He had relieved the first embarrassment of the situation.
"There have been preparations at Astrardente for your reception, too," answered the Duchessa.

"There was a difficulty of choice, as there are about a hundred vacant rooms in the house.

The butler proposed to give you a suite of sixteen to pass the night in, but I selected an airy little nook in one of the wings, where you need only go through ten to get to your bedroom." "There is nothing like space," said the Prince; "it enlarges the ideas." "I cannot imagine what my father would do if his ideas were extended," remarked Giovanni.

"Everything he imagines is colossal already.

He talks about tunnelling the mountains for my aqueduct, as though it were no more trouble than to run a stick through a piece of paper." "Your aqueduct, indeed!" exclaimed his father.