Volume II Part 48 (1/2)
Adieu”
The sed to a bureau in the boudoir Anxious to know the nature of the present that she could offer me at the instance of her friend, I opened the bureau, and found a parcel containing a letter and a morocco-leather case
The letter was as follows:
”That which will, I hope, render this present dear to you is the portrait of a woreat friendshi+p he entertains towards you has given hi of one in your favour This box contains two portraits of me, which are to be seen in two different ways: if you take off the bottoth, you will see me as a nun; and if you press on the corner, the top will open and expose ht in a state of nature It is not possible, dearest, that a woman can ever have loved you as I do Our friend excitesopinion that he entertains of you I cannot decide whether I am more fortunate insuperior to either one or the other”
The case contained a gold snuff-box, and a small quantity of Spanish snuff which had been left in it proved that it had been used I followed the instructions given in the letter, and I first sawand in half profile The second secret spring brought her beforeon a mattress of black satin, in the position of the Madeleine of Coreggio She was looking at Love, who had the quiver at his feet, and was gracefully sitting on the nun's robes It was such a beautiful present that I did not think myself worthy of it I wrote to M---- M---- a letter in which the deepest gratitude was blended with the most exalted love The drawers of the bureau contained all her diamonds and four purses full of sequins
I admired her noble confidence inundisturbed, and returned to Venice If I had been able to escape out of the capricious clutches of fortune by giving up ga, my happiness would have been complete
My own portrait was set with rare perfection, and as it was arranged to be worn round the neck I attached it to six yards of Venetian chain, whichto which it was suspended, and it was very difficult to discover it Towork and exposewith so could be seen but the Annunciation; and it was then a beautiful orna the locket and chain into watch near the fine statue erected to the hero Colleoni after he had been poisoned, if history does not deceive us
'Sit divus, htenedas there are monarchs on earth
At six o'clock precisely ondola, well dressed and well arb of a woman We went to the Saint Samuel opera, and after the second ballet we repaired to the 'ridotto', where she a at all the ladies of the nobility who alone had the right to walk about withoutabout for half an hour, we entered the hall where the bank was held She stopped before the table of M Mocenigo, who at that tia to a nized as Madame Marina Pitani, whose adorer he was
M---- M---- enquired whether I wanted to play, and as I answered in the negative she said to me,
”I take you forfor old on a card The banker without disturbing himself shuffled the cards, turned them up, and my friend won the paroli The banker paid, took another pack of cards, and continued his conversation with his lady, shewing complete indifference for four hundred sequins which my friend had already placed on the sa his conversations, M---- M---- said to h to interest this gentleold, which I put in o, who said to ”
I rejoined ambler, as surrounded We stopped soon afterwards before the bank of M Pierre Marcello, a char man, who had near him Madame Venier, sister of the patrician Moan to play, and lost five rouleaux of gold one after the other Having no old from my pocket, and in four or five deals she broke the bank She went away, and the noble banker, bowing, coood fortune After I had taken care of all the gold she had won, I gave herthat a few inquisitive persons were following us, I took a gondola which landed us according toeyes in this way in Venice
After supper I counted our winnings, and I found myself in possession of one thousand sequins as my share I rolled the remainder in paper, and my friend asked me to put it in her bureau I then took reatest delight, and she tried for a long time to discover the secret At last I showed it her, and she pronouncedthat we had but three hours to devote to the pleasures of love, I entreated her to allow ood account
”Yes,” she said, ”but be prudent, for our friend pretends that you ht die on the spot”
”And why does he not fear the saer for you, when your ecstasies are in reality much more frequent than mine?”
”He says that the liquor distilled by us women does not coenerating parts of woman have no contact with her intellect The consequence of it, he says, is that the child is not the offspring of the mother as far as the brain, the seat of reason, is concerned, but of the father, and it seems to me very true In that important act the woman has scarcely the amount of reason that she is in need of, and she cannot have any left to enable her to give a dose to the being she is generating” ”Your friend is a very learnedopens ularly? It is evident that, if that systeiven for all the follies which they commit on account of love, whilst man is inexcusable, and I should be in despair if I happened to place you in a position to beco, and if it should be the case so much the better My mind is made up, and my decision taken”
”And what is that decision?”
”To abandon my destiny entirely to you both I am quite certain that neither one nor the other would let me remain at the convent”
”It would be a fatal event which would decide our future destinies I would carry you off, and take you to England to ht be bought, who, under the pretext of soo soht grant At the watering-place I would get cured, and come back here, but I would much rather unite our destinies for ever Tell e to live anywhere as comfortably as you do here?”
”Alas! my love, no, but with you how could I be unhappy? But ill resuo to bed”