Then I shut myself up in my room and read Nino's letter over again, though it pained me very much; for I needed courage.

And when I had read it, I took some papers in my pocket, and put on my hat and my old cloak, which Nino will never want any more now for his midnight serenades, and I went out to sell my little vineyard.
"It is for my boy," I said, to give myself some comfort.
But it is one thing to want to buy, and it is quite another thing to want to sell.

All day I went from one man to another with my papers,--all the agents who deal in those things; but they only said they thought it might be sold in time; it would take many days, and perhaps weeks.
"But I want to sell it to-day," I explained.
"We are very sorry," said they, with a shrug of the shoulders; and they showed me the door.
I was extremely down-hearted, and though I could not sell my piece of land I spent three sous in buying two cigars to smoke, and I walked about the Piazza Colonna in the sun; I would not go home to dinner until I had decided what to do.

There was only one man I had not tried, and he was the man who had sold it to me.

Of course I knew people who do this business, for I had had enough trouble to learn their ways when I had to sell Serveti, years ago.