Volume I Part 45 (1/2)
As soon as I had landed with , I presented enerale, who proain that I should soon be promoted to a lieutenancy After my visit to him, I called upon M
Camporese, my captain, and ell received by hialleases, M D---- R-----, to whom M Antonio Dolfin, hom I had travelled from Venice to Corfu, had kindly recommended me After a short conversation, he asked me if I would remain with him with the title of adjutant I did not hesitate one instant, but accepted, saying how deeply honoured I felt by his offer, and assuring him that he would always find me ready to carry out his orders He immediately had me taken to my room, and, the next day, I found myself established in his house I obtained from my captain a French soldier to serve me, and I ell pleased when I found that the reat talker by nature, for he could take care of my beautiful head of hair, and I wanted to practise French conversation He was a good-for-nothing fellow, a drunkard and a debauchee, a peasant from Picardy, and he could hardly read or write, but I did not mind all that; all I wanted from him was to serve ood He was an as and of shable oods from Constantinople (except the wines), I found myself the owner of nearly five hundred sequins I redeeed in the hands of Jews, and turned intoof which I had no need I was deterahis honour
I must now make my readers acquainted with the sort of life ere at that ti in Corfu As to the city itself, I will not describe it, because there are already many descriptions better than the one I could offer in these pages
We had then in Corfu the 'proveditore-generale' who had sovereign authority, and lived in a style of great nificence That post was then filled by M Andre Dolfin, a norant He no longer cared for women, but liked to be courted by the, and the supper-table was always laid for twenty-four persons
We had three field-officers of the alleys, and three field-officers for the troops of the line on board the aleass had a captain called 'sopracomito', and we had ten of those captains; we had likewise ten co three 'capi di ed to the nobility of Venice Ten young Venetian noblee, were at Corfu as midshi+pmen in the navy We had, besides, about a dozen civil clerks in the police of the island, or in the adrandi offciali di terra' Those ere blessed with handso their houses very much frequented by admirers who aspired to win the favours of the ladies, but there was not , perhaps for the reason that there were then in Corfuwas allowed everywhere, and that all absorbing passion was very prejudicial to the emotions of the heart
The lady as then allantry was Madaalley, had coreatly astonished all the naval officers
Thinking that she had the privilege of the choice, she had given the preference to M D---- R-----, and had dismissed all the suitors who presented themselves M F---- had married her on the very day she had left the convent; she was only seventeen years of age then, and he had brought her on board his galley ie ceremony
I saw her for the first time at the dinner-table on the very day of reat i at a supernatural being, so infinitely above all the women I had ever seen, that it seemed impossible to fall in love with her She appeared to reatly superior toup to her
I even went so far as to persuadebut a Platonic friendshi+p could exist between her and M D---- R-----, and that M F---- was quite right now not to shew any jealousy Yet, that M F---- was a perfect fool, and certainly not worthy of such a woman The impression , and the nature of it soon changed, but in a novel manner, at least as far as I was concerned
My position as adjutant procuredat M D---- R-----'s table, but nothing n in the arreatest fool I had ever seen, shared that honour with uests, for nobody ever spoke to us, and, what is more, no one ever honoured us with a look
It used to put e I knew very well that people acted in that h no real contempt for us, but it went very hard with ue, Sanzonio, should not complain of such treatment, because he was a blockhead, but I did not feel disposed to allow ht or ten days, Madalance upon reeable to me I felt piqued, vexed, provoked, and the more so because I could not suppose that the lady acted in that hly pleased if there had been premeditation on her part I felt satisfied that I was a nobody in her esti somebody, I wanted her to know it At last a circu that she could address me, she was co observed that a very, very fine turkey had been placed before me, told me to carve it, and I immediately went to work I was not a skilful carver, and Mada at my want of dexterity, toldht not to have undertaken it Full of confusion, and unable to answer her aswith spite and hatred against her To crownone day to address me, she asked ht, ever since I had been the adjutant of M D---- R----; therefore she ought to have known -table, and I had becoainst Madaht
