I Found It Was In French, By Some Words Which She Was Obliged To Repeat Over And Over, Before, Not Perfectly Understanding The Language, She Could Be Able To Find A Proper Interpretation Of.

The abbess, who has a little smattering of it herself, sometimes helped her out, and between them both I

Soon found it came from monsieur du Plessis, and contained the most tender and compassionate complaint of your unkindness in not answering his letter; - that the symptoms he had of approaching death were not half so severe to him as your refusing him a consolation he stood for much in need of; - that if you found him unworthy of your love, he was certainly so of your compassion; and concluded with the most earnest entreaty, you would suffer him to continue no longer in a suspence more cruel than a thousand deaths could be.

Oh heaven! cried Louisa, bursting into tears, how ungrateful must he think me, and how can I return, as it deserves, so unexampled a constancy, after such seeming proofs of my infidelity! - . Cruel, cruel, treacherous abbess! pursued she; Is this the fruits of all your boasted sanctity! - This the return to the confidence the generous du Plessis reposed in you! - This your love and friendship to me! - Does heaven, to increase the number of its votaries, require you to be false, perfidious, and injurious to the world!

She was proceeding in giving vent to the anguish of her soul in exclamations such as these; but Leonora begged she would moderate her grief, and for her sake, as much as possible, conceal the reasons she had for resentment. Louisa again promised she would do her utmost to keep them from thinking she even suspected they had played her false; - then cried, But tell me, my dear Leonora, were they not a little moved at the tender melancholy which, I perceive, ran thro' this epistle? Alas! my dear, replied the other, they have long since forgot those soft emotions which make us simpathize in the woes of love: - inflexible by the rigid rules of this place, and more by their own age, they rather looked with horror than pity on a tender inclination: - they had a long conversation together, the result of which was to spare nothing that might either persuade, or if that failed, compel you to take the order.

It is not in their power to do the latter, interrupted Louisa; and this discovery of their baseness, more than ever, confirms me in the resolution never to consent.

You know not what is in their power, said Leonora; they may make pretences for confining you here, which, as they are under no jurisdiction but the church, the church will allow justifiable: - indeed, Louisa, continued she, I should be loth to see you have recourse to force to get out of their hands which would only occasion you ill treatment: - to whom, alas, can you complain! - you are a stranger in this country, without any one friend to espouse your cause:

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