Volume VI Part 78 (1/2)

I asked hi for her I should have been glad if he had fallen in love with her; there would have been no difficulty, I believe, on her part, and certainly not onfroive it her I told hih; but the affair went no farther

In a week all the arrangerant, and the same day she was married and went aith her husband to Civita Vecchia Menicuccio, whose name I have not mentioned for some time, ell pleased with es for himself, and still better pleased with the turn his own affairs were taking, for three days after E he married his mistress, and set up in a satisfactory ave Armelline a new companion She was only a few years older than my sweetheart, and very pretty; but she did not arouse a strong interest in my breast When violently in love no other woman has ever had much power over me

The superioress told me that her name was Scholastica, and that she orthy of ood as Emilie She expressed a hope that I would do my best to help Scholastica to ood position

This man was the son of a cousin of Scholastica's She called hih he was older than she The dispensation could easily be got forI should have to make interest with the Holy Father I promised I would doto a close, and Scholastica had never seen an opera or a play Armelline wanted to see a ball, and I had at last succeeded in finding one where it seenized However, it would have to be carefully ht ensue; so I asked the two friends if they would wear reed very heartily

I had taken a box at the Aliberti Theatre for the day after the ball, so I told the two girls to obtain the necessary perh Armelline's resistance and the presence of her new friend discouragedrequisite to transforot into the carriage she gaveabout our relations, and that we must be careful e did before her I had no tiot in, and we drove off to the inn When ere seated in front of a good fire, I told theo into the next roo, I shewed theuises, and Ar to Scholastics to confirm her

”I will do as you like,” said she, ”but I am very sorry to be in the way You are in love with each other, and here a one another marks of your affection Why don't you treat me with confidence? I am not a child, and I am your friend”

These remarks shewed that she had plenty of coht, fair Scholastics,” I said, ”I do love Armelline, but she does not love me, and refuses to make me happy on one pretence or another”

With these words I left the roo the door behind me proceeded to make up a fire in the second apartment

In a quarter of an hour Ared me to open it She was in her breeches, and said they needed et them on

I was in rather a sulky humour, so she threw her arms round my neck and covered my face with kisses which soon restoredthe reason ofwhatever I could see, Scholastica burst out laughing

”I was sure that I was in the way,” said she; ”and if you do not trust o with you to the opera to-morrow”

”Well, then, embrace him,” said Armelline

”With all enerosity, but I embraced Scholastica as warmly as she deserved Indeed I would have done so if she had been less pretty, for such kindly consideration deserved a reward I even kissed her more ardently than I need have done, with the idea of punishi+ng Arhted, and kissed her friend affectionately as if in gratitude

I made them sit down, and tried to pull on their shoes, but I soon found that they were et some more

I called the waiter who attended to us, and told hio and fetch a bootmaker with an assortment of shoes

In theArrant nor to refuse; and as if to relieve herself of any responsibility, made Scholastica submit to all the caresses I lavished on her The latter seconded ly if I had been in love with her

She was exceedingly beautiful, and her features were as perfectly chiselled as Armelline's, but Armelline was possessed of a delicate and subtle charm of feature peculiar to herself

I liked the ah, but there was a drop of bitterness in all ht it was plain that Ared e her friend

At last I came to the conclusion that I should do well to attach ive me the completest satisfaction