The Baron Went Immediately To His Daughter's Chamber, And Having Ordered
Her Maid, Who Was Then Doing Something About Her,
To leave the room, I
have wondered, Charlotta, said he, with a countenance that was far from
betraying the secret
Vexation of his mind, that you have never, since
your coming to Paris, expressed the least desire of making a visit at
St. Germains, tho' the duty you owe a princess, who seems to have a very
great affection for you, might well have excused any impatience you
might have testified on that score; besides, you owe a visit to
mademoiselle de Coigney.
The princess merits doubtless all the respect I am able to pay her,
answered she; but, my lord, as it was your pleasure to remove me from
that palace, I waited till your command should licence my return; as for
mademoiselle de Coigney, the intimacy between us will excuse those
ceremonies which are of little weight where there is a real friendship.
These words confirming all the baron's suspicions, he thought there was
no need of farther dissimulation, and the long-conceived indignation
burst out in looks more furious than the trembling Charlotta had ever
seen in him before. - Yes, degenerate girl! said he, I have but too plain
proofs of the friendship in which you have linked yourself with the
family of the de Coigney's; - but tell me, continued he, how dare you
engage yourself so far without my knowledge? could you ever hope I would
consent to an alliance with de Coigney?
De Coigney! cried she, much more assured than she had been before the
mention of that name, heaven forbid you should have such a thought!
The resolution and disdain with which she spoke these words a little
surprized him: what, cried he, have you not encouraged the addresses of
young de Coigney, and even proceeded so far as to make his father
imagine there required no more than to ask my consent to a marriage
between you!
How much courage does innocence inspire? Charlotta, of late so timid and
alarmed while she thought Horatio was in question, was now all calmness
and composure, when she found de Coigney the person for whom she had
been suspected. She confessed to her father, with the most settled brow,
that he had indeed made some offers of an affection for her, but said,
she had given him such answers, as nothing but the height of arrogance
and folly could interpret to his advantage; and then, on the baron's
commanding her, acquainted him with every particular that had passed
between that young gentleman, his sister, and herself, touching the
affair she was accused of.
She was so minute in every circumstance, answered with such readiness to
all the questions he asked of her, and seemed so perfectly at ease, as
indeed she was, that the baron could no longer have any doubts of her
sincerity, and was sorry he had taken her so abruptly from St. Germains:
he now told her, that she was at liberty to visit there as frequently as
she pleased, only, as he had been affronted by old monsieur de Coigney,
as well as to silence all future reports concerning the young gentleman,
he expected she would break off all acquaintance with mademoiselle.
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