It will not be by letter that
you will announce this to me--but you will come yourself in person--you
will hear me before you go far away! And shall I be able then--What, you
hesitate to grant my request?" cried Corinne. "No," replied he, "I do
not hesitate; since it is thy wish, I swear that should circumstances
require my departure, I will apprize thee of it beforehand, and that
moment will decide the fate of our future lives."--She then left the
room.

FOOTNOTE:

[25] I have taken the liberty here to borrow some passages of the
Discourse on Death, which is to be found in the _Cours de Morale
Religieuse_, by M. Necker. This work, which appeared in times when the
attention was engrossed by political events, is sometimes confounded
with another by the same author, called _l'Importance des Opinions
Religieuses_, which has had the most brilliant success. But I dare
affirm, that the former is my father's most eloquent work. No minister
of state, I believe, before him, ever composed works for the Christian
pulpit; and that which ought to characterise this kind of writing from a
man who has had so much dealings with his race, is a knowledge of the
human heart, and the indulgence which this knowledge inspires: it
appears then, that considered in these two points of view, the _Cours de
Morale_, is perfectly original. Religious men in general do not mix in
the world, and men of the world for the most part, are not religious:
where then would it be possible to find to such a degree, knowledge of
life united to the elevation which detaches us from it? I will assert
without being afraid that my opinion will be attributed to my feelings,
that this book ranks among the first of those which console the sensible
being, and interest minds which reflect on the great questions that the
soul incessantly agitates within us.

Chapter ii.

During those days which immediately followed the illness of Oswald,
Corinne carefully avoided any thing that might lead to an explanation
between them. She wished to render life as calm as possible; but she
would not yet confide her history to him. All her remarks upon their
different conversations, had only served to convince her too well of the
impression he would receive in learning who she was, and what she had
sacrificed; and nothing appeared more dreadful to her than this
impression, which might detach him from her.

Returning then to the amiable artifice with which she had before
pre