After Having Listened, With The Utmost Attention, To All The Countess
Said Of Him, And Other Matters Becoming The Topic Of Discourse, She Took
Her Leave, In Order To Reflect Alone What She Ought To Do In
This Affair.
She debated not long within herself before she resolved to write to him,
and prevent the unprofitable journey he
Was about to take; and having
heard, by madam d' Espargnes, the name of the village where he was
obliged to wait, both for the recovery of his wounds and for remittances
for his expences, she wrote to him in the following terms:
To monsieur DU PLESSIS.
"I should ill return the proofs I have received
of your generous disinterested friendship,
to delay one moment that I had it in my power,
in endeavouring to convince you that it was a
quite contrary motive than ingratitude to you,
that carried me from Bolognia: - but the story
is too long for the compass of a letter; when
you know it, you will, perhaps, own this action,
whatever you may now think of it, merits
more, than any thing I could have done, your
approbation: - this seeming riddle will be easily
expounded, if, on the recovery of your
wounds, you repair immediately to Paris, where
you will find
Your much obliged,
LOUISA."
Having finished this little billet, a scruple rose in her head, that
being now under the care of a father, she ought not to do any thing of
this nature without his permission: - she had already told him how
greatly she had been indebted to du Plessis for his honourable passion,
but had not mentioned the least tittle of the tender impressions it had
made on her; and she so lately knew him to be her father, that she was
ashamed to make him the confidant of an affair of this nature, but then,
when she considered the quality of du Plessis, which she was now
confirmed of, and the sense Dorilaus testified he had of his behaviour
to her while he believed her so infinitely his inferior, made her
resolve to drain her modesty so far as to inform him all.
She began by relating her accidental meeting with madam, the countess
d'Espargnes and the conversation that passed at mademoiselle de
Palfoy's, and then, tho' not without immoderate blushes, shewed him what
she had wrote, and beseeched him to let her know whether it would be
consistent with a virgin's modesty, and also agreeable to his pleasure,
that she gave this demonstration of her gratitude for the favours she
had received from this young gentleman.
Dorilaus was charmed with this proof of her duty and respect, and told
her, that he was so far from disapproving what she had wrote, that had
she omitted it, or said less than she did, he should have looked upon
her as unworthy of so perfect a passion as that which monsieur du
Plessis on all occasions, testified for her: - that, in his opinion, she
owed him more than she could ever pay; and that it should be his
endeavour to shew he had not placed his affections on the daughter of
one who knew not how to set a just value on merit such as his:
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