stranger: this was sufficient, you may believe, for him to think it Madam the Countess of _Clarinau_. With this assurance he repairs to his lodging, which was but hard by, and sets a footman that attended him to watch the return of _Philander_ to those lodgings, which he believed would not be long: the footman, who had not seen _Philander_, only asked a description of him; he told him, he was a pretty tall man, in black clothes (for the Court was then in mourning) with long black hair, fine black eyes, very handsome, and well made; this was enough for the lad; he thought he should know him from a thousand by these marks and tokens. Away goes the footman, and waited till the shutting in of the evening, and then, running to his lord, told him, that _Philander_ was come to those lodgings; that he saw him alight out of the chair, and took perfect notice of him; that he was sure it was that _Philander_ he looked for: _Clarinau_, overjoyed that his revenge was at hand, took his dagger, sword and pistol, and hasted to _Sylvia_’. lodgings, where he found the chair still waiting, and the doors all open; he made no more ado, but goes in and ascends the stairs, and passes on, without opposition, to the very chamber where they sat, _Sylvia_ in the arms of her lover, not _Philander_, but _Octavio_, who being also in black, tall, long, brown hair, and handsome, and by a sight that might very well deceive; he made no more to do, not doubting but it was _Philander_ and _Calista_, but steps to him, and offering to stab him, was prevented by his starting at the suddenness of his approach; however, the dagger did not absolutely miss him, but wounded him in the left arm; but _Octavio_’. youth, too nimble for _Clarinau_’. age, snatching at the dagger as it wounded him, at once prevented the hurt being much, and returned a home blow at _Clarinau_, so that he fell at _Sylvia_’. feet, whose shrieks alarmed the house to their aid, where they found by the light of the candle that was brought, that the man was not dead, but lay gazing on _Octavio_, who said to him, ‘Tell me, thou unfortunate wretch, what miserable fate brought thee to this place, to disturb the repose of those who neither know thee, nor had done thee injury?’ ‘Ah, sir,’ replied _Clarinau_, ‘you have reason for what you say, and I ask heaven, that unknown lady, and yourself, a thousand pardons for my mistake and crime: too late I see my error, pity and forgive me; and let me have a priest, for I believe I am a dead man.’ _Octavio_ was extremely moved with compassion at these words, and immediately sent his page, who was alarmed up in the crowd, for a Father and a surgeon; and he declared before the rest, that he forgave that stranger, meaning _Octavio_, since he had, by a mistake of his footman, pulled on his own death, and had deserved it: and thereupon, as well as he could, he told them for whom he had mistaken _Octavio_, who, having injured his honour, he had vowed revenge upon; and that he took the