Having myself taken the opportunity to go out on my balcony and breathe freely, a note which I saw came from my father was thrown up to me. Joyfully I picked it up.
It told me to hold myself in readiness at a certain hour.
I hastily put on all my most valuable things, and at the appointed moment went quickly downstairs and jumped into a carriage that was at the door. There I found my aunt, who tenderly welcomed me, and in no time we reached Fiesole, where my father told me that, having heard by public report that my husband wished to get away without paying his debts, he had got leave from the Grand Duke to have him put into safe keeping.
Walking in the garden on the Sunday, I saw the arrival of his son, who, as he met me, said,
“Milady, allow me to offer you some trifles my father sends you.”
I declared that I would take nothing from him, and that his gifts were as hateful to me as their giver.
But the parcel had already fallen into the hands of my mother, who welcomed its bringer with jubilation, and begged him to repeat his visits.
“Oh, how beautiful!” she cried as she opened the box; “who would have believed milord had such good taste? I’ll wager that several of these fine things were bought for me.”
I retorted that she might take them all, and that never in my life would I touch one of them.
It needed nothing further to induce her to take possession of the whole lot, except the flowers, which she looked upon as worthless.