"He wishes to be called master," I answered.
"Dear, dear! oh, this is beautiful! And I, who knew nothing about it, what fault is it of mine? Does it seem to you proper or well-bred to come out with that word before everybody, even before ladies? To me it seems not only not like a master, but not even like a schoolboy."
I REPROVE BARTOLINI.
"Have patience, Carlino, and don't let us talk any more about it: bury it under a stone, and leave it alone. Listen! they are calling out your number;" and so the matter ended.
The day after, I had a model, Tonino Liverani, called Tria—a beautiful model, and Bartolini's favourite one, the same from whom he modelled when making his group of the Astyanax. Half an hour before mid-day he said to me—
"Signor Giovanni, would you be so kind as to send me away a quarter of an hour earlier to-day? I must be at the maestro's at twelve o'clock.
I replied, "Certainly—of course; dress yourself at once and go; do not keep him waiting."
Whilst Tria was dressing, I thought over the accidente or the accidenti on the previous evening, and if that horrid word did not go down with Carlino because it was said at his house, neither did it please me, for in my quality of Professor it wounded me more than it did him. But, in fact, joking apart, I was really grieved to see such a great man descend without any cause to the use of such puerile and unbecoming expressions, the more so that he was made an object of ridicule because Carlino took the matter seriously. I said to myself, Shall I send him a message or let it go? If I let it go, he will think that I am afraid to say what I feel, or that I am so weak-minded as to think that sally of his the most natural thing in the world: in the one case, as in the other, I shall cut a bad figure, and Bartolini despises men who are afraid or stupid. Then, too, who knows if a frank sincere word, spoken at any rate with respect and reason, such as I should say, would not do him good? All depends on Tonino's reporting it straight.
BASE OF TABLE OF THE MUSES.
"Have you any orders, Sor Giovanni? When shall I return?" said Tonino.