo knew, was the butt of the very poets he entertained,and the worst satirised man in Venice. It was his misfortune to be inlove with his wife; and this state of mind (in itself sufficientlyridiculous) and the shifts and compromises to which it reduced him, werea source of endless amusement to the humorists. Nor were graver rumourswanting; for it was known that the Procuratore, so proof against otherpersuasions, was helpless in his wife's hands, and that honest men hadbeen undone and scoundrels exalted at a nod of the beautifulProcuratessa. That lady, as famous in her way as her husband, was notedfor quite different qualities; so that, according to one satirist, herhospitality began where his ended, and the Albergo Bra (the nicknametheir palace went by) was advertised in the lampoons of the day asfurnishing both bed and board. In some respects, however, the tastes ofthe noble couple agreed, both delighting in music, wit, good company,and all the adornments of life; while, with regard to their privateconduct, it doubtless suffered by being viewed through the eyes of anarrow and trivial nobility, apt to look with suspicion on any deviationfrom the customs of their class. Such was the household in which Odofound himself unexpectedly included. He learned that his hosts were inthe act of entertaining the English Duke who had captured his burchiellothat morning; and having exchanged his travelling-dress for a moresuitable toilet he was presently conducted to the private theatre wherethe company had gathered to witness an improvised performance byMirandolina and the newly-arrived actors.

　　The Procuratessa at once beckoned him to the row of gilt armchairs whereshe sat with the noble Duke and several ladies of distinction. Thelittle theatre sparkled with wax-lights reflected in the facets of glasschandeliers and in the jewels of the richly-habited company, and Odo wasstruck by the refined brilliancy of the scene. Before he had time tolook about him the curtains of the stage were drawn back, andMirandolina flashed into view, daring and radiant as ever, and dressedwith an elegance which spoke well for the liberality of her newprotector. She was as much at her ease as before the vulgar audience ofVercelli, and spite of the distinguished eyes fixed upon her, her smilesand sallies were pointedly addressed to Odo. This made him the object ofthe Procuratessa's banter, but had an opposite effect on the Marquess,who fixed him with an irritated eye and fidgeted restlessly in his seatas the performance went on.

　　When the curtain fell the Procuratessa led the company to the circularsaloon which, as in most villas of the Venetian mainland, formed thecentral point of the house. If Odo had been charmed by the gracefuldecorations of the theatre, he was dazzled by the airy splendour of thisapartment. Dance-music was pouring from the arched recesses above thedoorways, and chandeliers of coloured Murano glass diffused a softbrightness over the pilasters of the stuccoed walls, and the floor ofinlaid marbles on which couples were rapidly forming for thecontradance. His eye, however, was soon drawn from these to the ceilingwhich overarched the dancers with what seemed like an Olympian revelreflected in sunset clouds. Over the gilt balustrade surmounting thecornice lolled the figures of fauns, bacchantes, nereids and tritons,hovered over by a cloud of amorini blown like rose-leaves across a rosysky, while in the centre of the dome Apollo burst in his chariot throughthe mists of dawn, escorted by a fantastic procession of the humanraces. These alien subjects of the sun--a fur-clad Laplander, a turbanedfigure on a dromedary, a blackamoor and a plumed American Indian--werein turn surrounded by a rout of Maenads and Silenuses, whose flushedadvance was checked by the breaking of cool green waves, through whichboys wreathed with coral and seaweed disported themselves among shoalsof flashing dolphins. It was as though the genius of Pleasure had pouredall the riches of his inexhaustible realm on the heads of the revellersbelow.

　　The Procuratessa brought Odo to earth by remarking that it was amaster-piece of the divine Tiepolo he was admiring. She added that atBellocchio all formalities were dispensed with, and begged him toobserve that, in the rooms opening into the saloon, recreations wereprovided for every taste. In one of these apartments silver trays wereset out with sherbets, cakes, and fruit cooled in snow, while in anotherstood gaming-tables around which the greater number of the company werealready gathering for tresette. A third room was devoted to music; andhither Mirandolina, who was evidently allowed a familiarity ofintercourse not accorded to the other comedians, had withdrawn with thepacified Marquess, and perched on the arm of a high gilt chair waspinching the strings of a guitar and humming the first notes of aboatman's song...

