The Severed Hand | Page 3

said: "Not so, sir, kindly first tell me where;
you might also let me see your countenance a little, in order to
convince me that you wish me no harm." The red one, however, did not
seem to pay any attention to this. "If thou art unwilling, Zaleukos,
remain," he replied, and continued his way. I grew angry. "Do you
think," I exclaimed, "a man like myself allows himself to be made a
fool of, and to have waited on this cold night for nothing?"
In three bounds I had reached him, seized him by his cloak, and cried
still louder, whilst laying hold of my sabre with my other hand. His
cloak, however, remained in my hand, and the stranger had disappeared
round the nearest corner. I became calmer by degrees. I had the cloak at
any rate, and it was this which would give me the key to this
remarkable adventure. I put it on and continued my way home. When I
was at a distance of about a hundred paces from it, some one brushed
very closely by me and whispered in the language of the Franks: "Take
care, Count, nothing can be done to-night." Before I had time, however,

to turn round, this somebody had passed, and I merely saw a shadow
hovering along the houses. I perceived that these words did not concern
me, but rather the cloak, yet it gave me no explanation concerning the
affair. On the following morning I considered what was to be done. At
first I had intended to have the cloak cried in the streets, as if I had
found it. But then the stranger might send for it by a third person, and
thus no light would be thrown upon the matter. Whilst I was thus
thinking, I examined the cloak more closely. It was made of thick
Genoese velvet, scarlet in color, edged with Astrachan fur and richly
embroidered with gold. The magnificent appearance of the cloak put a
thought into my mind which I resolved to carry out.
I carried it into my shop and exposed it for sale, but placed such a high
price upon it that I was sure nobody would buy it. My object in this was
to scrutinize everybody sharply who might ask for the fur cloak; for the
figure of the stranger, which I had seen but superficially, though with
some certainty, after the loss of the cloak, I should recognize amongst a
thousand. There were many would-be purchasers for the cloak, the
extraordinary beauty of which attracted everybody; but none resembled
the stranger in the slightest degree, and nobody was willing to pay such
a high price as two hundred sequins for it. What astonished me was that
on asking somebody or other if there was not such a cloak in Florence,
they all answered "No," and assured me they never had seen so
precious and tasteful a piece of work.
Evening was drawing near, when at last a young man appeared, who
had already been to my place, and who had also offered me a great deal
for the cloak. He threw a purse with sequins upon the table, and
exclaimed: "Of a truth, Zaleukos, I must have thy cloak, should I turn
into a beggar over it!" He immediately began to count his pieces of
gold. I was in a dangerous position: I had only exposed the cloak, in
order merely to attract the attention of my stranger, and now a young
fool came to pay an immense price for it. However, what could I do? I
yielded; for on the other hand I was delighted at the idea of being so
handsomely recompensed for my nocturnal adventure.
The young man put the cloak around him and went away, but on

reaching the threshold he returned; whilst unfastening a piece of paper
which had been tied to the cloak, and throwing it towards me, he
exclaimed: "Here, Zaleukos, hangs something which I dare say does
not belong to the cloak." I picked up the piece of paper carelessly, but
behold, on it these words were written: "Bring the cloak at the
appointed hour to-night to the Ponte Vecchio, four hundred sequins are
thine." I stood thunderstruck. Thus I had lost my fortune and
completely missed my aim! Yet I did not think long. I picked up the
two hundred sequins, jumped after the one who had bought the cloak,
and said: "Dear friend, take back your sequins, and give me the cloak; I
cannot possibly part with it." He first regarded the matter as a joke; but
when he saw that I was in earnest, he became angry at my demand,
called me a fool, and finally it came to blows.
However, I was fortunate enough to wrench the cloak