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Excepting the painful necessity of separation the offer appeared

to both mother and daughter very inviting, were it only on

account of the short distance from the castle to their village.

Reading in each other's countenance their mutual assent, they

accepted with many thanks the kindness of Donna Prassede, who

renewing her kind promises, said she would soon send them a

letter to present to the cardinal. The two females having

departed, she requested Don Ferrante to write a letter, who,

being a literary and learned man, was employed as her secretary

on occasions of importance. In an affair of this sort, Don

Ferrante did his best, and he gave the original to his wife in

order that she could copy it; he warmly recommended to her an

attention to the orthography, as orthography was among the great

number of things he had studied, and among the small number over

which he had control in his family. The letter was forthwith

copied and sent to the tailor's house.