T for the execution of his design; which he accordingly imparted to one
of his comrades: whereupon
the two men drew nigh the place where Calandrino sate alone, and
feigning not to see him fell a talking of the virtues of divers stones,
of which Maso spoke as aptly
and pertinently as if he had been a great and learned
lapidary. Calandrino heard what passed between them, and witting that
'twas no secret, after a while got up, and joined them, to Maso's no
small delight. He therefore continued his discourse, and being asked by
Calandrino, where these stones of such rare virtues were to be found,
made answer:--"Chiefly in Berlinzone, in the land of the Basques. The
district is called Bengodi, and there they
bind the
vines with sausages, and a denier will buy a goose and a gosling into
the bargain; and on a mountain, all of grated Parmesan cheese, dwell
folk that do nought else but make macaroni and
raviuoli,(1) and boil them in capon's broth, and then throw
them down to be scrambled for; and hard by flows a rivulet of
Vernaccia, the best that ever was
drunk, and never a drop of water therein." "Ah!
'tis a sweet country!" quoth Calandrino; "but tell
me, what becomes of the capons that they boil?"
"They are all eaten by the Basques," replied Maso. Then:--"Wast
thou ever there?" quoth Calandrino.
Whereupon:--"Was I ever there, sayst thou?" replied Maso. "Why, if I
have been there once, I have been there a
thousand times." "And how many miles is't from
here?" quoth Calandrino. "Oh!"
returned Maso, "more than thou couldst number in a night without
slumber." "Farther off, then, than the Abruzzi?"
