ibert.

"She spoke to me so kindly and so sensibly," said she, "but I contented
myself with saying that I would never marry till you told me to do so.
All the same I thank you with all my heart for the ten thousand crowns
you are willing to give me. You have tossed the ball to me and I have
sent it back. I will go back to Venice whenever you please if you will
not take me to England with you, but I will never marry. I expect we
shall see no more of the young gentleman, though if I had never met you I
might have loved him."

It was evidently all over, and I liked her for the part she had taken,
for a man who knows his own worth is not likely to sigh long at the feet
of an obdurate lady.

The wedding-day of my late niece came round. Marcoline was there, without
diamonds, but clad in a rich dress which set off her beauty and satisfied
my vanity.

CHAPTER IV

I Leave Marseilles--Henriette at Aix--Irene at Avignon--
Treachery of Possano--Madame d'Urfe Leaves Lyon

The wedding only interested me because of the bride. The plentiful rather
than choice repast, the numerous and noisy company, the empty
compliments, the silly conversation, the roars of laughter at very poor
jokes--all this would have driven me to despair if it had not been for
Madame Audibert, whom I did not leave for a moment. Marcoline followed
the young bride about like a shadow, and the latter, who was going to
Genoa in a week, wanted Marcoline to come in her train, promising to have
her taken to Venice by a person of trust, but my sweetheart would listen
to no proposal for separating her from me,--

"I won't go to Venice," she said, "till you send me there."

The splendours of her friend's marriage did not make her experience the
least regret at having refused the young wine merchant. The bride beamed
with happiness, and on my congratulating her she confessed her joy to be
great, adding that it was increased by the fact that she owed it all to
me. She was also very glad to be going to Genoa, where she was sure of
finding a true friend in Rosalie, who would sympathize with her, their
fortunes having been very similar.

The day after the wedding I began to make preparations for my departure.
The first thing I disposed of was the box containing the planetary
offerings. I kept the diamonds and precious stones, and took all the gold
and silver to Rousse de Cosse, who still held the sum which Greppi had
placed to my credit. I took a bill