“No, for I fell purposely.” “Purposely? Oh, to deceive me! I would never have believed you capable of that. It is not fair to win by fraud; therefore I have not lost the race.” “Oh! yes, you have, for I reached the goal before you.” “Trick for trick; confess that you tried to deceive me at the start.” “But that is fair, and your trick is a very different thing.” “Yet it has given me the victory, and “Vincasi per fortund o per ingano, Il vincer sempre fu laudabil cosa”... “I have often heard those words from my brother, but never from my father. Well, never mind, I have lost. Give your judgment now, I will obey.” “Wait a little. Let me see. Ah! my sentence is that you shall exchange your garters for mine.” “Exchange our garters! But you have seen mine, they are ugly and worth nothing.” “Never mind. Twice every day I shall think of the person I love, and as nearly as possible at the same hours you will have to think of me.” “It is a very pretty idea, and I like it. Now I forgive you for having deceived me. Here are my ugly garters! Ah! my dear deceiver, how beautiful yours are! What a handsome present! How they will please my mother! They must be a present which you have just received, for they are quite new.” “No, they have not been given to me. I bought them for you, and I have been racking my brain to find how I could make you accept them. Love suggested to me the idea of making them the prize of the race. You may now imagine my sorrow when I saw that you would win. Vexation inspired me with a deceitful stratagem which arose from a feeling you had caused yourself, and which turned entirely to your honour, for you must admit that you would have shewn a very hard heart if you had not come to my assistance.” “And I feel certain that you would not have had recourse to that stratagem, if you could have guessed how deeply it would pain me.” “Do you then feel much interest in me?” “I would do anything in the world to convince you of it. I like my pretty garters exceedingly; I will never have another pair, and I promise you that my brother shall not steal them from me.” “Can you suppose him capable of such an action?” “Oh! certainly, especially if the fastenings are in gold.” “Yes, they are in gold; but let him believe that they are in gilt brass.” “Will you teach me how to fasten my beautiful garters?” “Of course I will.”