FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122  
123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   >>   >|  
ered this weakness. The next evening he passed at the chateau of M. des Rameures; and though his heart was bleeding, he piqued himself on presenting an unclouded brow and an inscrutable smile to Madame de Tecle. He announced the brief absence he intended, and explained the reason. "You will present my best wishes to the General," said M. des Rameures. "I hope he may be happy, but I confess I doubt it devilishly." "I shall bear your good wishes to the General, Monsieur." "The deuce you will! 'Exceptis excipiendis', I hope," responded the old gentleman, laughing. As for Madame de Tecle, to tell of all the tender attentions and exquisite delicacies, that a sweet womanly nature knows so well how to apply to heal the wounds it has inflicted--how graciously she glided into her maternal relation with Camors--to tell all this would require a pen wielded by her own soft hands. Two days later M. de Camors left Reuilly for Paris. The morning after his arrival, he repaired at an early hour to the General's house, a magnificent hotel in the Rue Vanneau. The marriage contract was to be signed that evening, and the civil and religious ceremonies were to take place next morning. Camors found the General in a state of extraordinary agitation, pacing up and down the three salons which formed the ground floor of the hotel. The moment he perceived the young man entering--"Ah, it is you!" he cried, darting a ferocious glance upon him. "By my faith, your arrival is fortunate." "But, General!" "Well, what! Why do you not embrace me?" "Certainly, General!" "Very well! It is for to-morrow, you know!" "Yes, General." "Sacrebleu! You are very cool! Have you seen her?" "Not yet, General. I have just arrived." "You must go and see her this morning. You owe her this mark of interest; and if you discover anything, you must tell me." "But what should I discover, General?" "How do I know? But you understand women much better than I! Does she love me, or does she not love me? You understand, I make no pretensions of turning her head, but still I do not wish to be an object of repulsion to her. Nothing has given me reason to suppose so, but the girl is so reserved, so impenetrable." "Mademoiselle d'Estrelles is naturally cold," said Camors. "Yes," responded the General. "Yes, and in some respects I--but really now, should you discover anything, I rely on your communicating it to me. And stop!--when you have seen
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122  
123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

General

 

Camors

 

morning

 

discover

 

responded

 

understand

 

arrival

 

Rameures

 
reason
 

Madame


evening

 

wishes

 
Sacrebleu
 
entering
 

perceived

 

moment

 

chateau

 

morrow

 

arrived

 

fortunate


piqued
 

ferocious

 

glance

 
bleeding
 

Certainly

 

darting

 

embrace

 

passed

 

impenetrable

 

Mademoiselle


Estrelles

 

reserved

 

repulsion

 
Nothing
 

suppose

 
naturally
 

communicating

 
respects
 
object
 

weakness


interest
 

pretensions

 
turning
 

announced

 

nature

 

absence

 

womanly

 

wounds

 
inflicted
 

maternal