Volume II Part 56 (2/2)

It was ondola to be ill covered and in wretched order A fine rain was falling when I got in, and the drops getting larger I was soon wet to the skin No great harroped my way upstairs and knocked at the door of the ante-roo Awake in a moht As I wanted one, I told her to get the flint and steel, which she did, warning me in a modest voice that she was not dressed ”That's of no consequence,” said I, ”provided you are covered” She said no hing when she sawwet

”I only want you, my dear,” said I, ”to dry my hair” She quickly set to ith powder and powder-puff in hand, but her smock was short and loose at the top, and I repented, rather too late, that I had not given her ti to use both her hands she could not hold her s spheres more seductive than the apples of the Hesperides How could I help seeing theave in at last, and fixed such a hungry gaze upon poor Tonine that she blushed

”Come,” said I, ”take your smock between your teeth and then I shall see no more” But it orse than before, and I had only added fuel to the fire; for, as the veil was short, I could see the bases and alave a voluptuous cry

Not knowing how to conceal everything froaze, Tonine let herself fall on the sofa, and I,what to do

”Well,” she said, ”shall I go and dress myself and then do your hair?”

”No, come and sit on my knee, and cover my eyes with your hands” She came obediently, but the die was cast, and my resistance overcohts of playing at blind man's buff I threw her on the bed and covered her with kisses And as I swore that I would always love her, she opened her ar she had been waiting for this ht it the rarest I had ever gathered since I had laboured in the harvest of the fruitful fields of love

When I awoke in theI found myself more deeply in love with Tonine than I had been with any other woshe caive her good avethe letter on one side I took her in my arms, and set her by my side

”What a wonder!” cried Tonine ”You are not in a hurry to read that letter! Faithless o

How lucky I am; thanks to the rain! I do not blame you, dear, but love me as you love her rites to you every day, and I shall be satisfied”

”Do you knoho she is?”

”She lives in a boarding-house, and is as beautiful as an angel; but she is there, and I a as you like”

I was glad to leave her in error, and swore an ever-lasting love; but during our conversation she had let herself drop down in the bottoain; but she said that on the contrary it was tiive me a dainty meal cooked in the Venetian manner

”Who is the cook?” said I

”I a all ot up”

”What tiirl astonished ht; she had that exultant air which happiness bestows, and the look of pleasure which the delights of love give to a young beauty I could not understand how I had escaped froe to her beauty when I first saw her at her mother's house But I was then too deeply in love with C---- C----; I was in too great distress; and,her bring me a cup of coffee I asked her to keep the dinner back for a couple of hours

I found M---- M----'s letter affectionate, but not so interesting as it would have been the day before I set myself to answer it, and was almost thunderstruck to find the task, for the first time, a painful one However, my short journey to Venice supplied es

I had an exquisite dinner withat her as at the sahted to find myself made happy at such a cheap rate We spent the whole day at the table talking of our love, and giving each other a thousand little marks of it; for there is no such rich and pleasant matter for conversation as when they who talk are parties to an a simplicity that she knew perfectly well that she could not make me amorous of her, because I loved another, and that her only hope was therefore in a surprise, and that she had foreseen the happy ht a candle

Tonine was naturally quick-witted, but she did not know either how to read or to write She was enchanted to see herself becoht herself so) without a soul at Muran being able to breathe a word against her honour I passed three weeks in the coirl--weeks which I still reckon ae is that, having a heart as warth necessary to secure a single day as blissful as those which I owed to this charirl