I considered myself as a married man and under obligation to alter my way of living, and I stopped playing. I had won more than fifteen thousand ducats, and this sum added to what I had before and Leonilda’s dowry should have sufficed for an honest livelihood. Next day, as I was at supper with the duke and Leonilda, she said,-- “What will my mother say to-morrow evening, when she sees you?” “She will say that you are silly to marry a stranger whom you have only known for a week. Have you told her my name, my nation, my condition, and my age?” “I wrote to her as follows: “‘Dear mamma, come directly and sign my marriage contract with a gentleman introduced to me by the duke, with whom I shall be leaving for Rome on Monday next.’” “My letter ran thus,” said the duke, “‘Come without delay, and sign your daughter’s marriage contract, and give her your blessing. She has wisely chosen a husband old enough to be her father; he is a friend of mine.’” “That’s not true,” cried Leonilda, rushing to my arms, “she will think you are really old, and I am sorry.” “Is your mother an elderly woman?” “She’s a charming woman,” said the duke, “full of wit, and not thirty-eight yet.” “What has she got to do with Galiani?” “She is an intimate friend of the marchioness’s, and she lives with the family but pays for her board.” Next morning, having some business with my banker to attend to, I told the duke that I should not be able to see Leonilda till supper-time. I went there at eight o’clock and I found the three sitting in front of the fire. “Here he is!” cried the duke. As soon as the mother saw me she screamed and fell nearly fainting on a chair. I looked at her fixedly for a minute, and exclaimed,-- “Donna Lucrezia! I am fortunate indeed!” “Let us take breath, my dear friend. Come and sit by me. So you are going to marry my daughter, are you?” I took a chair and guessed it all. My hair stood on end, and I relapsed into a gloomy silence. The stupefied astonishment of Leonilda and the duke cannot be described. They could see that Donna Lucrezia and I knew each other, but they could not get any farther. As for myself, as I pondered gloomily and compared Leonilda’s age with the period at which I had been intimate with Lucrezia Castelli, I could see that it was quite possible that she might be my daughter; but I told myself that the mother could not be certain of the fact, as at the time she lived with her husband, who was very fond of her and not fifty years of age. I could bear the suspense no longer, so, taking a light and begging Leonilda and the duke to excuse me, I asked Lucrezia to come into the next room with me. As soon as she was seated, she drew me to her and said,--