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the money! But then, Holy Virgin!" said she, interrupting herself, and taking hold of the horns of the buffalo, from the head of which the blood streamed into the room, 66 we must have this beast away! one can neither come in nor go out. Ah, yes! it is jammed in quite fast. We can't get out before Benedetto comes. If it only do not bring us into trouble that the beast is killed!

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"You may be quite easy, good woman," said the stranger; "I will answer for all. You have heard, perhaps, of the Borghese?"

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"O Principe!" exclaimed Domenica, and kissed his clothes; but he pressed her hand, and took mine between his, as he desired her to take me in the morning to Rome, to the Borghese Palace, where he lived, and to which family he belonged. Tears filled the eyes of my old foster-mother on account of his great favor, as she called it. My abominable scratches upon bits of paper, which she had preserved with as much care as if they had been the sketches of a Michael Angelo, must now be brought out. Excellenza must see everything which had pleased her, and I was proud because he smiled, patted my cheeks, and said that I was a little Salvator Rosa.

"Yes," said Domenica, "is it not extraordinary for a child? and is it not so natural that one can plainly see what all is meant for? The buffaloes, the boats, and our little house. See! and that is meant for me! it is just like me; only it wants coloring, for that he can't do with pencil. Now, sing for Excellenza!" said she to me; "sing as well as thou canst, with thy own words! Yes, he can put together whole histories and sermons as well as any monk! Nay, let us hear! Excellenza is a gracious gentleman, he wishes it, and thou knowest how to keep tune."

The stranger smiled, and amused himself with us both. That Domenica should think my improvisation quite a masterpiece was a thing of course: but what I sang, and how, I remembered not, and yet that the Madonna, Excellenza, and the buffalo, were the poetical triad of the whole, I recollect distinctly. Excellenza sat silent, and Domenica read in this silence astonishment at my genius.

Bring the boy with you," were the first words which he spoke. "I will expect you early to-morrow morning. Yet, no come in the evening, an hour before the Ave Maria. When you come, my people shall be instructed immediately to admit you. But how am. I to get out? Have you any other mode of exit than this where the beast lies? and how shall I, without any danger from the buffaloes, get to my carriage at Ponte Molle?"

"Yes, getting out," said Domenica; "there is no possibility of that for Excellenza. I can, to be sure, and so can the rest of us; but it is no way for such a great gentleman! Above here there is a hole where one can creep out, and then slide down quite well: that even I can do in my old age! but it is, as I said, not quite the thing for strangers and grand gentlefolks!"

Excellenza mounted, in the mean time, up the narrow steps, stuck his head through the hole in the wall, and declared it was as good a way as the steps of the Capitol. The buffaloes had betaken themselves long ago to the Tiber, and on the road, not far from us, went a crowd of peasants sleepily and slowly along the great highway. These he would join; behind their wagon, laden with reeds, he was safe from the buffaloes, if these ventured on a new attack. Yet once more he impressed it upon old Domenica to come the next day, an hour before the Ave Maria, extended his hand to her to kiss, stroked my cheek, and let himself slide down the thick ivy. We soon saw him overtake the wagon, behind which he vanished.

CHAPTER VI.

THE VISIT IN THE BORGHESE PALACE.

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OF MY CHILDHOOD.

ENEDETTO and a couple of herdsmen afterwards removed the animal from the doorway; there was a great talking and gossiping, but that which I distinctly remember was, that next morning, before break of day, I was awake and up, because towards evening I was going to the city with Domenica. My Sunday clothes, which had lain for many months under lock and key, were now brought out, and a lovely rose was fastened into my little hat. My shoes were the worst part of my habiliments, and it would have been a difficult thing to decide whether they were that which they were called, or were not rather a pair of antique Roman sandals.

