Volume III Part 27 (2/2)
”Never, dearest! that is a crireater crime than suicide, and there lies my choice: either to destroy the wretched witness of my shame, or to poisonready You are my only friend, and it is for you to decide which it shall be Speak to one to the Chevalier Farsetti before you?”
She saw my astonishment, and stopped short, and tried to wipe away the tears which escaped fro the question of crime on one side,” said I, ”abortion is out of our power If the means employed are not violent they are uncertain, and if they are violent they are dangerous to theyour executioner; but reckon on me, I will not forsake you
Your honour is as dear to me as your life Becalm, and henceforth think that the peril is mine, not yours Make up your mind that I shall find some way of escape, and that there will be no need to cut short that life, to preserve which I would gladly die And allow lad, I could not help it, that at such an eency you chose me before all others to be your helper You will find that your trust was not given in vain, for no one loves you as well as I, and no one is so fain to help you Later you shall begin to take the reuard, for this is a serious matter--one of life and death Possibly you have already told somebody about it--your maid or one of your sisters?”
”I have not told anybody but you, not even the author of my shame I tremble when I think what my mother would do and say if she found out my situation I am afraid she will draw her conclusions fro to be observed in that direction, the beauty of the outline still remains intact”
”But every day increases its size, and for that reason we eon who does not know my name and take ht lead to the discovery of the whole affair I will bleed you rateful I aht me from death to life What I should like you to do would be to takeany notice at the first ball at the opera”
”Yes, sweetheart, but that step is not necessary, and it reat town there are midwives in every quarter, and we should never be knoe ht keep our masks on all the time Do me this kindness A ”
I could not refuse her request, but I ree to wait till the last ball, as the croas always greater, and we had a better chance of going out free from observation I promised to be there in a black domino with a white mask in the Venetian fashi+on, and a rose painted beside the left eye As soon as she saw e All this was carried out, but more of it anon
I returned with her, and dined with the any notice of Farsetti, as also at the table, and had seen me come back from mass with her We did not speak a word to one another; he did not like rievous iven myself
I had promised to take Mdlle X C V to a ht to have taken her to a respectable wonant wo But enius tookher house with a pretty girl whom I did not know, and so out of curiosity I went in after the in ive me the address of a midwife, as I wanted to consult one
She toldto her dwelt the pearl ofme some stories of her exploits, which all went to prove that the woman was an infamous character I took her address, however, and as I should have to go there by night, I went the next day to see where the house was
Mdlle X C V began to take the reht to have weakened and destroyed the result of love, but as she did not experience any benefit, she was iht of the last ball she recognized reed, and followed me out into the coach she saw me enter, and in less than a quarter of an hour we reached the house of shareat politeness, and asked what she could do
Mdlle X C V told her that she believed herself pregnant, and that she desired so her ht as well tell her plainly that it would be easy to procure abortion ”I will do your business,” said she, ”for fifty Louis, half to be paid in advance on account of drugs, and the rest when it's all over I will trust in your honesty, and you will have to trust in mine Give me the twenty-five Louis down, and co the she turned up her clothes without any ceremony, and as I, at Mdlle X C V's request, looked away, she felt her and pronounced, as she let down her dress, that she was not beyond the fourth s,” said she, ”contrary to ood, ill try soing you I will return you your money”
”I don't doubt it for a moment,” said I, ”but would you tell me what are those other ways!”
”I should tell the lady how to destroy the foetus”
Ia mortal wound to the ument with this vile creature
”Ifyou the ave her two Louis and left Mdlle X C V told me that she had no doubt of the infamy of this woman, as she was sure it was i the mother also
”My only trust,” said she, ”is in you” I encouraged her in this idea, dissuading her froain that she should not find her trust incold, and asked if we had not tied to see hted with the idea The night was too dark for her to see the exterior charms of my abode, she would have to satisfy herself with the inside, and leave the rest to her iht ot down and walked some way, and then took another at the corner of the Rue de la Ferannerie I promised the coachman six francs beyond his fare, and in a quarter of an hour he put us down atwith the touch of the master, the Pearl opened the door, and told me that there was nobody within, as I very well knew, but it was her habit to do so