"You might not believe this, … but Larzio Messus, the composer, has approached me once again! The poor fellow

"You might not believe this, … but Larzio Messus, the composer, has approached me once again! The poor fellow has finally finished his opera, and now he's been taken ill by consumption. He needs to find a stage to present his work to the public, but he's been bedridden for a week now. This may well be his final request..."