Volume III Part 56 (1/2)
When I got back Le Duc told me that I had been wise to slip away, as enerally known, and the whole house, including the landlord, had been eagerly waiting to see me play the part of waiter ”I took your place,” he added ”The lady who has taken your fancy is Madame----, and I must confess she is vastly fine”
”Did she ask where the other waiter was?”
”No, but the other ladies asked what had beco?”
”She didn't open her , till I said you were away because you were ill”
”That was stupid of you Why did you say that?”
”I had to say so”
”True Did you untie her shoe?”
”No; she did not want me to do so”
”Good Who told you her name?”
”Her coachman She is just married to a man older than herself”
I went to bed, but could only think of the indiscretion and sadness of my fair lady I could not reconcile the two traits in her character
Next day, knowing that she would be starting early, I posted e, but I took care to arrange the curtain in such a way that I could not be seen Mada that she wanted to see if it rained, she took off her bonnet and lifted her head Drawing the curtain with one hand, and taking off my cap with the other, I wafted her a kiss with the tips ofood-natured smile
CHAPTER XIV
I Leave Zurich--Coni--M and MadameI Act in a Play--I Counterfeit Sickness to Attain Happiness
M Mote, ht the princes In Switzerland, an inn-keeper is not always a man of no account There are her rank are in other countries But each country has its own ht it no degradation to ht; the only really degrading thing in the world is vice A Swiss landlord only takes the chief place at table to see that everyone is properly attended to
If he have a son, he does not sit doith his father, but waits on the guests, with napkin in hand At Schaffhaus, my landlord's son, as a captain in the Ied my plate, while his father sat at the head of the table Anywhere else the son would have been waited on, but in his father's house he thought, and rightly, that it was an honour to wait
Such are Swiss custo very foolishly make a jest All the same, the vaunted honour and loyalty of the Swiss do not prevent theers, at least as reenhorns who let theain before-hand, and then they treat one well and charge reasonably In this hen I was at Bale, I baffled the celebrated Is”
M Ote couise, and said he was sorry not to have seen ht I ise not to repeat the jest He thanked edat his table some day before I left I answered that I would dine with him with pleasure that very day I did so, and was treated like a prince
The reader will have guessed that the last look uished the fire which the first sight of her had kindled inbetter acquainted with her; in short, it inspired ive a happy ending to the adventure I took a letter of credit on Geneva, and wrote to Madaiveter her that the interests of our order were highly involved inher to address letters to me at the post office at Soleure
I also wrote to the Duke of Wurte, but had no answer from him, and indeed he
I visited the old woman whom Giustiniani had told ht to have been well satisfied as far as physical beauty was concerned, my enjoyment was very lied corruption of Gerives little enjoyine a more unsatisfactory mistress than a mute, were she as lovely as Venus herself
I had scarcely left Zurich when I was obliged to stop at Baden to have the carriage M Ote had got ain at eleven, but on hearing that a young Polish lady on her way to Our Lady of Einseidel was to dine at the com, as she turned out to be quite unworthy of the delay
After dinner, while irl enough, came into the room and made me waltz with her; it chanced to be a Sunday All at once her father cairl fled