Volume V Part 11 (2/2)
”Nearly seventy”
”My poor sweetheart! I do pity you But after this painful duty is over you must sup here and sleep with me”
”Certainly”
On the day appointed I had a long and friendly intervieith the father of hter, only suppressing the history of our own amours, which were not suitable for a father's ears The worthythat I had done hter than he would have done himself, which in a sense was perhaps true He told me that he had received another letter fro man himself, rote in the most tender and respectfulabout the dower,” said he, ”a wonderful thing these days, but I will give her a hundred and fifty thousand francs, for the e is an excellent one, above all after my poor simpleton's escape All Marseilles knows the father of her future husband, and to-morrow I mean to tell the whole story to irl as I have done”
I had to pro, which was to be at Mada ood deal of play going on at her house, wondered why she did not see more of me; but I was at Marseilles to create and not to destroy: there is a tireen velvet jacket made for Marcoline, with breeches of the sas, and fine leather shoes of the sareen silk, with a silver brooch In this dress the voluptuous and well-rounded fore, that if she had shewn herself in the street all Marseilles would have run after her, for, in spite of her irl I took her to my rooms in her ordinary costume, to shew her where she would have to hide after the operation was over
By Saturday we had finished all the consecrations, and the oracle fixed the regeneration of Se Tuesday, in the hours of the sun, Venus, and Mercury, which follow each other in the planetary systeicians, as also in Ptolemy's These hours were in ordinary parlance the ninth, tenth, and eleventh of the day, since the day being a Tuesday, the first hour was sacred to Mars And as at the beginning of May the hours are sixty-five ician he reat work on Mada at five minutes to six I had taken plenty of tireat need of it
On the Monday night, at the hour of the moon, I had taken Mada behind with the box containing the offerings, which weighed fifty pounds
I was certain that nobody could see us, and I told my companion that the time was coo and await us at the carriage When ere alone we addressed a solereat satisfaction of the ned to the address My satisfaction however was still greater than hers, for the box contained fifty pounds of lead The real box, containing the treasure, was coot back to the ”Treize Cantons,” I left Mada her that I would return to the hotel when I had performed my conjurations to the moon, at the same hour and in the same place in which I had performed the seven consecrations
I spoke the truth I went to Marcoline, and while she was putting on her disguise I wrote on a sheet of white paper, in large and odd-looking letters, the following sentences, using, instead of ink, rock-alum:
”I am dumb but not deaf I am coun”
”This is the note you are to give to the marchioness,” I said, ”when you appear before her”
After supper alked to the hotel and got in without anyone seeing us I hid Marcoline in a large cupboard, and then putting on oent to the marchioness to inforeneration, and that we an, as otherwise the operation would be annulled or at least greatly enfeebled
”You must take care,” I added, ”that the bath be here beside your bed, and that Brougnole does not interrupt us”
”I will tell her to go out But Selenis promised to send an Undine”
”True, but I have not yet seen such a being”
”Ask the oracle”
”Willingly”
She herself asked the question ieneration, even though the Undine were lacking, since she could very well bathe herself
”The coe not,” came the reply; ”and in that you have doubted them you have sinned”
At this the marchioness arose and perfor the oracle, that Oromasis was satisfied
The old lady did not hter She solemnly embraced me and said,--
”To-morrow, Galtinardus, you will be ot back to my room and had shut the door, I drew the Undine out of her place of concealed to husband ht without giving each other a single kiss, for a spark would have set us all ablaze