thoroughfare became busier and he slipped like an otter through
the festive crowds. And yet it was less hectic than usual here and he
was even able to walk at normal pace. Some daredevils had taken a
short-cut over the ice, but Vivaldi was not tempted and left the
frozen canal to the reckless.
By the time he arrived at his destination he was panting.
The walk had been longer than he was used to. The wooden
landing-stage next to the house had been stacked with marooned
gondolas and the main entrance on the water closed, so that all the
guests had been forced to walk the long way round to this evening’s
festivities and make use of the small entrance on the landward
side. Darkness had descended early that afternoon, but so much
light streamed out through the windows that it seemed the sun
itself had been invited to the ball. Antonio wanted to catch his
breath for a moment; after all, it would not look good to make his
entrance gasping. The cold air sliced deep and painfully into his
lungs, so that he felt himself becoming even more short of breath
and decided it would be best to get indoors. Pulling his cloak
around him, he pushed back the hood and stepped resolutely in the
direction of the entrance. The two ushers posted on either side
ignored the priest, letting him enter unhindered.
Before climbing the big staircase he again paused; after
the bitter cold it was warm here in the rowdy foyer and the sudden
change in temperature completely robbed him of breath. He leant
against the wall, making himself as inconspicuous as possible
while every kind of brightly coloured creature pushed past him.
This large entrance hall seemed to offer a foretaste of the piano
nobile, the great ballroom on the first floor, for here the scene was
already one of frenetic coquetry, drinking, hilarity and mutual
admiration. A cacophony of foreign languages and strong dialects
filled the air, all melting into an unintelligible din. Costumes stood
out in a kaleidoscope of colours against a monotonous background
of black worn by the gentlemen. The women were without exception
lovely to behold, and must have spent many hours before the mirror
perfecting their appearance for this evening. Vivaldi found
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