“That,” said I, “is precisely what I do not know.”
Buffo the Fool Leads Them to the Palace
In a few moments we entered and crossed the grounds of an immense palace, and Buffo the Fool opened the palace door without ceremony and preceded us into a great hall, where he stopped and said:
“I must have a good look at you first. Buffino, my mirror!”
The monkey darted off down the hall and up the staircase. While he was gone the Fool said to me:
“You have seen the orange tree and the panther?”
“Yes,” said I.
“Do they worship the orange tree in your country?”
“No, no,” said I. “Orange trees are the commonest of our possessions. We have them by thousands. Their leaves are of no account.”