Volume IV Part 106 (1/2)
”I don't see much difference”
What reply could I h she was deceived, but her mistakes were due to her love My love was so ardent as to be blind to possible--nay, certain, infidelities
The only circumstance which made me more correct in my estimate of the future than she, was that this was by no means my first love affair But if my readers have been in the same position, as I suppose mast of them have, they will understand how difficult it is to answer such argu from a woman one wishes to render happy The keenest wit has to ree in kisses
”Would you like to take me aith you?” said she, ”I am ready to follow you, and it would ht to be enchanted for your own sake Let us make each other happy, dearest”
”I could not dishonour your fa your wife?”
”You are worthy of a crown, and it is I who a such a wife Youin the world except my fortune, and that may leave me to-morrow By myself I do not dread the reverses of fortune, but I should be wretched if, after linking your fate with o any privation”
”I think--I know not why--that you can never be unfortunate, and that you cannot be happy without reat a faith”
”My angel, if my fate is weaker than yours, that is the result of cruel experience which hted love loses its strength but gains reason”
”Cruel reason! Must we, then, prepare to part?”
”We must indeed, dearest; it is a hard necessity, but o away your fervent adorer, and if fortune favours ain next year I will buy an estate wherever you like, and it shall be yours on your wedding day, our children and literature will be our delights”
”What a happy prospect!--a golden vision indeed! I would that Ithus, and wake not till that blessed day, or wake only to die if it is not to be But what shall I do if you have left me with child?”
”Divine Hebe, you need not fear I have ed? I did not think of that, but I see what you ed to you Alas perhaps after all it would have been better if you had not taken any precautions, for surely you are not born for my misfortune, and you could never have abandoned the ht, sweetheart, and if before two nancy in spite of my precautions, you have only to write to ive youYou would certainly bebeneath your station, but you would not be the less happy for that, would you?”
”No, no! to bear your na of allmyself wholly to you”
”You make me happy”
”All of us love you, all say that you are happy, and that you deserve your happiness What praise is this! You cannot tell how my heart beats when I hear you lauded when you are away When they say I love you, I answer that I adore you, and you know that I do not lie”
It ith such dialogues that we passed away the interval between our ahts of my stay Her sister slept, or pretended to sleep When I left Clementine I went to bed and did not rise till late, and then I spent the whole day with her either in private or with the family It was a happy time How could I, as free as the air, a perfect master of my movements, of my own free will put my happiness away from me? I cannot understand it now
My luck had made me win all the worthy canon's money, which in turn I passed on to the family at the castle Clementine alone would not profit by my inattentive play, but the last two days I insisted on taking her into partnershi+p, and as the canon's bad luck still continued she profited to the extent of a hundred louis The worthy monk lost a thousand sequins, of which seven hundred re well for the hospitality I had received, and as it was at the expense of the reater
The last night, which I spent entirely with the countess, was very sad; we e in the transports of love Never was night better spent Tears of grief and tears of love followed one another in rapid succession, and nine tiave th to replace that which was exhausted The sanctuary was full of blood and tears, but the desires of the priest and victim still cried for more We had at last to make an effort and part Eleanore had seized the opportunity of our sleeping for a few rateful to her, and agreed that she must either be very insensitive or have suffered tor to our voluptuous combats I left Clereat need, while I went to my room to make my toilette
When we appeared at the breakfast, table we looked as if we had been on the rack, and Clerief was respected I could not be gay in my usual manner, but no one asked me the reason I proain the following year I did write to the so at London, because the misfortunes I experienced there ain I never did see any of theotten Clementine
Six years later, when I caht that she was living happily with Count N----, whom she had married three years after er, who hted I should be to see him! When I heard of Clementine's happiness, it was, as I have said, on my return from Spain, and my fortunes were at a low ebb
I went to see what I could do at Leghorn, and as I went through Lombardy I passed four miles from the estate where she and her husband resided, but I had not the courage to go and see her; perhaps I was right But I rateful to Eleanore for her kindness to us, and I had resolved to leave her so a fine caer, I placed it on hers, and then rejoined the co her an opportunity to thank e was ready to taketo see ht for Cleotten so towith sobs I pressed her toher gently in her bed, and snatching a last kiss fro lips, I toreood canon a to Eleanore to see to her sister I jue beside the count We remained perfectly silent, and slept nearly the whole of the way We found the Marquis Triulzi and the countess together, and the former immediately sent for a dinner for four I was not much astonished to find that the countess had found out about our being at Milan, and at first she seeer; but the count, always fertile in expedients, told her that it was delicacy on my part not to tell her, as I was afraid she would be put out with such an incursion of visitors
At dinner I said that I should soon be leaving for Genoa, and for ave nora Isola-Bella, while the countess gave me a letter to her kinsman the Bishop of Tortona