to say, and to give her a kind regard. The
beautiful young woman turned away her head
with an expression of contempt, and told the
elderly dame to leave her; but as the lady's
supplications increased in vehemence, the
younger one turned upon her heel, and her
cheek appeared flushed with offended pride.
The old lady then addressed the crowd, saying
that the cruel-hearted person was her daughter;
that an affair of gallantry, which caused
some sensation ten years back, was the cause
or the pretext of her daughter's disdain, and
that neither the absolution of the church nor
an exemplary life ever since had proved of
avail against the unnatural coldness of her
daughter. After many lamentations and tears,
the old lady in her anger uttered a malediction
upon her daughter, hoping that one day she
might fall, and in her turn implore in vain pity
and pardon. I was moved with compassion for
this unhappy mother, as were all who witnessed
this scene, and I uttered the inward wish to see
the proud beauty humiliated as she deserved.
That young lady was the wife of the jeweller,
Antonio Toldo.

"A few days afterwards, Titian being absent,
Lucrezia Toldo came to visit his atelier, and I
explained to her the subjects of different paintings
of which she was ignorant. Whilst showing
her a Magdalen, I told Lucrezia that the
work of Titian would have been perfect if
she had sat as a model: unless, indeed, some
hidden defect of structure were concealed by her
dress. Lucrezia replied that her dress
concealed no defects, and that Antonio Toldo
had told her that the structure of her form
was perfect; to which I replied that Toldo
was not a competent judge of the beauty
of form, and that the eye of a painter was
alone capable of deciding the question.
Notwithstanding her silence at this remark, I
perceived by the expression of her countenance
that she was desirous to ascertain if an artist
would pronounce as favourable an opinion of her
figure as Messer Toldo. The following day I met
her at Santa Martha, and meeting her again on
the Riva, she addressed me on the subject. I
perceived that vanity would lead her to
anything, and it was agreed between us that on an
appointed day and hour I was to proceed to her
house at San Salvador. Toldo had gone to
Udine on business, and she was to be as Titian's
model for his Magdalen. I gave a promise to
keep at a respectful distance. This was the
only condition imposed upon me. On the day
appointed, Lucrezia Toldo was ready to receive
me; but I did not keep the appointment. A
liaison, however, commenced between me and the
wife of Antonio Toldo. Lucrezia gave me a
key to the back door of the house, which led to
the Tedeschi Foundry, and I could enter and
leave by this secret door without being
observed by any one; so that it was not necessary
for any of the servants to be entrusted
with the secret. Not to neglect the occasion
of studying such a model, I made two or three
careful drawings of the lady, with a view to
compositions of nymphs, naiads, and such-like
conceptions.

"The natural levity of my age, and the
desire of entering the University of Padua, put
a stop to this intercourse. I left Venice
and the lessons of Titian. Either because she
still loved me, or because she was piqued at my
neglect, the fair Lucrezia lost sight of her usual
prudence. She sent messengers to me at Padua,
requesting me to return, and offering to
precure me interviews during the absence of her
husband. She wrote me two or three violent
letters, upbraiding me for my neglect. One day
I returned to Venice, and paid her a visit. I
was in her chamber when a waiting-maid came
in and informed us that Messer Antonio Toldo,
whom we thought at Friouli, had suddenly
returned. I slipped away by a secret gallery;
but at the end of the gallery I was met by
Lucrezia's little boy, a child of four years of
age, who did not know me, and who, on seeing a
stranger, screamed with fright. To make
matters worse, I met him again at the house door,
and stumbling over him in my hurry, tumbled
him down. Toldo hastened to the spot on
hearing his son's cries, and learnt from him that
a man had been in his wife's apartment.

"A few days after this incident, I was foolish
enough to go to Venice with some fellow-
students, and at the gate of St. Mark whom
should I meet but Messer Antonio and his son.
The child, on seeing me, drew back with fear, and,
pointing towards me, said that I was the man
who had pushed him down in the gallery. Toldo
cast a terrible glance at me, which revealed to
me that he guessed all that I wished to conceal
from him. The infidelity of his wife was also
revealed to him by another circumstance. Some
indiscreet personage opened the portfolio which
contained my drawings, and ill-naturedly showed
them to Toldo, who, from that moment, swore
to ruin me by every means in his power. It
was at this junction that the Jew, Macchabæus,
laid the snare for me, which came to light on
the trial. I was thrown into the dungeons of
the office of the Cinque for the pitiful debt of
fifty small livres; and as the death of a prisoner
is never inquired into, I should have been
assassinated if it had not been for the unforeseen
interference of the noble Francesco Contarini, to
whom I am indebted for my life. On regaining
my liberty, I was aware of the dangers I
incurred from the hatred of Toldo. Notwithstanding
my poor condition and the misfortunes of
my family, I could not forget that the blood of
the Gambara flowed in my veins, and my heart
sickened at the thought of dying ignobly in the
dress of a student, assassinated at some street
corner by a vender of precious stones. I
resolved to get rid of my importunate enemy by
mine own hand. I had in my possession an
old arquebuse, which I had always kept
concealed, owing to the letter G being inlaid in the
butt, and which might have revealed my
relationship to the Gambaras. The Thursday of
the Carnival seemed to me a fit day for carrying
my plan into execution. I wrote to the jeweller