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 4709 
 
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 1921 
 
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 ■ '.' 1 
 
 
 
THE 
 
 DIALOGUE 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 oAn ALMANAC SELLER 
 
 A N D A 
 
 PASSER-BY 
 
 The A U T H O R 
 
 QIACOMO LEOTA%DI 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO 
 
 e/f oNew Tear Qreeting from Edwin and Robert Grabhom 
 
 M CM XX I 
 
THE if^i 
 
 DIALOGUE 
 
 Translated from the Italian by 
 
 CHARLES EDWARDES 
 
 Almanac Seller. Almanacs! New Almanacs! New 
 
 Calendars! Who wants new Almanacs? 
 
 Passer-by. Almanacs for the New Year? 
 
 Almanac Seller. Yes, Sir. 
 
 Passer-by. Do you think this New Year will be a 
 
 happy one ? 
 
 Almanac Seller. Yes, to be sure. Sir. 
 
 Passer-by. As happy as last year? 
 
 Almafiac Seller. Much more so. 
 
 Passer-by. As the year before? 
 
 Almanac Seller. Still more, Sir. 
 
 Passer-by. Why ? Should you not like the New Year 
 
 to resemble one of the past years? 
 
 M 35 «7 
 
4 The DIALOGUE 
 
 Almanac Seller. No, Sir, I should not. 
 
 Passer-by. How many years have gone by since you 
 
 began to sell almanacs? 
 
 Almanac Seller. About twenty years, Sir. 
 
 Passer-by. Which of the twenty should }'ou wish the 
 
 New Year to be like? 
 
 Almanac Seller. I do not know. 
 
 Passer-by. Do you not remember any particular year 
 
 which you thought a happy one? 
 
 Almanac Seller. Indeed I do not, Sir. 
 
 Passer-by. And yet life is a fine thing, is it not ? 
 
 Almanac Seller. So they say. 
 
 Passer-by. Would you not like to live these twenty 
 
 years, and even all your past life from }^our birth, 
 
 over again? 
 
 Almanac Seller. Ah, dear Sir, would to God I could ! 
 
 Passer-by. But if you had to live over again the life 
 
 you have already lived, with all its pleasures and 
 
 sufferings ? 
 
 Almanac Seller. I should not like that. 
 
The DIALOGUE 5 
 
 Passer-by. Then what other life would you like to 
 live? Mine, or that of the Prince, or whose? Do you 
 not think that I, or the Prince, or anyone else, would 
 reply exaftly as you have done; and that no one 
 would wish to repeat the same life over again ? 
 Almanac Seller. I do believe that. 
 Passer-by. Then would you recommence it on this 
 condition, if none other were offered you? 
 Almanac Seller. No, Sir, indeed I would not. 
 Tasser-by. Then what life would you like? 
 Almanac Seller. Such an one as God would gi\'e me 
 without any conditions. 
 
 Passer-by. A life at hap-hazard, and of \vhich you 
 would know nothing beforehand, as }'Ou know 
 nothing about the New Year? 
 Alma?iac Seller. Exa61;ly. 
 
 Passer-by. It is what I should wish, had I to live my 
 life over again, and so would every one. But this 
 proves that Fate has treated us all badly. And it is 
 clear that each person is of opinion that the evil he 
 
6 The DIALOGUE 
 
 has experienced exceeds the good, if no one would 
 
 wish to be re-born on condition of living his own 
 
 life over again from the beginning, with just its same 
 
 proportion of good and evil. This life, which is such 
 
 a fine thing, is not the life we are acquainted with, 
 
 but that of which we know nothing; it is not the 
 
 past life, but the fiiture. With the New Year Fate 
 
 will commence treating you, and me, and everyone 
 
 well, and the happy life will begin. Am I not right? 
 
 Almanac Seller. Let us hope so. 
 
 Passer-by. Show me the best almanac you have. 
 
 Almanac Seller. Here it is, Sir. This is worth thirty 
 
 soldi. 
 
 Passer-by. Here are thirty soldi. 
 
 Almanac Seller. Thank you, Sir. Good day, Sir. — 
 
 Almanacs! New Almanacs! New Calendars!