Luckily, passion does not keep me long under its sway: 'Irasci, celerem tamen et placabilem esse'.

After I had wasted my time in hurling at her bitter reproaches, the force of which did not strike her, and in proving to her that she was a stupid fool, she refuted all my arguments by the most complete silence.

There was nothing to do but to resign myself, and, although not yet in the best of tempers, I went to work.

What I am going to write will probably not be so good as what I had composed when I felt in the proper humour, but my readers must be satisfied with it they will, like the engineer, gain in time what they lose in strength.
I landed at Orsera while our ship was taking ballast, as a ship cannot sail well when she is too light, and I was walking about when I remarked a man who was looking at me very attentively.

As I had no dread of any creditor, I thought that he was interested by my fine appearance; I could not find fault with such a feeling, and kept walking on, but as I passed him, he addressed me: "Might I presume to enquire whether this is your first visit to Orsera, captain ?" "No, sir, it is my second visit to this city." "Were you not here last year ?" "I was." "But you were not in uniform then ?" "True again; but your questions begin to sound rather indiscreet." "Be good enough to forgive me, sir, for my curiosity is the offspring of gratitude.