Volume III Part 29 (1/2)
”I fancy I know it better than anyone,” answered Farsetti, in a self-satisfied ue a question”
”What does the word mean?”
”It is an Arabic word, of which I do not know the ; but no doubt Paracelsus would tell us”
”The word,” said I, ”is neither Arabic nor Hebrew, nor, indeed, of any language at all It is a contraction which conceals two other words”
”Can you tell us what they are?” said the chevalier
”Certainly; aro comes from aroet that out of Paracelsus?” said Farsetti, evidently annoyed
”No, sir; I saw it in Boerhaave”
”That's good,” said he, sarcastically; ”Boerhaave says nothing of the sort, but I like a h, sir, if you like,” said I, proudly, ”but here is the test of what I say; accept the wager if you dare I don't quote falsely, like persons who talk of words being Arabic”
So saying I flung a purse of gold on the table, but Farsetti, as by no , answered disdainfully that he never betted
However, Mdlle X C V, enjoying his confusion, told hian to joke him on his Arabic derivation
But, for my part, I replacedpretext went out and sent et ain at table, and joined gaily in the conversation till the return of er with the book I opened it, and as I had been reading it the evening before I soon found the place I wanted, and giving it to hied him to satisfy himself that I had quoted not readily but exactly Instead of taking the book, he got up and went out without saying a word
”He has gone away in a rage,” said thethat he will not cohter, ”he will honour us with his agreeable coht From that day Farsetti becameme of his hatred
After dinner we all went to Passy to be present at a concert given by M
de la Popeliniere, whodaughter, who pouted at lected her The famous adept, St Germain, enlivened the table with his wild tirades so finely delivered I have never seen acharlatan than he
Next day I shut myself up to answer a host of questions that Esther had senton business matters as obscurely as possible, not only for the credit of the oracle, but also for fear ofhim lose money The worthy ht easily e hole in his fortune, if he did not absolutely ruin hi an implicit trust in my infallibility As for Esther, I confess that she was now no more to me than a pleasant memory
In spite of iven to Mdlle X C V, and I dreaded the er able to hide her condition fro spoken about the aroph, as three days had gone by without herit, and I could not very well reopen the question myself I was afraid that she suspected my motives, and that the esteem she professed for me had been replaced by a much less friendly sentiment I felt that her scorn would be too much for me to bear So humiliated was I that I could not visit her, and I doubt if I should have seen her again if she had not intervened She wrote me a note, in which she said I was her only friend, and that the only mark of friendshi+p she wanted was that I should come and see her every day, if it were but for a moment I hasted to take her lect her, assuring her that at all hazards she ht rely on me I flattered myself that she would mention the aroph, but she did not do so I concluded that, after thinking it over, she had resolved to think no more about it
”Would you like me,” I said, ”to invite your mother and the rest of you to dine with hted,” she replied ”It will be a forbidden pleasure to ave them a dinner both sumptuous and delicate I had spared no expense to have everything of the best I had asked Silvia, her charali, hom a sister of Mdlle
X C V's was taken, and the fahest spirits all the tiood stories and enjoyment, were the soul of the banquet We did not separate tillMdlle X C V found a , as she wanted to speak to uessed that I accepted the invitation I waited on her before eight o'clock She was very melancholy, and told me that she was in despair, that la Popeliniere pressed on the e, and that her n the contract, and that the dress dress To that I cannot consent, for a dressmaker would certainly see my situation
I will die rather than confide in my mother, or marry before I ah to talk about dying,” said I, ”when all other et rid of la Popeliniere, who is a man of honour Tell hi you, as his own interest is sufficiently involved to make him keep the secret”