Volume V Part 45 (1/2)
”Dearest, you ht make yourself worse; let us wait till your sprain is cured”
”Are we to wait till I ae?”
”I suppose so, for if I a can't be done without a certain , dear Pauline, but it would make no difference to me even if it were so You may be sure I would not put it off till to- Besides, you shall see that there are ways andh for you?”
”Well, well, as it is written that a wife should obey her husband, you will find me docile”
”When?”
”After supper”
”Then ill have no supper We shall dine with all the better appetite to-in now”
”No, for the suspicions of the servants ht be aroused Love has its rules of decency like everything else”
”You talk as wisely as Cato, and I aht in all you say”
Supper was served as usual; it was delicate enough, but the thought of approaching bliss had taken away our appetites, and we ate only for fore our passion without any fear of being disturbed
But this delightful woman, who had so plainly told ether as man and wife, was now ashamed to undress beforeat herself Froathered that the decency of the body is rasp than the purity of the soul
”But, sweetheart,” said I, ”you dressed and undressed for a fortnight before your betrothed”
”Yes, but he was always lying in his ha he never turned round and wished ood day till he kneas dressed”
”What, he never turned?”
”I never let him take any liberties”
”Such virtue is incomprehensible to me”
”You see the count was to be my husband, and I was to be his wife, and in such cases a young woman is careful Besides, I believe that if one will but refrain fro the first step, continence is easy Then the count was naturally timid, and would never have taken any liberties withouthim, which I took care not to do For this once, you will allow me to sleep with you in my clothes”
”Certainly, if you wish me to be dressed also, otherwise it would be unbearable for both of us”
”You are very cruel”
”But, dearest, are you not ashamed of these foolish scruples?”
”Well, well, put out the candles, and in a h the want of light will deprive reat pleasure Quick, out with theuese did not reflect that the moon shone full into the roo her exquisite figure, which shewed to greater advantage in the position she happened to take If Pauline had been a coquette I should have considered her scruples as mere artifice calculated to increase ems At last she ithin my arms, and we clasped each other closely and in silence that was only broken by the murhs and the ardour of her surrender shewed me that her passion was more in need of relief than mine I was sufficiently master of reatly to her astonish, and had given herself up freely, resolved to brave the consequences which she believed to be inevitable I explained the mystery and made her happy
Till this moment love alone had swayed me, but now that the bloody sacrifice was over I felt full of respect and gratitude I told her effusively that I kne great was my happiness, and that I was ready to sacrifice ht that our eerous result had put Pauline at her ease, and she have reins to her ardent temperament, while I did valiant service, till at last ere exhausted and the last sacrifice was not entirely consummated We abandoned ourselves to a profound and peaceful sleep I was the first to awake; the sun was shi+ning in through the , and I gazed on Pauline As I looked at this woal, the only child of an illustrious faiven herself to me all for love, and whom I should possess for so short a tih