"Pietro?" asked the cardinal.
"I do not know his name," said the steward, "but he is most anxious to see your eminence."
"Let him come in at once," said the cardinal. The steward backed out, bowing.
There was a loud knock upon the door. "Enter," said the cardinal. Pietro came in. He carried a portmanteau.
"What is it?" exclaimed the cardinal. "Is any one dying? Am I needed?"
"No, your eminence," said Pietro, "the public health is unusually good.
I have come to dress you for dinner with the English."
"They are not English," said the cardinal; "they are Irish."
"In that event," said Pietro, "you will do as you are."
"No," laughed the cardinal, "since you have brought my finery I will put it on."
Pietro opened the portmanteau with a sigh. "I thought they were English," he said. "The Irish are as poor as the Italians. If I dress your eminence as I had intended they will not appreciate it."