"Messer Donati?" he said with an inquiring look.
"The same," I bowed, and offered him a chair.
"The devil!" he exclaimed, sinking into it, "but it is like an ascent to heaven for a sinner to reach you," and he mopped his face with a large handkerchief, "that curmudgeon downstairs, the intendant, flatly refused to inform me where you were, until I mentioned I came from the Secretary."
"Yes--or _diavolo!_--how was I to find you? Let me tell you, sir, your consequence was much increased thereby," he puffed rather than spoke.
"I do not doubt it," and I marvelled at Machiavelli having selected this garrulous fool to be the bearer of his letter.
Subsequently I discovered that the Secretary did this deliberately, in order, if complications arose, to be able to deny that he had any hand in a transaction, in which an obscure soldier like myself, and a notorious old scamp like Buonoccorsi had borne part. In fact he very often adopted an artifice such as this, namely first sending public despatches solemnly by a known official of state, and following them up at once by a secret letter, which either confirmed them, or put quite a different complexion on their meaning; taking care to choose his messengers in such a manner that he would have nothing to fear from failure of theirs.
"I have come with a letter for you," Buonoccorsi continued, and pulling from a breast pocket a sealed but unaddressed packet, he handed it to me. "His excellency," he said, "tells me you know what to do with this."
"I do," I gave answer, and examining the seals carefully, put the letter in the pocket of a vest, which I wore under my buff-coat.
"Then that is done," he replied, "and now, signore, have you anything to drink--my throat is like a limekiln?"
"I am sorry I have not, but if you will accompany me to the Marzocco."
"The Marzocco! Blood of St. John! No more Marzoccos for me," he burst in, as the red went out of his cheek at the very thought of last night's affair. "Man alive! if Florence only knew what happened last night, the whole place would be in an uproar. It was lucky for the Secretary that you came to his aid, as I had to protect La Sirani--ladies first, you know--and could not help his excellency in any way."