"'I caught the words of the third horseman—he who had ridden on in front—to a huge bloated man who seemed to be the seneschal or steward in charge of the place, who went hobbling on a stick, seeming dropsical and short of breath.
"'We have brought another guest, Sir Ferretti, for your hospitality. Sua Eccellenza hopes you have room; good accommodation—a clean straw bed or some fresh-gathered heather. Sua Eccellenza would not have needless discomfort for your guests at the Castello. A long life to them is the brindisi of sua Eccellenza—sempre sempre." That is to say, for all time.
"'And then the fat man answered wheezily, "It shall be done, Ser Capitano. And he shall sup well and choose his company; it is an old usage and shall be observed." He then turned to me and said, with a mock reverence, "Whom does the Signore choose to sup with before he retires to rest?"
"'I turned to the man I had spoken with as we rode, and laid my hand on his shoulder. "Sicuro," I said, "with none other than Messer Nanerottolo here." This was my pleasantry, for he was a monstrous big man, but not ill-favoured. I went on, "I owe you a supper, my friend, for that piccolo vezzeggiamento you have given me——"
"What does that mean?" Thus his hearers, in concert.
"A little caress. I don't know why the Professor has left some of the Italian words. Nanerottolo means a very little dwarf indeed, and he could hardly have translated. But he might have said caress just as well." He resumed reading:
"'"I can feel it in my shoulder still." At this he laughed, but said again I was a bel giovane, and molto bravo. "And it is to you," I said, "that I owe my supper here to-night." But his Capitano gave a laugh, and said, "Piuttosto a quel piccolo vezzeggiamento che tu desti alia Duchessa——"
Here the reader paused to interpret the Italian again, which was hardly needed; then said, "There is another gap in the manuscript here, and it is a pity. The Professor thinks a few more words from what followed would have made his theory a certainty."
"Why?" asked Madeline.
"Because 'the caress you gave the Duchess' could only mean that he owed his supper to having half strangled the old Duchessa. They couldn't mean anything else in the context."