Volume III Part 70 (2/2)
”It will last,” said the son of AEsculapius, ”till the end of the cure, and that will take about threeas I scratch myself,” said she, ”I shall be in the same state, and the cure will never be completed”
The doctor replied in an evasivemy hand she asked ; the poor wo and drank some wine, as the doctor had not put her on any diet I saw that she would never be cured
Her good te conversational powers kept all the coet used to her face, and to live with her without being disgusted In the evening I talked about her to my housekeeper, who said that the beauty of her body and her ht be sufficient to attract people to her
I agreed, though I felt that I could never become one of her lovers
Three or four days after, I went to a bookseller's to read the newspaper, and was politely accosted by a fine young man of twenty, who said that Madaain at supper
”You know the lady?”
”I had the honour to sup at her house with you”
”True; I reet her the books she likes, as I a, but we breakfast together every ratulate you I bet you are in love with her”
”You are pleased to jest, but she is pleasanter than you think”
”I do not jest at all, but I would wager she would not have the courage to push things to an extremity”
”Perhaps you would lose”
”Really? I should be very glad to”
”Let us make a bet”
”Hoill you convince me I have lost?”
”Let us bet a louis, and you ood”
”Co, and I will tell you soot home I told my housekeeper what I had heard
”I am curious to know,” said she, ”hoill convince you” I promised to tell her, which pleased her very much
I was exact to my appointment Madaavebookseller was there, but as his sweetheart did not speak a word to hi and passed unnoticed
After supper ent out together, and he told me on the way that if I liked he would satisfy ht o'clock ”Call here, and the lady's maid will tell you her mistress is not visible, but you have only to say that you ait, and that you will go into the ante-cha a view of madame's bed, and I will take care to draw back the curtains over the door so that you will be able to see at your ease all that passes between us
When the affair is over I shall go out by another door, she will call her maid, and you will be shewn in At noon, if you will allowyou some books to the 'Falcon,' and if you find that you have lost you shall pay me my louis” I promised to carry out his directions, and we parted
I was curious to see ould happen, though I by noht o'clock, the maid let me in as soon as I said that I could wait I found a corner of the glass door before which there was no curtain, and on applyinghis conquest in his arhtcap entirely concealed her face--an excellent precaution which favoured the bookseller's enterprise