Volume II Part 50 (2/2)
yes,' she answered, 'everything is known, for he was taken hoondoliers One of theht at the Briati ball, did not find any gondola to return to Venice, and that our gondoliers took him for a sequin One of thehandfuls of silver upon the 'Zenia' pitched the 'felce' over board, and the wind having less hold they reached Venice safely through the Beggars' Canal This ondoliers divided thirty philippes which they found in the gondola, and they have been fortunate enough to pick up their 'felce'
Pierrot will remember Muran and the ball at Briati The adin, the procurator's brother He was taken to the palace of that nobleht calico, and had no cloak'
”When my aunt had left us, we looked at one another for several ood news had brought back life to us M---- M---- asked ht be so,' I said to her, 'but his name does not shew my lover to be the bastard of that nobleadin was never married' 'I should be very sorry,' said M---- M----, 'if he were his son' I thought it right, then, to tell her your true naadin for my hand, the consequence of which was that I had been shut up in the convent Therefore, er any secret to keep from M---- M----, and I hope you will not accuse me of indiscretion, for it is better that our dear friend should know all the truth than only half of it We have been greatly amused, as you may well suppose, by the certainty hich people say that you spent all the night at the Briati ball When people do not know everything, they invent, and what ht be is often accepted in the place of what is in reality; sometimes it proves very fortunate
At all events the news did a great deal of good to my friend, who is now ht, and the hope of seeing you at the casino has restored all her beauty She has read this letter three or four tiive her the letter which you are going to write to her The ain at the casino, and in a better teument to conquer me When I had finished the letter, I was at once the admirer of C---- C---- and the ardent lover of M---- M---- But, alas! although the fever had left ain early the nextto both of theh to assure theain taken possession of ht in telling her friend my name, the er, I had no reason to ed , and I proest possible proofs of ain to her casino
This is the letter that I wrote to ave C---- C---- the key of your casino, to be returned to you,friend, because I believed ht, by the wohtmyself before your eyes, and, in spite of love, horror made me shudder Such was the effect produced upon me by an act which would have appeared to me admirable, if my self-love had not blinded me and upset my reason But, dearest, to admire it it would have been necessary for my mind to be as noble as yours, and I have proved how far it is fros, except in passionate love, and I will prove it to you at our next enerous pardon Believe me, beloved creature, if I wish ardently to recover my health, it is only to have it in my power to prove by my love a thousand times increased, how ashao has alone preventedyour short note yesterday, to express to you rets, and the love which has been enhanced in enerosity, alas! so badly rewarded I can assure you that in the lagunes, with death staringoutraged you But in the fearful danger then threatening me I only saw a punishment from Heaven If I had not cruelly sent back to you the key of the casino, I should most likely have returned there, and should have avoided the sorroell as the physical pains which I a as an expiation I thank you a thousand ti recalled me to myself, and you may be certain that for the future I will keep better control overshall , what do you say of C---- C----? Is she not an incarnate angel who can be compared to no one but you? You love us both equally I am the only one weak and faulty, and you ive my life for her as well as for you I feel curious about one thing, but I cannot trust it to paper You will satisfy that curiosity the first tio to the casino before two days at the earliest I will let you knoo days beforehand In the mean time, I entreat you to think a little of me, and to be certain ofLaura foundup in bed, and in a fair way to recover my health I requested her to tell C---- C---- that I felt ave her the letter I had written She had brought me one from my dear little wife, in which I found enclosed a note from M---- M---- Those two letter were full of tender expressions of love, anxiety for my health, and ardent prayers for er, I went to Muran, where the keeper of the casino handed me a letter from M---- M---- She wrote to me how impatient she was for my complete recovery, and how desirous she was to see es which she hoped I would retain for ever
”Let me know, I entreat you,” she added, ”e are likely to ain, either at Muran or in Venice, as you please Be quite certain that whenever we meet we shall be alone and without a witness”
I answered at once, telling her that ould meet the day after theabsolution in the very spot where I had outraged the ain, for I was asha to atone forcalmly upon what had taken place, it was now evident toa mark of contempt, was the refined effort of a love wholly devoted tofriend, could she ied only to herself? In the sa compliant with the a the same with C---- C---- She overlooked the difference of constitution between the two sexes, and the privileges enjoyed by woe has whitened ination does not take such a high flight, and I think differently I aainst woes of the fair sex, but if that unique, or at least rare, woht a virtue, she was at all events exempt from that fearful venom called jealousy--an unhappy passion which devours theunder it, and destroys the love that gave it birth
Two days afterwards, on the 4th of February, 1754, I had the supreain alone with my beloved uilty, the momenteach other, by a spontaneous movement, we fell both on our knees, folded in each other's arms We had both ill-treated Love; she had treated him like a child, I had adored him after the fashi+on of a Jansenist But where could we have found the proper language for the excuses we had to address to each other for the rant? Kisses--that e, that delicate, voluptuous contact which sends sentih the veins, which expresses at the sa of the heart and the ie was the only one we had recourse to, and without having uttered one syllable, dear reader, oh, hoe agreed!
Both overwhelive one another some proofs of the sincerity of our reconciliation and of the ardent fire which was consu (a roup!) on the nearest sofa, we reh which ould not have stopped, even if we had known that it was to be the last!
Thus was completed our happy reconciliation, and the calm infused into the soul by contenth e noticed that I had kept on my cloak and my mask After we had enjoyed our mirth, I unmasked myself, and I asked her whether it was quite true that no one had witnessed our reconciliation
She took up one of the candlesticks, and seizing my hand:
”Come,” she said
She led e cupboard which I had already suspected of containing the secret She opened it, and when she had h which we entered a pretty closet furnished with everything necessary to a person wishi+ng to pass a few hours there Near the sofa was a sliding panel M---- M---- reh twenty holes placed at a distance from each other I saw every part of the room in which nature and love had perfor which I did not think he had occasion to be dissatisfied with the actors
”Now,” said M---- M----, ”I ah not to trust to paper”
”But you cannot guess”