Volume V Part 43 (2/2)

”Were you at ith us, then?”

”I have never forgiven you for letting your Portuguese Virgil die o”

”You mean Camoens But the Greeks treated Homer in the same way”

”Yes, but the faults of others are no excuse for our own”

”You are right; but how can you like Cauese?”

”I have read a translation in Latin hexail”

”Is that truly so?”

”I would never lie to you”

”Then I make a vow to learn Latin”

”That is worthy of you, but it is of al and live and die there, if you will give me your heart'

”My heart! I have only one, and that is given already Since I have known you I have despised myself, for I ah for me if you will love hter to o on with your story, the chief part is yet untold What became of your lover, and what did your relations do when they found out your flight?”

”Three days after I arrived in this vast city I wrote to the abbess,her to protect my lover, and to confirm me in my resolution never to return to Lisbon till I could do so in security, and have no obstacles placed in the way of ed her to write and infor her letters to 'Miss Pauline,' under cover of my landlady

”I sent my letter by Paris and Madrid, and I had to wait three ate had only returned a short time, and that the captain i him that the only lady as in his shi+p when he sailed was still on board, for he had brought her back with him, despite the opposition of Count Al----, who declared she was his wife The captain ended by asking his excellency for further orders with respect to the lady aforesaid

”Oeiras, feeling sure that the lady was myself, told the captain to take her to the convent of which my aunt was abbess, with a letter he had written In this letter he told ed her to keep the girl securely till further orders My aunt was extremely surprised, but she would have been still ot my letter a few days before She thanked the captain for his care, and took the false niece to a roo him that she had received into her convent a person supposed to be his niece, but as this person was really a ed his excellency to remove him as soon as possible

”When the abbess had written this curious letter she paid a visit to the count, who fell on his knees before her My good aunt raised hied to write to the minister, and that she had no doubt he would be removed from the convent in the course of a few hours The count burst into tears, and begging the abbess to protect us both gave her reat pleasure She left hi to write to me of all that happened

”The minister was at one of his country estates, and did not receive the abbess's letter till the next day, but hastened to reply in person My aunt easily convinced his excellency of the need for keeping the matter secret, for a man had been sent into the convent, which would be to her dishonour She shewed the proud minister the letter she had had froiven her ed her pardon with a s reatest ioes no farther I will relieve you of your false niece, and take her away in ht out the young recluse, who drove aith the minister The abbess tellsabout hi over the affair, but in a wholly distorted manner They say that the minister first of all put me under the care of my aunt, but soon after took me away, and has kept me in some secret place ever since Count Al---- is supposed to be in London, and I in the minister's power, and probably we are supposed to have entered into a tender relationshi+p No doubt his excellency is perfectly well infors here, for he knows my address and has spies everywhere

”On the advice ofhim that I am ready to return to Lisbon, if I may marry Count Al---- and live in perfect liberty Otherwise, I declared, I would stay in London, where the laws guaranteedfor his answer every day, and I expect it will be a favourable one, for no one can deprive lad to protect me to lessen the odium which attaches to his name as the murderer of my father”

Pauline made no mystery of the names of the characters, but she may be still alive, and I respect her too well to run the risk of wounding her, though these Me my lifetime

It is sufficient to say that the story is known to all the inhabitants of Lisbon, and that the persons who figure in it are public characters in Portugal

I lived with dear Pauline in perfect harher with tenderer feelings towards rew thin and feeble; I could not sleep nor eat I should have languished away if I had not succeeded in gratifying rew plus serve to increase your charht not to let ”

”Do you think that your sufferings are due to your love forin it, but, believe me, the tender passion does not destroy the appetite nor take away the power of sleep Your indisposition is undoubtedly due to the sedentary life you have been leading of late If you love o out for a ride”