As she was fond of luxury and ease, and had met with little of it before, the life in the Devil’s palace suited her uncommonly well, and yet, though she had every thing her own way, her bad temper frequently found subject for quarrel and complaint.
It was on one occasion when her temper had thus been ruffled, and she had had an angry dispute with Luxehale, who to avoid her wrangling had gone off in a sullen mood to bed, that some one knocked at the door. All the servants were gone to bed, so she got up, and asked who was there.
“I, Pangrazio Clamer of Trient,” said a somewhat tremulous voice.
“Pangrazio Clamer of Trient!” returned the widow; “come in, and welcome. But how did you get here?”
“It’s a longish story; but, first, how did you get here, and installed here too, it seems? Ah, Giuseppa, you had better have married me!”
“I’ve forbidden you to talk of that,” answered Giuseppa. “Besides, I had not better have married you, for I have married a great prince, who is able to keep me in every kind of luxury, and give me every thing I can wish. You couldn’t have done that.”
“No, indeed,” he sighed.
“Well, don’t let’s talk any more about that. Tell me how every one is going on in Trient.”
“By-and-by, if there is time. But, first, let me tell you about myself, and what brought me here. That’s strange enough.”
“Well, what was it, then?”