Part 48 (1/2)
”I will neither admit nor deny it You understand that a man does not very readily place his heart where there is no hope of return, and that it is most essential he should take ht,” said De Guiche with a sigh; ”a ift”
”Mine particularly is very tender, and in that light I present it to you”
”Oh! you are well known, comte Well?”
”It is simply a question of Madenan, you are losing your senses, I should think”
”Why so?”
”I have never shown or taken any interest in Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente”
”Bah!”
”Never”
”Did you not obtain admission for Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente into Madame's household?”
”Madeht to know it better than any one else, ood family to make her presence here desirable, and her ad”
”No; and upon my honor I do not knohat you , then, to do with her admission?”
”No”
”You do not know her?”
”I saw her for the first time the day she was presented to Madame Therefore, as I have never taken any interest in her, as I do not know her, I aive you the inforh he were about to leave his questioner
”Nay, nay, one nan; ”you shall not escape me in this manner”
”Why, really, it seems to me that it is now tioing in when I-did not meet, but found you”
”Therefore,to say to me, I place ht in doing so What matters half an hour more or less? Will you swear that you have no injurious communications to make to ht possibly have to make are not the cause of your silence?”
”Oh! I believe the poor child to be as pure as crystal”
”You overwhelm me with joy And yet I do not wish to have towards you the appearance of a man so badly informed as I seem It is quite certain that you supplied the princess's household with the ladies of honor Nay, a song has even been written about it”
”Oh! songs are written about everything”
”Do you know it?”
”No: sing it to me and I shall ins; I only remember how it ends”
”Very well, at all events, that is so”
”When Maids of Honor happen to run short, Lo!-Guiche will furnish the entire Court”
”The idea is weak, and the rhyme poor,” said De Guiche
”What can you expect, my dear fellow? it is not Racine's or Moliere's, but La Feuillade's; and a great lord cannot rhyh, that you only remember the terinning of the second couplet”
”Why, there's the birdcage, with a pretty pair, The char Montalais, and”
”And La Valliere,” exclainorant besides of Saint-Aignan's object
”Yes, yes, you have it You have hit upon the word, 'La Valliere'”
”A grand discovery indeed”
”Montalais and La Valliere, these, then, are the two young girls in who
”And so Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente's na?”
”No, indeed”
”And are you satisfied, then?”
”Perfectly; but I find Montalais there,” said Saint-Aignan, still laughing
”Oh! you will find her everywhere She is a singularly active young lady”
”You know her?”
”Indirectly She was the protegee of a ee of Manicaet the situation of maid of honor for Montalais in Madame's household, and a situation for Malicorne as an officer in Monsieur's household Well, I asked for the appointments, for you know very well that I have a weakness for that droll fellow Manicaht?”