Volume I Part 68 (1/2)
His enthusiasratulated myself upon my oork Yet I felt inwardly soht have kept forbeen also invited by Charles, I ith them to P---- We found the dinner-table laid out in the rector's house by the servants of Count Algarotti, as acting as Charles's father, and having taken upon hi, had sent his cook and his major-domo to P----
When I saw Christine, the tears filled my eyes, and I had to leave the rooirl, but looked as lovely as a nyarotti had vainly tried to make her adopt the Venetian costume, but she had very wisely refused
”As soon as I am your wife,” she had said to Charles, ”I will dress as you please, but here I will not appear beforecompanions in any other costume than the one in which they have always seen hed at, and accused of pride, by the girls aht up”
There was in these words soenerous, that Charles thought his sweetheart a supernatural being He told me that he had enquired, froht, about the offers of e she had refused at that time, and that he had been much surprised, for two of those offers were excellent ones
”Christine,” he added, ”was evidently destined by Heaven for my happiness, and to you I am indebted for the precious possession of that treasure”
His gratitude pleasedthat I entertained no thought of abusing it I felt happy in the happiness I had thus given
We repaired to the church towards eleven o'clock, and were veryin A large number of the nobility of Treviso, curious to ascertain whether it was true that the irl would be publicly perfor only one month, a dispensation would have been useless, had co been obtained froined that there was some extraordinary reason for it, and was in despair because it was is of envy, every face bea couple made their appearance, and no one could deny that they deserved that extraordinary distinction, that exception to all established rules
A certain Countess of Tos, from Treviso, Christine's God-mother, went up to her after the cere that the happy event had not been communicated to her in Treviso Christine, in her artless way, answered with as ive her if she had failed in her duty towards her, on account of thebeen decided on so hastily She presented her husband, and begged Count Algarotti to atone for her error towards her God- repast, an invitation which the countess accepted with great pleasure That behaviour, which is usually the result of a good education and a long experience of society, was in the lovely peasant-girl due only to a candid and well-balanced mind which shone all the more because it was all nature and not art
As they returned from the church, Charles and Christine knelt down before the young wife'swith tears of joy
Dinner was served, and, of course, Christine and her happy spouse took the seats of honour Mine was the last, and I was very glad of it, but although everything was delicious, I ate very little, and scarcely openedpretty things to every one of her guests, and looking at her husband to make sure that he was pleased with her
Once or twice she addressed his aunt and sister in such a gracioustheir places and kissing her tenderly, congratulating Charles upon his good fortune I was seated not very far froarotti, and I heard him say several times to Christine's God-hted in his life
When four o'clock struck, Charles whispered a feords to his lovely wife, she bowed to her God-mother, and everybody rose from the table
After the usual compliments--and in this case they bore the stairls of the village, ere in the adjoining rooar-plums which had been prepared before hand, and she took leave of thearotti invited all the guests to sleep at a house he had in Treviso, and to partake there of the dinner usually given the day after the wedding The uncle alone excused hi to her disease which prevented her froood woe
Christine therefore left her village to follow her husband, and for the reether in arotti, Christine's God-ether The bride and bridegrooe to themselves, and I kept the aunt and the sister of Charles co the happy h in my inmost heart I felt pleased with his happiness
The sister was not withoutof twenty-five, and still deserved the hoave the preference to the aunt, who told me that her new niece was a treasure, a jehich orthy of everybody's ado into society until she could speak the Venetian dialect well
”Her cheerful spirits,” she added, ”her artless simplicity, her natural wit, are like her beauty, they hly pleased with ations towards you I hope that for the future you will consider our house as your own”
The invitation was polite, perhaps it was sincere, yet I did not avail lad of it At the end of one year Christine presented her husband with a living token of their al felicity
We all found comfortable quarters in the count's house in Treviso, where, after partaking of souests retired to rest
The next arotti and ht, and radiant While he was answering withat him with some anxiety, but he came up to me and embraced me warmly I confess that a kiss never made me happier