Horatio Knowing His
Charming Charlotta Was A Nymph Of The Forest, Chose To Be A Hunter, And
Was Accordingly Dressed
In green, with a little cap on his head and a
javelin in his hand, as Acteon is generally portrayed;
And indeed had he
studied what garb would have become him best, he could not have fixed on
one more proper for that purpose.
Fine madamoiselle de Sanserre at least thought him more worthy her
regard than any of those, the richness of whose habits made her know
were of a higher rank: - she took particular notice of him, made him
dance with her, and said a thousand gallant things to him; but he could
very well have dispensed with hearing them, and found little
satisfaction in any thing that deprived him of entertaining his dear
Charlotta, who he easily knew by her air and shape from all those who
were habited in the same manner. As he doubted not, however, but the
person who had thus singled him out was a lady of condition, he returned
her civilities with a politeness which was natural to him, but which had
received great improvements since his arrival in France. She was no less
charm'd with his conversation than she had been with his person, and
impatient to know who he was, made an offer of shewing him her face on
condition he would pluck off his mask at the same time: but this he
would by no means agree to, because still hoping to get rid of her, and
have some discourse with mademoiselle Charlotta, he did not think proper
he should be known by any other, who might perhaps make remarks on his
behaviour; and therefore excused himself from complying with her desires
in terms as obliging as the circumstance would admit.
As she had displayed all her talents of wit and eloquence to engage him,
she looked on the little curiosity she had been able to inspire in him
as an affront, and vexed she had thrown away so much time on an
insensible, as she called him, flung hastily away, and joining with some
other company, left him at liberty to pursue his inclinations.
This lady had been a royal mistress, but not having the good fortune to
be made a mother, was not honoured with any title; her being forsaken by
the king, who indeed had few amours of any long continuance, did not in
the least abate the good opinion she had of her beauty; and to fee
herself followed by a train of lovers being the supreme pleasure of her
life, she spared nothing to attract and engage: whenever she failed in
this expectation it was a severe mortification; but her vanity and the
gaity of her humour would not suffer it to prey upon her spirits for
above a minute, and she diverted the shock of a rebuff in one place by
new attempts to conquer in another; therefore it is probable thought no
more of Horatio after she had turned from him.
He now carefully avoided all that might interrupt his wishes, and seeing
Charlotta had just broke off some conversation she had been entertained
with, made what haste he could to prevent her from being
re-engaged: - She immediately knew him; and as their mutual innocence
made them perfectly free in expressing themselves to each other, she
told him she was glad he was come; that they would keep together the
whole masquerade, provided he did not think it a confinement, to prevent
her being persecuted with the impertinencies of some people there, who
she found thought a masque a kind of sanction for saying any thing.
It is not to be doubted but Horatio gave her all the assurances that
words could form, of feeling the most perfect pleasure in her society,
and that he should not; without the extremest reluctance, find himself
obliged to abandon the happiness she offered him to any other person in
the company: to recompence this complaisance, as she called it, she gave
him a brief detail of the characters of as many as she knew thro' their
habits; and in doing this discovered a sweet impartiality and love of
truth, which was no small addition to her other charms. She blamed the
baroness de Guiche for not being able to return the affection of a
husband who had married her with an inconsiderable fortune, and had
since she had been his wife pardoned a thousand miscarriages in her
conduct: - she praised the virtue of mademoiselle de Mareau, who being at
fifteen the bride of a man of seventy, behaved to him with a tenderness,
and exact conformity to his will, which, if owing alone to duty, was not
to be distinguished from inclination: - she expressed a concern that the
gaity of the dutchess of Vendome gave the world any room for censure,
and highly condemned the duke for being guilty of actions which had made
her sometimes give into parties of pleasure by way of retaliation: - but
she was more severe on the indecorum of mademoiselle de Renville, who
being known for the mistress of the duke of Chartres, and that she was
supported by him, was fond of appearing in all public places. She could
not help testifying a good deal of surprize, that any woman who
pretended to virtue would admit her into their assemblies: not but she
said the case of that lady was greatly to be pitied, who being high-born
and bred had been reduced to the lowest exigencies of life, and from
which to be relieved she had only consented to assist the looser
pleasures of the amorous duke; but, added she, I would not methinks have
her seem to glory in her shame, and in a manner of life which her
misfortunes alone can render excusable; nor can I approve of the
indulgence her mistaken triumph meets with, because it may not only
destroy all notions of regret in herself for what her necessities oblige
her to, but also make others, who have not the same pretence, find a
kind of sanction for their own errors:
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