　　After completing the circuit of the rooms Odo stepped out on theterrace, which was now bathed in the whiteness of a soaring moon. Thecolonnades detached against silver-misted foliage, the gardensspectrally outspread, seemed to enclose him in a magic circle ofloveliness which the first ray of daylight must dispel. He wandered on,drawn to the depths of shade on the lower terraces. The hush grewdeeper, the murmur of the river more mysterious. A yew-arbour invitedhim and he seated himself on the bench niched in its inmost dusk. Seenthrough the black arch of the arbour the moonlight lay like snow onparterres and statues. He thought of Maria Clementina, and of thedelight she would have felt in such a scene as he had just left. Thenthe remembrance of Mirandolina's blandishments stole over him and spiteof himself he smiled at the Marquess's discomfiture. Though he was in nohumour for an intrigue his fancy was not proof against the romance ofhis surroundings, and it seemed to him that Miranda's eyes had neverbeen so bright or her smile so full of provocation. No wonder Frattantofollowed her like a lost soul and the Marquess abandoned Rome andBaalbec to sit at the feet of such a teacher! Had not that lightphilosopher after all chosen the true way and guessed the Sphinx'sriddle? Why should today always be jilted for tomorrow, sensationsacrificed to thought?

　　As he sat revolving these questions the yew-branches seemed to stir, andfrom some deeper recess of shade a figure stole to his side. He started,but a hand was laid on his lips and he was gently forced back into hisseat. Dazzled by the outer moonlight he could just guess the outline ofthe figure pressed against his own. He sat speechless, yielding to thecharm of the moment, till suddenly he felt a rapid kiss and the visitorvanished as mysteriously as she had come. He sprang up to follow, butinclination failed with his first step. Let the spell of mystery remainunbroken! He sank down on the seat again lulled by dreamy musings...

　　When he looked up the moonlight had faded and he felt a chill in theair. He walked out on the terrace. The moon hung low and the tree-topswere beginning to tremble. The villa-front was grey, with oblongs ofyellow light marking the windows of the ball-room. As he looked up atit, the dance-music ceased and not a sound was heard but the stir of thefoliage and the murmur of the river against its banks. Then, from aloggia above the central portico, a woman's clear contralto notes tookflight:

　　Before the yellow dawn is up,With pomp of shield and shaft,Drink we of Night's fast-ebbing cupOne last delicious draught.

　　The shadowy wine of Night is sweet,With subtle slumbrous fumesCrushed by the Hours' melodious feetFrom bloodless elder-blooms...

　　The days at Bellocchio passed in a series of festivities. The morningswere spent in drinking chocolate, strolling in the gardens and visitingthe fish-ponds, meanders and other wonders of the villa; thence thegreater number of guests were soon drawn to the card-tables, from whichthey rose only to dine; and after an elaborate dinner prepared by aFrench cook the whole company set out to explore the country or toexchange visits with the hosts of the adjoining villas. Each eveningbrought some fresh diversion: a comedy or an operetta in the miniaturetheatre, an al fresco banquet on the terrace or a ball attended by theprincipal families of the neighbourhood. Odo soon contrived to reassurethe Marquess as to his designs upon Miranda, and when Coeur-Volant wasnot at cards the two young men spent much of their time together. TheMarquess was never tired of extolling the taste and ingenuity with whichthe Venetians planned and carried out their recreations. "Natureherself," said he, "seems the accomplice of their merry-making, and inno other surroundings could man's natural craving for diversion find sograceful and poetic an expression."The scene on which they looked out seemed to confirm his words. It wasthe last evening of their stay at Bellocchio, and the Procuratessa hadplanned a musical festival on the river. Festoons of coloured lanternswound from the portico to the water; and opposite the landing lay theProcuratore's Bucentaur, a great barge hung with crimson velvet. In theprow were stationed the comedians, in airy mythological dress, and asthe guests stepped on board they were received by Miranda, a rosy Venuswho, escorted by Mars and Adonis, recited an ode composed by Cantaprestoin the Procuratessa's honour. A banquet was spread in the deck-house,which was hung with silk arras and Venetian mirrors, and, while theguests feasted, dozens of little boats hung with lights and filled withmusicians flitted about the Bucentaur like a swarm of musicalfireflies...

