vico could not. 'O, sir!' said
she, in a voice, interrupted with sobs; 'O, sir! you are not the other
Chevalier. We expected Monsieur Valancourt, but you are not he! O
Ludovico! how could you deceive us so? my poor lady will never recover
it--never!' The stranger, who now appeared much agitated, attempted to
speak, but his words faltered; and then striking his hand against his
forehead, as if in sudden despair, he walked abruptly to the other end
of the corridor.

Suddenly, Annette dried her tears, and spoke to Ludovico. 'But,
perhaps,' said she, 'after all, the other Chevalier is not this: perhaps
the Chevalier Valancourt is still below.' Emily raised her head.
'No,' replied Ludovico, 'Monsieur Valancourt never was below, if this
gentleman is not he.' 'If you, sir,' said Ludovico, addressing the
stranger, 'would but have had the goodness to trust me with your name,
this mistake had been avoided.' 'Most true,' replied the stranger,
speaking in broken Italian, 'but it was of the utmost consequence to me,
that my name should be concealed from Montoni. Madam,' added he then,
addressing Emily in French, 'will you permit me to apologize for the
pain I have occasioned you, and to explain to you alone my name, and the
circumstance, which has led me into this error? I am of France;--I am
your countryman;--we are met in a foreign land.' Emily tried to
compose her spirits; yet she hesitated to grant his request. At length,
desiring, that Ludovico would wait on the stair-case, and detaining
Annette, she told the stranger, that her woman understood very little
Italian, and begged he would communicate what he wished to say, in that
language.--Having withdrawn to a distant part of the corridor, he said,
with a long-drawn sigh, 'You, madam, are no stranger to me, though I am
so unhappy as to be unknown to you.--My name is Du Pont; I am of France,
of Gascony, your native province, and have long admired,--and, why
should I affect to disguise it?--have long loved you.' He paused,
but, in the next moment, proceeded. 'My family, madam, is probably not
unknown to you, for we lived within a few miles of La Vallee, and I
have, sometimes, had the happiness of meeting you, on visits in
the neighbourhood. I will not offend you by repeating how much you
interested me; how much I loved to wander in the scenes you frequented;
how often I visited your favourite fishing-house, and lamented the
circumstance, which, at that time, forbade me to reveal m