About two o’clock
At the house of Cardinal -- , at Naples , celebrated for its revels , this gentleman became a constant guest . He entered with a mad eagerness into every species of dissipation , although none gave him pleasure , and his fortune , his health , and the powers of his mind were all fast vanishing . One night of frantic dissipation a mock election of Master of the Sports was proposed , and the hero of my tale had the splendid gratification of being chosen by unanimous consent to this new office . About two o'clock of the same night he left the palace of the Cardinal , with an intention of returning ; his way on his return led by the Chiaja . It was one of those nights which we witness only in the south . The blue and brilliant sea was sleeping beneath a cloudless sky ; and the moon not only shed her light over the orange and lemon trees , which , springing from their green banks of myrtle , hung over the water , but added fresh lustre to the white domes and glittering towers of the city , and flooded Vesuvius and the distant coast with light as far even as Capua . The individual of whom I am speaking had passed this spot on many nights when the moon was not less bright , the waves not less silent , and the orange trees not less sweet ; but to-night something irresistible impelled him to stop .