I had placed my money in the hands of a certain Maroli, a amester by profession, who held the faro bank at the coffee-house We were partners; I helped him when he dealt, and he rendered me the same office when I held the cards, which was often the case, because he was not generally liked He used to hold the cards in a hich frightened the punters; my manners were very different, and I was very lucky Besides I was easy and s any avidity, and that is a manner which always pleases the punters
This Maroli was the, when I returned, that I was resolved not to be duped anythe wisemust necessarily ruin all those who meddle with it But as Maroli had won ht extent, I was very careful Wewas over; the cashi+er kept the capital of the bank, the winnings were divided, and each took his share away Lucky at play, enjoying good health and the friendshi+p of my comrades, henever the opportunity offered, always found enerous and ready to serve them, I would have been well pleased with my position if I had been a little more considered at the table of M D---- R-----, and treated with less haughtiness by his lady ithout any reason, seemed disposed to humiliate me My self-love was deeply hurt, I hated her, and, with such a disposition of mind, the more I admired the perfection of her charence Shehers upon me, for all I wanted was not to be compelled to hate her, and I could not understand what pleasure it could be for her to be detested, while with only a little kindness she could have been adored I could not ascribe her iven her the slightest proof of the opinion I entertained of her beauty, and I could not therefore attribute her behaviour to a passion which reeable in her eyes; M D---- R---- seehtfor hi wory with myself because I felt that, if it had not been for the ht of her, andof hatred entertained bywhich until then I had never known to exist in me, and the discovery of which overwhelentle the dinner-table, a roll of gold that he had lost upon trust; Madame F---- saw it, and she said to me very abruptly,--
”What do you do with your ainst possible losses”
”But as you do not indulge in any expense it would be better for you not to play; it is tiiven to pleasure is never ti man wastes is that which is consumed in weariness, because when he is a prey to ennui he is likely to fall a prey to love, and to be despised by the object of his affection”
”Very likely; but you a up your money, and shew yourself to be a miser, and a miser is not less contemptible than a loves?”
You hter was all on her side, and reater because I could not deny that she was quite right It was the adjutant's business to give the ladies an ares, and it was not proper to fulfil that duty without gloves I felt mortified, and the reproach of avarice hurt me deeply I would a thousand times rather that she had laid my error to a want of education; and yet, so full of contradictions is the hu an appearance of elegance which the state of loves, and I resolved to avoid her and to abandon her to the insipid and dull gallantry of Sanzonio, who sported gloves, but whose teeth were rotten, whose breath was putrid, ore a wig, and whose face seemed to be covered with shrivelled yellow parche and spite, and the most absurd part of it all was that I felt unhappy because I could not control ood conscience, I could not find guilty of anything She had for me neither love nor dislike, which was quite natural; but being young and disposed to enjoy myself I had become, without any wilful malice on her part, an eye-sore to her and the butt of her bantering jokes, which reatly For all that I had an ardent wish to punish her and toelse At one tience and allan aeher with contempt But I soon realized the i that I should succeed in finding my way to her heart, was I the man to resist my own success with such a wo-minded But I was the pet child of fortune, andsent aleazza', I had to wait until ht to deliver them, and when I returned I found that M D---- R---- had retired to his apart I went to him to render an account of my mission I had been with hi that Mada for an answer M D---- R---- read the note, tore it to pieces, and in his excitements He walked up and down the roo for the adjutant, to whom he delivered it He then recovered his usual composure, concluded the perusal of the dispatch sent by M de Condul it over when the valet ca me that Madame F---- desired to see me M
D---- R---- told me that he did not require o I left the rooone ten yards when he called ed to assure him that I ell aware of that I ran to Madaer to knohat she wanted with reatly surprised to find her sitting up in bed, her countenance flushed and excited, and her eyes red fro My heart was beating quickly, yet I did not knohy
”Pray be seated,” she said, ”I wish to speak with you”
”Madareat a favour, and I have not yet done anything to deserve it; allow ”