But "mentem mortalia tangunt!" The glass was soon laid aside: the
medal remained idly in his hand, and his mind would recur to the
things he had just seen and heard.
That an old bachelor should be caught at last by a pretty face, and
make a fool of himself in his mature age, was no unprecedented
phenomenon. That a man, who had never in any way made a fool of
himself at the proper age for such an operation, should, after all,
do so when those who did so in their salad days have become wise,
was not unheard of. Nevertheless, Signor Fortini, who, in the course
of his seventy years, had had a tolerably wide experience of
mankind, was astonished that the Marchese Lamberto di Castelmare
should have been tempted to act as he proposed to act.
"The very last man," said Signor Fortini musingly to himself, "that
I could have suspected of such a thing! The man who has the highest
reputation in the city for sound judgment and unexceptionable
conduct, to turn out the greatest fool! An old ass! How little be
dreams of what he is bringing upon himself. Let alone the terrible
fall, the disgrace,--in every way, disgrace and contempt and
ridicule! It seems impossible, even now, that he should be in
earnest. He must be mad! And, davvero, his manner was at times so
strange, that I could almost believe he really is not quite in his
right mind.
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