Volume III Part 3 (1/2)
”Am I to take that speech as a declaration of love?”
”Yes, it is bold, sweetheart, but it is sincere If it were not, I should be unworthy both of you and of myself”
”Can I believe you?”
”Yes, with all your heart But tell me if I may hope for your love?”
”I don't know All I know at present is that I ought to hate you, for in the space of a quarter of an hour you have taught ht I should never know till I was h I feel that I have nothing more to learn on a matter which I never dared to think about But how is it that you have got so quiet?”
”Because we are talking reasonably and after the rapture love requires soain? Is that the rest of the lesson?”
”It is the natural result of it”
”How is it that you don't frighten ets used to fire”
”I see our fire is going out”
With these words she took up a stick to poke the fire, and as she was stooping down in a favourable position my rash hand dared to approach the porch of the temple, and found the door closed in such sort that it would be necessary to break it open if one wished to enter the sanctuary She got up in a dignified way, and told irl and worthy of respect
Pretending to be confused I made a thousand excuses, and I soon saw the amiable expression return to the face which it becalad to know that she had never made another man happy
”Believe me,” she said, ”that if I iven my hand and heart”
I took her hand, which she abandoned to e in the proceedings when M le Noir was announced, he having come to enquire what the Pope's niece had to say to hie and of a sied the company to remain seated The Lambertini introducedinforratulated me on my lottery and the esteem in which M du Vernai held me But what interested him most was the cousin whom the fair niece of the Pope introduced to hi, doubtless, that his new title would not carryup the discourse, I told hireatly esteeed to leave his country for the present on account of an affair of honour The Lambertini added that she wished to accommodate him, but had not liked to do so till she had consulted M le Noir
”Madan power in your house, and I shall be delighted to see the count in your society”
As M le Noir spoke Italian very well, Tiretta left the table, and we sat down all four of us by the fire, whereher wit M le Noir was a reat experience He made her talk of the convent where she had been, and as soon as he knew her naan to speak of her father, hom he had been well acquainted He was a councillor of the Parlia his lifetiht, her hair was a fine golden colour, and her regular features, despite the brilliance of her eyes, expressed candour and modesty Her dress allowed ure, and the eyes dwelt pleasantly on the beauty of her form, and on the two spheres which seeh M le Noir said nothing of all this, it was easy to see that in his oay he adht o'clock, and half an hour afterwards the fat aunt went away followed by her char niece and the paleleave with Tiretta, who promised the Pope's niece to join her on the morrohich he did
Three or four days later I received at my office a letter from Mdlle de la Meure--the pretty niece It ran as follows: ”Madaay, and unjust
She does not likeme to take the veil, she wants to marry me to a wealthy Dunkirk merchant, whom I do not know, but (mark this) whoent has praised him very oods This gentleman is satisfied with an income of twelve hundred francs per annum, but he promises to leave me in his will no less than a hundred and fifty thousand francs You ed to payday twenty-five thousand crowns
”If what has taken place between us has not ht, I offer you my hand and heart with sixty-five thousand francs, and as much more on my aunt's death