There was no time to waste. Prospero told us wed leave the next morning, and there were borrowed items to return, people to greet one last time. I was feeling a little odd after what Prospero and Rico had to say, but maybe they felt odd about what I had told them. For now I had to but that out of my head: there was too much to do.

As soon as I got to the port I met the Baroness von Khr. She was strolling up and down the promenade with a small book in hand. I told her that we had found passage to the mainland and would be leaving. I do hope it is not permanent, she said. You know you have a place here.

Just then Professor Aldo Stern arrived. He is a professor in Torino. I thought that he came to Melioria on holidays, as so many people do, but no! He is on the regency council. I am sorry that you are going, my boy, he said. I have been quite impressed that you are a student as well as an apprentice. I was hoping to encourage you to study philosophy now that I see that you have studied Latin.

Thank you, Professor. Don Angelo had taught me Latin when so that I could serve the mass of the Patriarch when I was at Venice, and the Prince of Melioria has always kindly lent me some of his books and pushed me to study. It is their merit, not mine.

Since you are leaving, the professor said, I do hope you will return the princes books. I would hate to think they were lost at sea or stolen by smugglers.

Very good, Signor Professore, I bowed. I will return all the books within the hour.

The baroness spoke up: And what will you read when you go to the mainland, Fiorino?

Perhaps my face betrayed my own confusion, for I had not thought about reading. My only desire was to get home.

Listen, then, the baroness said. I am reading this little book of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. You would like it, I think. May I give you the book as gift?

Oh please no, Signora Baronessa, that is too kind, I responded quickly. It is not right that I accept it for we must travel very lightly and I do not know what we may have to do. But I cherish your offer, Signora, and I thank you.

The two nobles of the regency council gave me their leave, and I continued through the waterfront, greeting the shop keepers I knew and bidding them farewell. Keeping the Professors admonishments in mind, I returned to the Villa to bring back the Princes books to the library. Actually, I only still had one book at my place: Orlando furioso .

Orlando furioso is such an exciting book! Even if I found it hard to understand this epic by Ariosto when I first started reading, the story had me spellbound. I loved how Orlando traveled around the world to free the captives and to bring justice to the poor. This book had become my favorite and I was sorry to let it go. Yet, the professor was right. I must return the princes book to its place.

When I got to the library, I was surprised to see so many books on the floor, some opened, some closed with papers to mark the page where someone had been reading. I was about to put the copy of Orlando furioso back in its place on the shelf, but the confusion of books of the floor, and the smell of the musty pages inspired me to open Orlando furioso again and continue reading for a few minutes.

In no time I was following Orlando across fields and rivers and planes and mountains by the light of the volcano. A few minutes turned into hours, and suddenly it was time to eat.