FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   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   >>   >|  
who are so secret on all occasions, so hasty, so punctilious--" "Well," said De Guiche, interrupting him, with a smile upon his lips, although he almost felt as if he were going to die; "I swear I should not care for that, nor should I in any way contradict you; for you must know, my dear marquis, that for all matters which concern myself I am a block of ice; but it is a very different thing when an absent friend is concerned, a friend, who, on leaving, confided his interests to my safe-keeping; for such a friend, De Wardes, believe me, I am like fire itself." "I understand you, Monsieur de Guiche. In spite of what you say, there cannot be any question between us, just now, either of Bragelonne or of this insignificant girl, whose name is La Valliere." At this moment some of the younger courtiers were crossing the apartment, and having already heard the few words which had just been pronounced, were able also to hear those which were about to follow. De Wardes observed this, and continued aloud:--"Oh! if La Valliere were a coquette like Madame, whose innocent flirtations, I am sure, were, first of all, the cause of the Duke of Buckingham being sent back to England, and afterwards were the reason of your being sent into exile; for you will not deny, I suppose, that Madame's pretty ways really had a certain influence over you?" The courtiers drew nearer to the speakers, Saint-Aignan at their head, and then Manicamp. "But, my dear fellow, whose fault was that?" said De Guiche, laughing. "I am a vain, conceited fellow, I know, and everybody else knows it too. I took seriously that which was only intended as a jest, and got myself exiled for my pains. But I saw my error. I overcame my vanity, and I obtained my recall, by making the _amende honorable_, and by promising myself to overcome this defect; and the consequence is, that I am so thoroughly cured, that I now laugh at the very thing which, three or four days ago, would have almost broken my heart. But Raoul is in love, and is loved in return; he cannot laugh at the reports which disturb his happiness--reports which you seem to have undertaken to interpret, when you know, marquis, as I do, as these gentlemen do, as every one does in fact, that all such reports are pure calumny." "Calumny!" exclaimed De Wardes, furious at seeing himself caught in the snare by De Guiche's coolness of temper. "Certainly--calumny. Look at this letter from him, in which he tell
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Guiche
 

friend

 

reports

 

Wardes

 

fellow

 
Madame
 
courtiers
 

Valliere

 
marquis
 

calumny


intended

 

pretty

 
overcame
 

exiled

 
Manicamp
 

nearer

 
Aignan
 
speakers
 

conceited

 

laughing


influence

 

promising

 

undertaken

 

temper

 

interpret

 

coolness

 

happiness

 

return

 

Certainly

 

disturb


caught

 
furious
 

exclaimed

 

gentlemen

 

amende

 
honorable
 

Calumny

 
overcome
 

making

 
obtained

recall
 

letter

 
defect
 
consequence
 

broken

 

suppose

 
vanity
 

confided

 
interests
 

keeping