He was very happy and very silent when it was over; and we were the last to leave the theatre, for we feared the enthusiasm of the crowd.

So we waited till everyone had gone, and then marched home together, for it was a fine night.

I walked on one side of Nino and De Pretis on the other, all of us carrying as many flowers as we could; Mariuccia came behind, with the cat under her shawl.

I did not discover until we reached home why she had brought the beast.
Then she explained that, as there was so much food in the kitchen in anticipation of our supper, she had been afraid to leave the cat alone in the house, lest we should find nothing left to eat when we returned.

This was sufficiently prudent for a scatter-brained old spendthrift like Mariuccia.
That was a merry supper, and De Pretis became highly dramatic when we got to the second flask..