In The Mean Time I Armed Myself With My Sword In
One Hand And My Cane In The Other.
The inn-keeper immediately
entered, pale and staring, and when I demanded his bill, he told
me, with a profound reverence that he should be satisfied with
whatever I myself thought proper to give.
Surprised at this
moderation, I asked if he should be content with twelve livres,
and he answered, "Contentissimo," with another prostration. Then
he made an apology for the bad accommodation of his house, and
complained, that the reproaches of the other gentleman, whom he
was pleased to call my majorduomo, had almost turned his brain.
When he quitted the room, his cameriere, laying hold of his
master's last words, pointed to his own forehead, and said, he
had informed the gentleman over night that his patron was mad.
This day we were by a high wind in the afternoon, driven for
shelter into Porto Mauritio, where we found the post-house even
worse than that of Finale; and what rendered it more shocking was
a girl quite covered with the confluent smallpox, who lay in a
room through which it was necessary to pass to the other
chambers, and who smelled so strong as to perfume the whole
house. We were but fifteen miles from St. Remo, where I knew the
auberge was tolerable, and thither I resolved to travel by land.
I accordingly ordered five mules to travel post, and a very
ridiculous cavalcade we formed, the women being obliged to use
common saddles; for in this country even the ladies sit astride.
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