Volume IV Part 24 (1/2)
The day was spent in talking about ourselves, and determined to eat only one an to fall
We spent two hours in the consu Bacchus toasleep, but ere not ht that she would not see the pleasures we proh to do to conte at Annette's beauties We went to bed, our arether, and lip pressed on lip, but that was all Veronique sahat preventedany further, and she was too polite and s and continued to caress e I had never had such a misfortune, unless as the result of coine what I suffered; in the flower ofthe body of a woman I had ardently desired in my ar for her I was in despair; one cannot offer a greater insult to a woman
At last we had to accept the facts and speak reasonably, and I was the first to bewail my misfortune
”You tired yourself too much yesterday,” said she, ”and you were not sufficiently temperate at supper Do not let it trouble you, dearest, I am sure you love me Do not try to force nature, you will only weaken yourself entle sleep would restore yourI can't sleep ether afterwards”
After those excellent and reasonable suggestions, Veronique turned her back to me and I followed her exa slu her, the loveliest creature, happy, envied e forbade all thoughts of rest, and ainst that which would enable the distrusted her, and because I had taken stimulants fit only for the weak If I had fasted, I should have done great things, but now there was a conflict between the stimulants and nature, and by my desire for enjoyment I had deprived myself of the power to enjoy Thus nature, wise like its Divine Author, punishes the ignorance and presuhout this terrible and sleepless night my mind roamed abroad, and amidst the reproaches hich I overwhelht that they were not wholly undeserved This is the sole enjoyment I still have when I meditate on my past life and its varied adventures I feel that no misfortune has befallen me save by my own fault, whilst I attribute to natural causes the blessings, of which I have enjoyed o mad if in my soliloquies I came across any misfortune which I could not trace to my own fault, for I should not knohere to place the reason, and that would degrade overned by instinct alone I feel that I am sohbour of ue that the brutes reason better than we do
”I will grant,” I said, ”that they reason better than you, but I can go no farther; and I think every reasonable man would say as h he admits the first part of the thesis
Happier than I, Veronique slept for three hours; but she was disagreeably surprised onher that I had not been able to close an eye, and on finding et angry when I tried to convince her rather too forcibly that my misfortune was not due to my want of will, and then she blamed herself as the cause of my impotence; and mortified by the idea, she endeavoured to destroy the spell by all the ested, and which I had hitherto thought infallible; but her efforts and reat as hers when at last, wearied, asharaded in her own eyes, she discontinued her efforts, her eyes full of tears She went aithout a word, and left me alone for the two or three hours which had still to elapse before the dawn appeared
At day-break Costa cah and a contrary wind blowing, the felucca would be in danger of perishi+ng
”We will go as soon as the weather iht me a fire”
I arose, and proceeded to write down the sad history of the night This occupation soothed ain and slept for eight hours When I awoke I felt better, but still rather sad The two sisters were delighted to see ht I saw on Veronique's features an unpleasant expression of contempt However, I had deserved it, and I did not take the trouble of changing her opinion, though if she had been ht easily have put s I had done her in the night Before we sat down to table I gave her a present of a hundred sequins, which ave an equal present toherself aift and by the pleasure I had afforded her
At ht the ed, and I took leave of the sisters Veronique shed tears, but I knehat to attribute them Annette kissed me affectionately; thus each played her own part I sailed for Lerici, where I arrived the next day, and then posted to Leghorn Before I speak of this town I think I shall interesta circumstance not unworthy of these Memoirs
CHAPTER VI
A Clever Cheat--Passano--Pisa--Corilla--My Opinion of Squinting Eyes--Florence--I See Therese Again--My Son-- Corticelli
I was standing at so four horses, when a man accosted e Without troubling to look at hiave hie
”Directly, sir,” said he, and with that he went into the inn
A few e, the post-e
”I have paid already, and I aive the ive it to, then?”