　　The next day Odo accompanied the Procuratessa to Venice. Had he been atraveller from beyond the Alps he could hardly have been more unpreparedfor the spectacle that awaited him. In aspect and customs Venicediffered almost as much from other Italian cities as from those of therest of Europe. From the fanciful stone embroidery of her churches andpalaces to a hundred singularities in dress and manners--thefull-bottomed wigs and long gowns of the nobles, the black mantles andhead-draperies of the ladies, the white masks worn abroad by both sexes,the publicity of social life under the arcades of the Piazza, theextraordinary freedom of intercourse in the casini, gaming-rooms andtheatres--the city proclaimed, in every detail of life and architecture,her independence of any tradition but her own. This was the moresingular as Saint Mark's square had for centuries been the meeting-placeof East and West, and the goal of artists, scholars and pleasure-seekersfrom all parts of the world. Indeed, as Coeur-Volant pointed out, theVenetian customs almost appeared to have been devised for theconvenience of strangers. The privilege of going masked at almost allseasons and the enforced uniformity of dress, which in itself provided akind of incognito, made the place singularly favourable to every kind ofintrigue and amusement; while the mild temper of the people and thewatchfulness of the police prevented the public disorders that suchlicense might have occasioned. These seeming anomalies abounded on everyside. From the gaming-table where a tinker might set a ducat against aprince it was but a few steps to the Broglio, or arcade under the ducalpalace, into which no plebeian might intrude while the nobility walkedthere. The great ladies, who were subject to strict sumptuary laws, andmight not display their jewels or try the new French fashions but on thesly, were yet privileged at all hours to go abroad alone in theirgondolas. No society was more haughty and exclusive in its traditions,yet the mask leveled all classes and permitted, during the greater partof the year, an equality of intercourse undreamed of in other cities;while the nobles, though more magnificently housed than in any othercapital of Europe, generally sought amusement at the public casini orassembly-rooms instead of receiving company in their own palaces. Suchwere but a few of the contradictions in a city where the theatres werenamed after the neighbouring churches, where there were innumerablereligious foundations but scarce an ecclesiastic to be met in company,and where the ladies of the laity dressed like nuns, while the nuns inthe aristocratic convents went in gala habits and with uncovered heads.

　　No wonder that to the bewildered stranger the Venetians seemed to keepperpetual carnival and Venice herself to be as it were the mere stage ofsome huge comic interlude.

　　To Odo the setting was even more astonishing than the performance. Neverhad he seen pleasure and grace so happily allied, all the arts of lifeso combined in the single effort after enjoyment. Here was not a meretendency to linger on the surface, but the essence of superficialityitself; not an ignoring of what lies beneath, but an elimination of it;as though all human experience should be beaten thin and spread outbefore the eye like some brilliant tenuous plaque of Etruscan gold. Andin this science of pleasure--mere jeweller's work though it were--thegreatest artists had collaborated, each contributing his page to thephilosophy of enjoyment in the form of some radiant allegory floweringfrom palace wall or ceiling like the enlarged reflection of the lifebeneath it. Nowhere was the mind arrested by a question or an idea.

　　Thought slunk away like an unmasked guest at the ridotto. Sensationruled supreme, and each moment was an iridescent bubble fresh-blown fromthe lips of fancy.

　　Odo brought to the spectacle the humour best fitted for its enjoyment.

　　His weariness and discouragement sought refuge in the emotionalsatisfaction of the hour. Here at least the old problem of living hadbeen solved, and from the patrician taking the air in his gondola to thegondolier himself, gambling and singing on the water-steps of hismaster's palace, all seemed equally satisfied with the solution. Now ifever was the time to cry "halt!" to the present, to forget the travelledroad and take no thought for the morrow...

