Volume II Part 60 (2/2)
”I love you, dearest, and what I propose ought to convince you of my love”
”Not so; I cannot serve two masters”
”You will only serve your new lover, sweetheart I beg of you to reflect that you will have a fine dowry, on the strength of which you may marry well; and that however ood a provision for you”
”Leave me to-day for tears and reflection, and come to supper with me to-morrow”
I did not fail to keep the appointlish friend is a very pretty man,” she said, ”and when he speaks in the Venetian dialect it ht, perhaps, force ree we could part at the end of a year, and I should be the richer by an income of two hundred crowns”
”I auments; speak about it to youris too delicate to be discussed between a hter speak to her yourself”
”I will, indeed”
Laura, whohter, asked for no tilee toldyears, and that she would leave Muran of which she was tired She shewed ained in my service, and which she had placed in her hands
Barberine, Tonine's younger sister, caave her all the silver inLaura that I should expect her at ave her child a o and live in Venice for sixty sous a day Tonine embraced her, and told her that she should have it
This ied to everybody's satisfaction, I went to see M---- M----, who ca sad, though prettier than ever She was melancholy, but none the less tender She could not stay forseen, as she was forbidden ever to go into the parlour I told M M the story of Tonine, as going to live with Murray in Venice; she was sorry to hear it, ”for,” said she, ”now that you have no longer any attraction at Muran, I shall see you less than ever” I promised to come and see her often, but vain promises! The ti I went to tell the good news to ed me to come and sup with hiirl with ht be made in fored to bring it to an end In ned to her the yearly income for her life of two hundred Venetian ducats, and by a second deed he gave her all the contents of the house hich he was going to provide her, provided always that she lived with him for a year He allowed her to receive me as a friend, also to receive her o and see them when she would Tonine threw her arms about his neck, and assured him that she would endeavour to please him to the ut toscene she kept back her tears, but I could not conceal ood fortune, the reason of which I will explain a little later
Three days afterwards Laura ca in Venice, and asked hter's I owed this woman too ave thanks to God, and also to , for they were not quite sure whether they were more indebted to God or to me
Tonine was eloquent in her praise of Murray, andco Laura asked ondola, and as we had to pass by the house in which she lived she begged s by refusing I owe it to my honour to re that I should see Barberine again
This girl, as pretty as her sister, though in another style, began by awakening ate man inconstant If all women were to have the same features, the same disposition, and the same manners, men would not only never be inconstant, but would never be in love Under that state of things one would choose a wife by instinct and keep to her till death, but our world would then be under a different system to the present Novelty is the master of the soul We know that e do not see is very nearly the same as e have seen, but we are curious, we like to be quite sure, and to attain our ends we give ourselves assome prize beyond compare
Barberine, who looked upon me as an old friend--for her mother had accustomed her to kiss my hand whenever I went there, who had undressedabout me, who knew I had made her sister's fortune and the faht herself prettier than Tonine because her skin was fairer, and because she had fine black eyes, desiring to take her sister's place, knew that to succeed she must take me by storm Her common sense told her that as I hardly ever came to the house, I should not be likely to become amorous of her unless she won me by storm; and to this end she shewed the utmost complaisance when she had the chance, so that I won her without any difficulty All this reasoning caave her no instructions Laura was a mother of a kind co to take advantage of the earnings of her daughters, but she would never have induced them to take the path of evil There her virtue stopped short
After I had inspected her two rooms and her little kitchen, and had admired the cleanness which shone all around, Barberine asked arden
”With pleasure,” I replied, ”for a garden is a rarity in Venice”
Her s if there were any ripe ones
The garden consisted of about thirty square feet, and grew only salad herbs and a fine fig tree It had not a good crop, and I told her that I could not see any figs
”I can see soather them if you will hold me the ladder”
”Yes, climb away; I will hold it quite fir out an ars to one side of her, she put her body off its balance, holding on to the ladder with the other hand