Volume III Part 71 (1/2)

When the rascal saw that I had taken upup, he presented to aze, not only the secret treasures of his sweetheart, but his own also He was a small man, but where the lady was ue seemed to make a parade of his proportions as if to excite my jealousy He turned his victim round so that I should see her under all aspects, and treated her manfully, while she appeared to respond to his ardour with all her ht Phidias could not have modelled his Venus on a finer body; her form was rounded and voluptuous, and as white as Parian marble I was affected in a livelyso inflamed that if my dear Dubois had not been at hand to quench uished it in the baths of La Mata

When I had told her my tale she wanted to know the hero of it, and at noon she had that pleasure The young bookseller brought ave him our bet and a Louis over and above as a mark of my satisfaction at his prowess He took it with a sht to think myself lucky to have lost My housekeeper looked at him for some time, and asked if he knew her; he said he did not

”I saw you when you were a child,” said she ”You are the son of M

Mignard, minister of the Gospel You must have been ten when I saw you”

”Possibly, madam”

”You did not care to follow your father's profession, then?”

”No madam, I feel much more inclined to the worshi+p of the creature than to that of the Creator, and I did not think ht, for a ht to be discreet, and discretion is a restraint”

This stroke e I asked hi the name of Madame de la Saone he told his amorous adventures and numerous anecdotes about the pretty woone,reed with her, and had no more to do with him; but I heard that Madame de Saone took him to Paris and made his fortune Many fortunes are inated still more nobly I only returned to Madame de la Saone to take my leave, as I shall shortly relate

I was happy with ain that with me she lived in bliss No fears or doubts as to the future troubled her mind; she was certain, as I was, that we should never leave each other; and she told uilty of, provided I made full confession Hers, indeed, was a disposition hich to live in peace and content, but I was not born to enjoy such happiness

After we had been a fortnight at Berne, my housekeeper received a letter froreat attention, I asked her what it was about

”Take it and read it,” said she; and she sat down in front of me to read my soul by the play of my features

Lebel asked her, in concise terms, if she would become his wife

”I have only put off the proposition,” said he, ”to set my affairs in order, and to see if I could afford to marry you, even if the consent of the ah to live well in Berne or elsewhere without the necessity of ; however I shall not have to face the alternative, for at the first hint of the race i waiting for a reply, and to tell him in the first place if she consented; in the second, whether she would like to live at Berne and be mistress in her own house, or whether she would prefer to return to Soleure and live with the a the that whatever she had would be for her sole use, and that he would give her a dower of a hundred thousand francs He did not say a word about me

”Dearest,” said I, ”you are at perfect liberty to choose your own course, but I cannot conte myself as the most unhappy of men”

”And if I lose you I should be the most unhappy of women; for if you love ood; but what answer are you going to make”

”You shall see my letter to-morrow I shall tell him politely but plainly that I love you, that I am yours, that I am happy, and that it is thus i propositions I shall also say that I appreciate his generosity, and that if I ise I should accept hi the slave of my love for you I can only follow ive an excellent turn to your letter In refusing such an offer you could not have better reasons than those you give, and it would be absurd to try and persuade hi is self-evident Nevertheless, , the letter saddens me”

”Why, dearest?”

”Because I have not a hundred thousand francs to offer you”