　　The months passed rapidly and agreeably. The Procuratessa was the mostamiable of guides, and in her company Odo enjoyed the best that Venicehad to offer, from the matchless music of the churches and hospitals tothe petits soupers in the private casini of the nobility; whileCoeur-Volant and Castelrovinato introduced him to scenes where even alady of the Procuratessa's intrepidity might not venture.

　　Such a life left little time for thoughtful pleasures; nor did Odo findin the society about him any sympathy with his more personal tastes. Atfirst he yielded willingly enough to the pressure of his surroundings,glad to escape from thoughts of the past and speculations about thefuture; but it was impossible for him to lose his footing in such anelement, and at times he felt the lack of such companionship as deCrucis had given him. There was no society in Venice corresponding withthe polished circles of Milan or Naples, or with the academic class insuch University towns as Padua and Pavia. The few Venetians destined tobe remembered among those who had contributed to the intellectualadvancement of Italy vegetated in obscurity, suffering not so much fromreligious persecution--for the Inquisition had little power inVenice--as from the incorrigible indifference of a society which ignoredall who did not contribute to its amusement. Odo indeed might havesought out these unhonoured prophets, but that all the influences abouthim set the other way, and that he was falling more and more into thehabit of running with the tide. Now and then, however, a vague ennuidrove him to one of the bookshops which, throughout Italy were the chiefmeeting-places of students and authors. On one of these occasions thedealer invited him into a private room where he kept some rare volumes,and here Odo was surprised to meet Andreoni, the liberal bookseller ofPianura.

　　Andreoni at first seemed somewhat disconcerted by the meeting; butpresently recovering his confidence, he told Odo that he had beenrecently banished from Pianura, the cause of his banishment being thepublication of a book on taxation that was supposed to reflect on thefiscal system of the duchy. Though he did not name the author, Odo atonce suspected Gamba; but on his enquiring if the latter had also beenbanished, Andreoni merely replied that he had been dismissed from hispost, and had left Pianura. The bookseller went on to say that he hadcome to Venice with the idea of setting up his press either there or inPadua, where his wife's family lived. Odo was eager to hear more; butAndreoni courteously declined to wait on him at his lodgings, on theplea that it might harm them both to be seen together. They agreed,however, to meet in San Zaccaria after low mass the next morning, andhere Andreoni gave Odo a fuller report of recent events in the duchy.

　　It appeared that in the incessant see-saw of party influences the Churchhad once more gained on the liberals. Trescorre was out of favour, theDominican had begun to show his hand more openly, and the Duke, morethan ever apprehensive about his health, was seeking to conciliateheaven by his renewed persecution of the reformers. In the generalupheaval even Crescenti had nearly lost his place; and it was rumouredthat he kept it only through the intervention of the Pope, who hadrepresented to the Duke that the persecution of a scholar already famousthroughout Europe would reflect little credit on the Church.

　　As for Gamba, Andreoni, though unwilling to admit a knowledge of hisexact whereabouts, assured Odo that he was well and had not lostcourage. At court matters remained much as usual. The Duchess,surrounded by her familiars, had entered on a new phase of madexpenditure, draining the exchequer to indulge her private whims,filling her apartments with mountebanks and players, and borrowing fromcourtiers and servants to keep her creditors from the door. Trescorrewas no longer able to check her extravagance, and his influence with theDuke being on the wane, the court was once more the scene of unseemlyscandals and disorders.

　　The only new figure to appear there since Odo's departure was that ofthe little prince's governor, who had come from Rome a few monthspreviously to superintend the heir's education, which was found to havebeen grievously neglected under his former masters. This was anecclesiastic, an ex-Jesuit as some said, but without doubt a man ofparts, and apparently of more tolerant views than the other churchmenabout the court.

　　"But," Andreoni added, "your excellency may chance to recall him; for heis the same abate de Crucis who was sent to Pianura by the Holy Officeto arrest the German astrologer."Odo heard him with surprise. He had had no news of de Crucis since theirparting in Rome, where, as he supposed, the latter was to remain forsome years in the service of Prince Bracciano. Odo was at a loss toconceive how or why the Jesuit had come to Pianura; but, whatever hisreasons for being there, it was certain that his influence must makeitself felt far beyond the range of his immediate duties. Whether thisinfluence would be exerted for good............