Volume III Part 75 (1/2)

The gay and even happy air of the newly betrothed surprised me, but what astonished me more was the easy hich she threw herself into my arms as soon as she saw me It put me quite out of countenance, but she had th to follow her cue, but I could not help thinking that if she had really loved me she would not have found it possible to pass thus from love to mere friendshi+p However, I imitated her, and made no objections to those marks of affection allowed to friendshi+p, which are supposed to have no tincture of love in thehted at having such a wife than at the prospect of enjoying her and satisfying a strong passion That calmed me; I could not be jealous of a h spirits were ned than real; she wished to make me share them so as to render our separation less bitter, and to tranquillise her future husband as to the nature of our feelings for one another And when reason and time had quieted the te it very natural that she should be pleased at the prospect of being independent, and of enjoying a fortune

We made an excellent supper, which ashed down so well that at last the gaiety which had been si Dubois with pleasure; I regarded her as a treasure which had belonged tome happy ith my full consent about to ensure the happiness of another It seeive her the reward she deserved, like a good Mussulives a favourite slave his freedoh and recalled the happy moments I had passed with her, but the idea of her happiness prevented hts to another

As Lebel was obliged to return to Lausanne in order to get back to Soleure in two days, we had to part I embraced him and asked him to continue his friendshi+p towards reat effusion to bedown the stair, reat candour,

”I ae myself to appear so I shall not be happy till the scar on my heart has healed Lebel can only claih ain, as from what you say I hope we shall, we shall be able to ratulate each other on the wise part we have taken As for you, though I do not think you will forgetsome more or less worthy object will replace me and banish your sorrow I hope it will be so Be happy I may be with child; and if it prove to be so, you shall have no cause to complain of my care of your child, which you shall take ahen you please We ed that the e should not be consummated for two s to you or no, and ill let people think that it is the legitie Lebel conceived this plan that he ht have his mind at rest on the supposed force of blood, in which he declares he believes no more than I do He has promised to love the child as if he were its father

If you write to ; and if I have the happiness to give you a child, it will be ”

We wept, and Lebel laughed to see us

I could only reply by pressing her to ave her over to her future husband, who toldtalk had pleased hi when I awoke, a pastor of the Church of Geneva careed, and was not sorry I had done so

This priest was an eloquent ian, who answered the ious questions I could put to hi was reason I have never found a more compliant Christianity than that of this worthy man, whose morals, as I heard afterwards at Geneva, were perfectly pure But I found out that this kind of Christianity was not peculiar to hiht in the sa to convince him that he was a Calvinist in name only, since he did not believe that Jesus Christ was of the same substance as the Father, he replied that Calvin was only infallible where he spoke 'ex cathedra', but I struck hi the words of the Gospel He blushed when I reproached him with Calvin's belief that the Pope was the Antichrist of the Apocalypse

”It will be impossible to destroy this prejudice at Geneva,” said he, ”till the Government orders the effacement of an inscription on the church door which everybody reads, and which speaks of the head of the Roman Church in this norant; but I have a niece of twenty, who does not belong to the people in this way I shall have the honour of ian, and pretty as well”

”I shall be delighted to see her, but God preserve ue, and I can assure you that it will be a pleasure for you!”

”We shall see; but will you give me your address?”

”No sir, but I shall have the honour of conducting you to your inn and acting as your guide”

I got down at Balances, and ell lodged It was the 20th of August, 1760 On going to theI noticed a pane of glass on which I read these words, written with the point of a diahts flew back to the time in which Henriette had written these words, thirteen years ago, and ed in this room when she separated from me to return to France I was overwhelmed, and fell on a chair where I abandoned ht noble Henriette, dear Henriette, whom I had loved so well; where was she now? I had never heard of her; I had never asked anyone about her Coed to confess that I was less worthy of possessing her now than then I could still love, but I was no longer so delicate in s which justify the faults committed by the senses, nor that probity which serves as a contrast to the follies and frailties of

Nevertheless, it seemed that the reour I had no longer reat void; and I felt so enthusiastic that if I had knohere Henriette was I should have gone to seek her out, despite her prohibition

Next day, at an early hour, I went to the banker Tronchin, who had all ave me a letter of credit on Marseilles, Genoa, Florence and Rome, and I only took twelve thousand francs in cash I had only fifty thousand crowns, three hundred francs, but that would take ood way As soon as I had delivered my letters, I returned to Balances, impatient to see M de Voltaire

I foundme that I should have M Vilars-Chandieu, ould takeme for several days I followed the worthytheologian whom the uncle did not address till dessert

I will endeavour to report as faithfully as possible the young wo this ustine, whoht absurd, and I think I can refute hi the ustine say?”