How long was it across the Campagna now, and how the sun burned! Never in later times has the wine of Falernia and Cyprus tasted more delicious to me than the water which now poured from the mouth of the stone lion in the Piazzo del Popolo.1 I pressed my warm cheek to the jaws of the lion, and let the water spout over my head, to the great horror of Domenica, since by so doing my dress was wet and my hair disordered. In the mean time we strolled down the Via Ripetta, towards the Borghese Palace. How often before now

1 In coming to Rome from the north, the way passes through the gate del Popolo, and the traveller then finds himself in the large, beautiful Piazzo del Popolo, which lies between the Tiber and Monte Pincio. On either hand he sees, under the shade of cypresses and acacias, modern statues and fountains, and in the middle of the square, between the well known four stone lions, stands an obelisk of the time of Sesostris. Beyond lie the three straight streets, Via Babuino, Il Corso, and Via Ripetta, two uniform churches terminating the principal one, Il Corso. No city can have a more pleasant, more gay, cheerful appearance, than old Rome from this point. - Author's Note.

had I, and Domenica no less, gone past this building without regarding it otherwise than any other indifferent object: but now we stood and contemplated it in regular silence; all seemed so great to us, so magnificent, so rich, and especially the long silken curtains in the windows. We knew Excellenza within there; he was actually at our house yesterday; that gave a peculiar interest to the whole. I shall never forget the strange tremor which the pomp of the building and of the rooms produced in me: I had talked quite familiarly with Excellenza; he was, in reality, a human being like all the rest of us; but all this possession, this magnificence !—yes, now I was aware of the glory which separated the holy from mankind. In the centre of the palace four lofty whitewashed colonnades, filled with statues and busts, inclosed a little garden ;1 tall aloes and cactuses grew up the pillars; citron-trees stood there with grass-green fruit which was not yet yellowed by the sun. Two dancing Bacchantes held a water-bowl aloft, but so obliquely that the water streamed upon their shoulders; tall water-plants drooped over them their juicy, green leaves. How cool, green, and fragrant, was everything here in comparison with the sterile, burnt-up, burning Campagna !

We ascended the broad marble steps. Beautiful statues stood in niches, before one of which Domenica knelt, and piously made the sign of the cross. She thought that it was the Madonna; afterwards I learned that it was Vesta, the holy virgin also of a more ancient time. Servants in rich livery received us; they met us so kindly that my fear would somewhat have abated had not the hall been so large and so magnificent! The floor was of marble, as smooth as glass, and on all the walls hung beautiful pictures; and where these were not, the walls were covered with looking-glass, and painted with angels that bore garlands and sprays of flowers, and with beautiful birds that extended their broad wings and pecked at red and golden fruit. Never had I seen any thing so splendid!

We had to wait a few moments, and then Excellenza entered, accompanied by a beautiful lady dressed in white, with large,

1 This little garden has been since then altered into a flagged court. Author's Note.

lively eyes, which she riveted upon us. She looked at me with a singularly penetrating but kind glance, stroked my hair from my forehead, and said to him, "Yes, as I said, an angel has saved you! I'll wager that there are wings under that ugly, narrow jacket."

"No," replied he, "I read in his red cheeks that the Tiber will send many waves to the sea before his wings shoot out; the old mother will rather not that he should fly away. That's true, is it not? You would not like to part with him?”

"No; that would be the same as blocking up the door and window of my little house! then it would be dark and lonesome; no, I can't part with the sweet child!"

"But for this one evening," said the lady, "he can stop some hours with us, and then you can fetch him; you have beautiful moonlight to go back in, and you are not afraid of robbers?"

"Yes, the boy stops here for an hour, and you, in the mean time, can go and buy one thing and another that you have need of at home," said Excellenza, and thrust a little purse into Domenica's hand. I heard no more, for the lady took me with her into the hall, and left him and the old mother together.

The rich splendor, the high-born company, quite dazzled me; now I looked at the smiling angel-children that peeped forth from among the green vine-leaves on the walls; now on the violet-stockinged senators and the red-legged cardinals, who had always appeared to me as a sort of demi-gods, but in whose circle I seemed now to be received. But, above all, my eye was attracted to the beautiful Cupid which, like a lovely child, rode upon the ugly dolphin, which threw up two great streams of water, that fell back again into the basin in which it swam in the middle of the hall.

The high-bred company, nay, even the cardinals and senators, smiled to me a welcome, and a young, handsome man, dressed as an officer of the papal guard, extended to me his hand, when the young lady introduced me as her uncle's good angel. They asked me a thousand questions, to which I readily replied, and soon resounded laughter and the clapping of hands. Excellenza came up, and said that I must

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