Volume II Part 7 (1/2)
”I do not want to sell it”
”Excuse me if I have disturbed you, but you look ill”
”Yes, I wish to be left alone”
”What is thenearer my bed, he took my hand, and found my pulse extremely low and weak
”What did you eat yesterday?”
”I have eaten nothing, thank God I for two days”
Guessing the real state of things, De la Haye became anxious, and entreated me to take some broth He threw so much kindness, so h weakness and weariness, I allowedthe name of Henriette, he treated me to a sers of this life which we are foolish enough to prefer, and upon the necessity of respecting our existence, which does not belong to us
I was listening without answering one word, but, after all, I was listening, and De la Haye, perceiving his advantage, would not leave th to resist, and when the dinner was served, I ate so Then De la Have saw that he had conquered, and for the re me by his cheerful conversation
The next day the tables were turned, for it was I who invited him to keep me company and to dine with me It seemed to me that I had not lost a particle of my sadness, but life appeared tothat I was indebted to hireat friend of him My readers will see presently that my affection for him went very far, and they will, like me, marvel at the cause of that friendshi+p, and at the ht about
Three or four days afterwards, Dubois, who had been infor by De la Haye, called on o out I went to the theatre, where I made the acquaintance of several Corsican officers, who had served in France, in the Royal Italian regi man from Sicily, named Paterno, the wildest and most heedless felloas possible to see He was in love with an actress who made a fool of him He amused me with the enumeration of all her adorable qualities, and of all the cruelties she was practising upon hih she received him at all hours, she repulsed hihtest favour In thehim pay constantly for excellent dinners and suppers, which were eaten by her family, but which did not advance him one inch towards the fulfilthat she was not without beauty I expressed a wish to know her Paterno was delighted to introduce me to her
I found that she was of tolerably easy virtue, and, knowing that she was very far fro in riches, I had no doubt that fifteen or twenty sequins would be quite sufficient to hts to Paterno, but he laughed and told me that, if I dared to make such a proposition to her, she would certainly shut her door against me He naain, because they hadman, ”I wish you would make the attempt, and tell me the result candidly”
I felt piqued, and pro-roo our conversation to praise the beauty of my watch, I told her that she could easily obtain possession of it, and I said at what price She answered, according to the catechisht to irl
”I offer only one ducat,” said I, ”to those who are not respectable”
And I left her
When I told Paterno what had occurred, he fairly jumped for joy, but I knehat to think of it all, for 'cosi sono tutte', and in spite of all his entreaties, I declined to be present at his suppers, which were far froave the fa at the poor fool as paying for theht days afterwards, Paterno told me that the actress had related the affair to him exactly in the same words which I had used, and she had added that, if I had ceasedme at my word in case I should renew my proposal I commissioned him to tell her that I would pay her another visit, not to renew ht make me herself
The heedless fellow fulfilled his co insulted, told him that she dared me to call on her Perfectly deter-roo, after the second act of a play in which she had not to appear again She dis that she wanted to speak with racefully onme whether it was true that I despised her so e to insult a wo, I set to work at once, withouteven with that show of resistance which sharpens the appetite In spite of that, dupe as I alas of a feeling truly absurd when an intelligent ave her twenty sequins, and I confess that it was paying dearly for very shed at the stupidity of Paterno, who did not seeenerally end
I saw the unlucky son of Sicily the nextfound the actress very dull, I would not see her again Such was truly my intention, but a very important reason, which nature took care to explain to h a much more serious motive than a sih I was deeply grieved to find raceful position, I did not think I had any right to complain