Volume I Part 67 (2/2)
”I should esteeeto yours”
These words excited Charles so much that he embraced me!
Christine was simple, but her artlessness did not come from herbut silliness, that of the heart is only ignorance and innocence; it is a quality which subsists even when the cause has ceased to be This young girl, alraceful in a thousand trifling hich cannot be described She was sincere, because she did not know that to conceal some of our impressions is one of the precepts of propriety, and as her intentions were pure, she was a stranger to that false shame and mock modesty which cause pretended innocence to blush at a word, or at a movement said orour journey back to Venice Charles spoke of nothing but of his happiness He had decidedly fallen in love
”I will call to-arotti,” he said to me, ”and you may write to the priest to come with all the necessary docun”
His delight and his surprise were intense when I told hi present to Christine was a dispensation from the Pope for her to be o full speed ahead!”
In the conference which was held the next day betweensubstitute, his God-father, and M Dandolo, it was decided that the parson should be invited to coe, and leaving Venice two hours beforeI reached P---- early The priest said he would be ready to start immediately after mass I then called on Christine, and I treated her to a fatherly and sentimental sermon, every word of which was intended to point out to her the true road to happiness in the new condition which she was on the point of adopting I told her how she ought to behave towards her husband, towards his aunt and his sister, in order to captivate their esteem and their love The last part oftofaithful to her husband, I was necessarily led to entreat her pardon for having seduced her ”When you proive way to our love, did you intend to deceive me?”
”Certainly not”
”Then you have not deceivedthought that, if our union should prove unhappy, it was better to find another husband for me, and I thank God that you have succeeded so well Tell me, nohat I can answer to your friend in case he should ask ht, why I aht to be?”
”It is not likely that Charles, who is full of reserve and propriety, would ask you such a thing, but if he should, tell him positively that you never had a lover, and that you do not suppose yourself to be different to any other girl”
”Will he believe me?”
”He would deserve your contempt, and entail punishment on himself if he did not But dismiss all anxiety; that will not occur A sensible ht up, never ventures upon such a question, because he is not only certain to displease, but also sure that he will never know the truth, for if the truth is likely to injure a woman in the opinion of her husband, she would be very foolish, indeed, to confess it”
”I understand yourperfectly, my dear friend; let us, then, embrace each other for the last time”
”No, for we are alone and I am very weak I adore thee as much as ever”
”Do not cry, dear friend, for, truly speaking, I have no wish for it”
That sied an to laugh Christine dressed herself splendidly, and after breakfast we left P---- We reached Venice in four hours I lodged the to the palace, I told M
Dandolo that our people had arrived, that it would be his province to bring the day, and to attend to the ether, because the honour of the future husband and wife, the respect due to their parents and to propriety, forbade any further interference on ly He brought Charles to me, I presented both of them to the curate and his niece, and then left them to complete their business
I heard afterwards froarotti, and at the office of a notary, where the contract ofa day for the wedding, Charles had escorted his intended back to P----
On his return, Charles paid me a visit He toldmanners the affection of his aunt, of his sister, and of his God-father, and that they had taken upon the
”We intend to be married,” he added, ”on such a day at P----, and I trust that you will crown your work of kindness by being present at the ceremony”
I tried to excuse ratitude, and with so much earnestness, that I was compelled to accept I listened with real pleasure to the account he gave me of the iarotti by the beauty, the artlessness, the rich toilet, and especially by the siirl
”I am deeply in love with her,” Charles said to me, ”and I feel that it is to you that I shall be indebted for the happiness I aet rid of her country way of talking in Venice, because here envy and slander will but too easily shew her the absurdity of it”