Volume II Part 29 (2/2)
She liked my society because she used to shew me the letters she wrote, and I was very careful to admire her style She had her own portrait in miniature, which was an excellent likeness The day beforelost my time and my amorous coht co leave of her, I saw the portrait within , where Baron Vais had invited me to accompany him and several lovely frauleins on a party of pleasure
When we got out of the carriages, the first person I tumbled upon was the Chevalier de Talvis, the protector of Madame Conde-Labre, whom I had treated so well in Paris The moment he saw e
”I proive it to you, but I never leave one pleasure for another,” I answered; ”we shall see one another again”
”That is enough Will you do me the honour to introduce ly, but not in the street”
We went inside of the hotel and he followed us Thinking that the ht a at the sa He asked us if we intended to go to the prince-bishop's ball; it was the first nee had of it Vais answered affirmatively
”One can attend it,” said Talvis, ”without being presented, and that is e intend to go, for I am not known to anybody here”
He left us, and the landlord, having coave us so the ball Our lovely frauleins expressing a wish to attend it, we ratify theh the aparte table at which the prince-bishop was holding a faro bank The pile of gold that the noble prelate had before him could not have been less than thirteen or fourteen thousand florins
The Chevalier de Talvis was standing between two ladies to who sords, while the prelate was shuffling the cards
The prince, looking at the chevalier, took it into his head to ask hily, my lord,” said Talvis; ”the whole of the bank upon this card”
”Very well,” answered the prelate, to shew that he was not afraid
He dealt, Talvis won, and reatest coolness, filled his pockets with the prince's gold The bishop, astonished, and seeing but rather late how foolish he had been, said to the chevalier,
”Sir, if you had lost, hoould you have ed to pay me?”
”My lord, that is my business”
”You are more lucky than wise”
”Most likely,that the chevalier was on the point of leaving, I followed hi hiave thehted to have it in his power to obligeof the sort”
I put the gold intovery little for the crowd of ht around the lucky winner, and who had witnessed the transaction Talvis went away, and I returned to the ball-roouests, having heard that the chevalier had handed ave them an answer half true and half false, and I told theold I had just received was the payment of a sum I had lent hito do so
When we returned to the inn, the landlord informed us that the chevalier had left the city on horseback, as fast as he could gallop, and that a se We sat down to supper, and in order tofrauleins the manner in which I had known Talvis, and how I had contrived to have my share of what he had won
On our arrival in Vienna, the adventure was already known; people adhed at the bishop I was not spared by public rumour, but I took no notice of it, for I did not think it necessary to defend myself No one knew the Chevalier de Talvis, and the French ambassador was not even acquainted with his naain
I left Vienna in a post-chaise, after I had said farewell to entlemen, and on the fourth day I slept in Trieste The next day I sailed for Venice, which I reached in the afternoon, two days before Ascension Day After an absence of three years I had the happiness of eadin, and his two inseparable friends, ere delighted to see ood health and well equipped