Volume III Part 49 (1/2)
”Then you may reckon upon me”
At that moment M de Castries came in, and I left the box and went to the pit, where I passed two anxious hours in reflecting on the possible consequences of the strange step this woman would have me take
Nevertheless, such was the sway of her beauty aver my soul, I deterh, and to put eneral's at the end of the play, and only found five or six people there I went up to a canoness as very fond of Italian poetry, and had no trouble in engaging her in an interesting discussion In half an hour the rooeneral's arm I was taken up with the canoness and did not stir, and consequently Kettler did not noticeuests, and he was soon talking to some people at the other end of the room In a quarter of an hour afterwards supper was announced The canoness rose, took ether, still talking about Italian literature Then caentle no place for hieneral, raising his voice, and while the servants were bringing another chair and arranging another place he passed his guests in review All the while I pretended not to notice as going on, but when he came to me he said loudly,
”Sir, I did not ask you to coeneral,” I said, respectfully, ”but I thought, no doubt correctly, that the oed all the same to come and pay my court to your excellency”
Without a pause I renewedaround A dreadful silence reigned for four or five an to utter witticishbours, so that in a short tieneral, who preserved a sulky silence
This did nothim down, and I watched forthe dauphin, and his brothers, the Comte de Lusace and the Duc de Courlande, were mentioned; this led the conversation up to Prince Biron, formerly a duke, as in Siberia, and his personal qualities were discussed, one of the guests having said that his chiefest ed his pardon, saying,--
”His greatest merit was to have served faithfully the last Duke Kettler; who if it had not been for the courage of his in the war It was Duke Kettler who so heroically sent hi, but Biron never asked for the duchy An earldohts of the younger branch of the Kettler fa now if it were not for the e would satisfy her but to confer a dukedoeneral, whose face had cleared while I was speaking, said, in the most polite manner of which he was capable, that I was a person of reretfully,--
”Yes, if it were not for that whi now”
After this hter and sent me down a bottle of the best Rhine wine, and addressed his conversation to s had taken, but still more the pleasure I saw expressed in the beautiful eyes of ht, and I did not leave htful woman and danced admirably With my lady I only danced one eneral, to finish up with a piece of aardness, askedsoon I replied that I did not think of leaving Cologne till after the grand review
I went to bed full of joy at having given the burgoratitude to fortune who had helped eneral, for God knohat I should have done if he had forgotten himself so far as to tell me to leave the table! The next ti of fear shoot through her when the general said he had not asked one further, if your grand answer had not stopped his mouth; but if he had said another word, my mind was made up”
”To do what?”
”I should have risen froone out together M de Castries has told me that he would have done the same, and I believe all the ladies whom you asked to breakfast would have followed our example”
”But the affair would not have stopped then, for I should certainly have demanded immediate satisfaction, and if he had refused it I should have struck him with the flat of et that it was I who exposed you to this danger For et what I owe to you, and I will try to convince you ofthat she was indisposed, I went to call on her at eleven o'clock, at which tieneral would not be there She received me in her husband's room, and he, in the friendliest manner possible, asked me if I had come to dine with them I hastened to thank him for his invitation, which I accepted with pleasure, and I enjoyed this dinner better than Kettler's supper The burgoent, and a lover of peace and quietness His wife, whoht to have loved him, since he was by no means one of those husbands whoseas you pleaseout for a short time, she shewed me over the house
”Here is our bedroom,” said she; ”and this is the closet in which I sleep for five or six nights in every month Here is a church which we may look upon as our private chapel, as we hear o down this stair and enter the church by a door, the key to which is always in ” It was the second Saturday in Lent; we had an excellent fasting dinner, but I did not for once payand beautiful woman surrounded by her children, adored by her faht I left thelect, all occupied as I ith this new flame
Next day I went to hear omaster's house I ell cloaked so as not to attract attention
I sawa capuchin, and followed by her family I noted the little door which was so recessed in the wall that it would have escaped the notice of anyone as unaware of its existence; it opened, I saards the staircase
The devil, who, as everybody knows, has more power in a church than anywhere else, put intomy mistress by means of the door and stair I told her ht of it as well as you,” said she, laughing, ”and I will give you the necessary instructions in writing; you will find theazette I send you”