Volume I Part 29 (1/2)
After breakfast we took a walk through the garden, and, finding myself alone with Lucrezia, I expostulated tenderly with her for having almost thrown her sister in my arms
”Do not reproach ht into the darkness ofsister's soul; I have initiated her in the sweetest ofhatred for you, she must love you dearly, and as I am so unhappy as to have to part from you very soon, my beloved, I leave her to you; she will replace me”
”Ah, Lucrezia! how can I love her?”
”Is she not a charirl?”
”No doubt of it; but ainst any other love Besides Don Francisco must, of course, entirely monopolize her, and I do not wish to cause coolness between them, or to ruin the peace of their home I am certain your sister is not like you, and I would bet that, even now, she upbraids herself for having given way to the ardour of her temperament:”
”Most likely; but, dearest, I ament in the course of this week, and then the short instants of happiness will for ever be lost to me”
This was sad news indeed, and to cause a diversion at the breakfast-table I took enerous Don Francisco, and pro-day, which had been fixed for the early part of January
We returned to Rome, and for the three hours that she ith me in my vis-a-vis, Lucrezia had no reason to think that my ardour was at all abated But e reached the city I was rather fatigued, and proceeded at once to the palace
Lucrezia had guessed rightly; her husband obtained his judgment three or four days afterwards, and called upon me to announce their departure for the day after the morrow; he expressed his warm friendshi+p for s with Lucrezia, but ere always surrounded by the fareeable surprise, I left Roht they would put up for the night, but the advocate, having been detained by several engagements, was detained in Rome, and they only reached the place next day for dinner
We dined together, we exchanged a sad, painful farewell, and they continued their journey while I returned to Ro woman, I foundman whose heart is not full of hope
I passed whole days inextracts from the French letters written by the cardinal, and his eh to tell me that my extracts were judiciouslyso hard The beautiful marchioness was present when he paid me that compliment
Since my second visit to her, I had not presented myself at her house; she was consequently rather cool tome feel her displeasure, she remarked to his ereat void caused by the departure of Donna Lucrezia
”I candidly confess, enerous; above all, she was indulgent when I did not call often upon her My friendshi+p for her was innocent”
”I have no doubt of it, although your ode was the work of a poet deeply in love”
”Oh!” said the kindly cardinal, ”a poet cannot possibly write without professing to be in love”
”But,” replied the marchioness, ”if the poet is really in love, he has no need of professing a feeling which he possesses”
As she was speaking, the marchioness drew out of her pocket a paper which she offered to his ereat honour to the poet, for it is admitted to be a masterpiece by all the literati in Rome, and Donna Lucrezia knows it by heart”
The cardinal read it over and returned it, s that, as he had no taste for Italian poetry, sheit into French rhyme if she wished him to admire it
”I only write French prose,” answered the marchioness, ”and a prose translation destroys half the beauty of poetry I a occasionally a little Italian poetry without any pretension to poetical fanificant glance in my direction
”I should consider myself fortunate,some of your poetry”
”Here is a sonnet of her ladyshi+p's,” said Cardinal S C
I took it respectfully, and I prepared to read it, but the amiable marchioness told me to put it in h she did not think the sonnet worth so ,” said Cardinal S C, ”you could bring it back, and dine with me” Cardinal Aquaviva io out purposely”