Volume VI Part 47 (1/2)

With these words she becahts

At seven o'clock we arrived at St Quirico, and the so-called Comte de l'Etoile ca fashi+on, kissing her before everybody, no doubt with the object of giving people to understand that she was his wife, and I her father

The girl responded to all his caresses, looking as if a load had been lifted off her breast, and without a word of reproach she went upstairs with hiotten etfulness natural to that early age

I went upstairs in , and supper was served directly, as we had to start very early the nextif ished to reach Radicofani before the noonday heat

We had an excellent supper, as the count had preceded us by six hours, and the landlord had had plenty of tiirl seemed as much in love with de l'Etoile as he with her, and I was left coh spirits, the so gentlehed with all her heart, and I could not help laughing too

I considered that I was present at a kind of coh did I allow to escapeofficer,” I said toin this farcical manner He won't be the first of the species I have seen They are a their honour lightly, and too apt to carry it at the sword's point”

On this hypothesis I was ill pleased with my position I did nota dupe oflishwoman was his wife, his treatment of myself was certainly not warranted, and I was not the uise the fact, however, that any onlooker would have pronouncedan inferior part

There were two beds in the room where we had our supper When the chaive ed me to sleep in the same room with them, and the lady remained neutral; but I did notthe taken to ht and locked myself in My friends had only one sgage by another way; but they did not even have the trunk brought up to their roo much less interested about the lady than I had been on the journey

I was roused early in the hbours dressing, so I half openedinto their room

In a quarter of an hour I heard the sound of a dispute in the court-yard, and on looking out, there were the French hotly The vetturino held the horse's bridle, and the pretended count did his best to snatch it away frouessed the bone of contention: the Frenchman had no money, and the vetturino asked in vain for his due I knew that I should be drawn into the dispute, and wasup my mind to do my duty without mercy, when the Count de l'Etoile came in and said,--

”This blockhead does not understand what I say to hiive him two sequins I will return you the money at Rome By an odd chance I happen to have no ot my trunk However, he says he efor me to reply, the rascal went out and ran down the stairs The vetturino remained in the room I put allop away

I sat down onhter; it struck h too,” said I to the lady, ”laugh or I will never get up”

”I agree with you that it's laughable enough, but I have not the spirit to laugh”

”Well, sit down at all events”

I gave the poor devil of a vetturino two sequins, telling him that I should like sorieved to see rief,” said I, ”but you must try to overcome it I have only one favour to ask of you, and if you refuse to grant me that, I shall be as sad as you, so we shall be rather a melancholy couple”

”What can I do for you?”

”You can tell me on your word of honour whether that extraordinary character is your husband, or only your lover”

”I will tell you the si to be ain He never shall be your husband, and so much the better for you He has seduced you, and you love hiet over that”

”Never, unless he deceives me”

”He has deceived you already I am sure he has told you that he is rich, that he is a man of rank, and that he will make you happy; and all that is a lie”