Volume IV Part 99 (2/2)
We went to pay a call on the lady who had coular there, who after a great many polite speeches in praise of my country, which he knew only from books, asked me of what order was the cross I carried on my breast
I replied, with a kind of boastful modesty, that it was a peculiar mark of the favour of the Holy Father, the Pope, who had freely ht of the Order of St John Lateran, and a prothonotary-apostolic
This monk had stayed at home far from the world, or else he would not have askedhe was offendingof reatest possible rudeness is to ask anyone what his religion is, and it is so the same in Germany; an Anabaptist is by no means ready to confess his creed And in fact the best plan is never to ask any questions whatever, not even if a htful at dinner She replied wittily and gracefully to all the questions which were addressed to her True, what she said was lost on the majority of her auditors--for wit cannot stand before stupidity--but I enjoyed her talk ilass I reproached her, and this gave rise to the following little dialogue which coht to complain,” said she, ”Hebe's duty is to keep the cup of the chief of the Gods always full”
”Very good; but you know Jupiter sent her away”
”Yes, but I knohy I will take care not to stumble in the same way; and no Ganymede shall take my place for a like cause”
”You are very wise Jupiter rong, and henceforth I will be Hercules Will that please you, fair Hebe?”
”No; because he did not ain I will be Iolas then, for ”
”Be quiet Iolas was old”
”True; but so was I yesterday You have lad, dear Iolas; but remember what I did when he left me”
”And what did you do? I do not remember”
”I did not believe a word he said”
”You can believe”
”I took away the gift I had irl's face was suffered with blushes If I had touched her with my hand, sure it would have been on fire; but the rays that darted frory if I talk of freezing rays It is noevery day A great love, which elevates a reat cold, such as I then felt for a er
The superior manner in which Clementine had applied the story of Hebe convinced y, but also that she had a keen and far-reaching intellect She had given uess that I interested her, and that she thought ofa heart which is already warm, speedily set all the senses in flames In a moment all doubt was laid to rest; Clementine loved me, and I was sure that we should be happy
Clementine slipped away from the table to calm herself, and thus I had time to escape fro lady educated?” I said to the countess
”In the country She was always present when my brother had his lessons, but the tutor, Sardini, never took any notice of her, and it was only she who gained anything; h, and puzzle the old tutor sadly sometimes”
”Sardini wrote and published some poems which are not bad; but nobody reads they”
”Quite so Clementine possesses aa nuical tales verified Try and make her shew you her books and the verses she used to write; she won't shew thereat state of admiration When she returned I complireat lover of literature hted if she would shew ive over o, when my sister married and we came to live here, where we only see honest folks who talk about the stable, the harvest, and the weather You are the first person I have seen who has talked to me about literature If our old Sardini had co, but my sister did not care to have him here”