Accordingly She Forced Herself To A Gaiety, She Was Far From Feeling,
Vainly Imagining That By Counterfeiting A Chearfulness, She
Should in
time be able to resume it; but du Plessis hung too heavy at her heart,
and when she
Affected the greatest shew of mirth, it was often
interrupted with sighs, which she was not always sensible of herself. He
visited her almost every day under one pretence or other; but she took
such care never to be alone at the times that she could possibly expect
him, that he had not the least opportunity to renew his addresses, any
otherways than by his looks, which, notwithstanding, were perfectly
intelligible to her, tho' she seemed not to observe them.
Melanthe, no longer able to keep the secret of her amour, finding
Louisa, as she thought, had entirely regained her former sprightliness,
acquainted her with all had passed between herself and count de
Bellfleur; which, tho' the other was no stranger to, she seemed
astonished at, and could not help telling her, that she feared the
consequence of an intrigue of that nature would one day be fatal to her
peace. Yet, said Melanthe, where one loves, and is beloved, it is hard
to deny oneself a certain happiness for the dread of an imaginary
ill. - In fine, my dear Louisa, I found I could not live without him; and
heaven will sure excuse the error of an inclination which is born with
us, and which not all our reason is of force to conquer. - But, added
she, you always seem to speak of the count, as of a man that wanted
charms to excuse the tenderness I have for him; and, I have observed,
deny him those praises which I have heard you bestow very freely on
persons that have not half his merit.
Louisa knowing how vain it was to contest with inclination, in persons
who are resolved to indulge it, and also that all advice was now too
late, began to repent of what she said. If, madam, replied she, after a
little pause, I have seemed unjust to the count's perfections, it was
only because I feared you were but too sensible of them; for otherwise,
it must be owned, he has a person and behaviour extremely engaging; but
as the carnival will put an end to all the acquaintance we have
contracted here, it gives me pain to think how you will support a
separation.
Perhaps it may not happen so soon as you imagine, said Melanthe: - tho'
the carnival, and with it all the pleasures of this place will soon be
over, our loves may be continued elsewhere: - suppose, Louisa, we go to
France, added she with a significant smile, that shewed it was her
intention to do so.
Some company coming in, prevented any farther discourse on this head for
the present; but afterward she confirmed what she had now hinted at, and
told Louisa, that she had resolved to pass some little time in seeing
those places which were in her way to France, and afterwards meet the
count at Paris, on his return from the campaign. Louisa, unable to
determine within herself whether she ought to rejoice, or be sad at this
intended journey, fell into a sudden thoughtfulness, which the other at
that time took no notice of, but it served afterwards to corroborate the
truth of something she was told, and proved of consequence little to
be foreseen.
The inconstant count, in the mean time, satieted with Melanthe, and as
much in love with Louisa as a man of his temper could be, was contriving
all the ways his inventive wit could furnish him with to get handsomely
rid of the one, and attain the enjoyment of the other. As he had spent
many years in a continual course of gallantry, and had made and broke a
thousand engagements, he easily found expedients for throwing off his
intercourse with Melanthe, but none that could give him the least
prospect of success in his designs on Louisa while they lived together
and continued friends: to part them therefore was his aim, and to
accomplish it the following method came into his head.
On his first acquaintance with these ladies his design was wholly on
Louisa, but meeting a rebuff from her, his vanity rather than his
inclinations had made him turn his devoirs to Melanthe, who too easily
yielding to his suit, served but to heighten his desires for the other:
the extravagant fondness of that unhappy woman rendering her visibly
uneasy at even the ordinary civilities she saw him behave with to any
other, discovered to him that jealousy was not the least reigning foible
of her foul, and the surest means to make her hate that person whom it
was not the interest of his passion she should continue to love. When
they were alone together one day at the place of their usual rendezvous,
in the midst of the most tender endearments, he asked suddenly if she
had ever made Louisa the confident of his happiness. She was a little
surprized at the question, but answered that she had not, and desired to
know the reason of that demand; because, cried he, I am very certain she
is no friend to our loves; and by the manner in which she behaves to me,
whenever she has the least opportunity of shewing her ill humour, I
imagined she either knew or suspected the affair between us.
Melanthe, conscious she had hid nothing from her, and also sensible of
the little approbation she gave to her intrigue, was very much picqued
that she should have done any thing to make the count perceive
it; - whatever she suspects, cried she, haughtily, she ought not to treat
with any ill manners a person whom I avow a friendship for. Vanity,
answered he, sometimes gets the better of discretion in ladies of her
years: - she knows herself handsome, and cannot have a good opinion of
the man who prefers any charms to her own.
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