Zicci, Complete

l thing? A Venetian noble might be a fribble or an assassin, a scoundrel, or a dolt, worthless, or worse than worthless; yet he might have sat to Titian, and his

nsual, but resolute lips; this man was the Prince di-. His form, middle-sized, but rather inclined to corpulence, was clothed in a loose dressing-r

embrasure of the deep-set barricaded window, "well, you cannot even guess who this

ture who had the courage to thwart the projects of the Pri

who it was, most

our Exc

ic

But why does your Excellency feel s

it I almost fancy there is such a thing as conscience. However, we must rid ourselves of an impertinent. Mascari, Signor Zic

e! The cypress is the pr

ange stories of his power and foresight,-remember

nfatuated. The actres

oasted that no woman ever escaped their lust, and no man their resentment. The crown of my fathers has shrunk into a gewga

ade?" said Masc

self? The situation is lonely, a

the gentleman of the chamber

hen, with a smile at his own impulse, rose, and met the foreigner at the t

d the Prince; "I have long desired th

in a sweet but chilling voice. "To no man yet in Naples have

ressed; but as he touched it, a shiver

smiling eyes, and then seate

nd, your Excellency, that, unconsciously perhaps, we are rivals. Can we not accommodate our pretensions? A girl of no mo

t; the Prince, no less surprised, but far too well

led my night's chase and robbed me of my w

knew not who it was, or my respec

ou profited by my defeat, and did not content yourse

cci, lightly; "whoever wins the wr

her,-well; but they tell me

Mascari ca

Mascari,

gravely in the box, and rattled them noisily, while Zicci threw himself back

ce with his patron and thre

ci, calmly; "nevertheless, Sig

olled the contents once more upon the table; the n

on, who stood with gaping mouth staring at the

," said Zicci: "may

on, "the victory is already yours. But, pardon me, you have spoken lig

ink so ill of

e that I do not yield ungraciously: will you honor me with your p

s to hear one command of

tion, talked lightly and gayly

rince, grasping Mascari by the

operly arranged,-he should have thrown twelve;

he Prince, quitting hold of his paras

girl, if I die for it. Who laug

xcellency,

me," said the Pri