Page:The genius - Carl Grosse tr Joseph Trapp 1796.djvu/256

 times, much to his joy, she shammed to fix her choice on me or some other; but terminated after all by selecting the baron. Bound as he was by his parole of honor, he could not be off the bargain. He clandestinely pulled out his watch, and having convinced himself, that it was near upon the stroke of one, cocked his hat with all possible martial grace, and took leave of the company. He had not proceeded quite as far as the lodge-door, when his cockade dropping from his hat over his face, he shrunk back with trepidation, and set us all on a roar. He then collected himself once more, threw the cockade with an air of contempt into a corner, and strutted away.

"We picked it up again, determined to make some good use of it. He was no sooner gone, than the marquis informed the company of his plan, and of the measures he had taken to put it in execution. He then gave the gentlemen their choice to act such parts as they should like. Two of us immediately offered to perform the principal characters, viz. Don Guiacomo Naros, a nobleman of a