He Immediately Sent For The Count De Bellfleur; And Easily
Finding, By The Confusion With Which He Replied To His
Examination, and
the little low evasions he was obliged to have recourse to, that the
affair was as monsieur du
Plessis had represented, gave him a severe
check, and ordered him to depart immediately from Venice, where he told
him, he had given such occasion to call the honour of the French nation
in general in question; and to repair with all expedition to his winter
quarters. Which command he instantly obeyed, without taking any leave of
Melanthe, or perhaps even thinking on her.
At the same time the prince dispatched his gentleman of horse to Padua,
with necessary instructions for clearing up the affair; on which the
prisoners were discharged, and their pardon asked by the podestat for
doing what, he said, the duties of his post had alone obliged him to;
tho' it is certain he had exercised his authority with greater
strictness than the necessity of the thing required; since, if the count
had been in reality the husband of Louisa, it would have been more easy
for him to bring proofs of it, than for those under confinement to
invalidate his claim.
After the proper compliments to the gentleman who had taken this
trouble, monsieur du Plessis entreated he would excuse him to the
prince, that he retarded the thanks he had to pay his royal highness,
till his return from conducting Louisa some part of her journey, which
being a piece of gallantry the lady herself seemed well pleased with,
was easily complied with by the other.
This faithful lover had now a full opportunity to entertain his mistress
with his passion, and represented it to her with so much force and
eloquence, together with the dangers she would continually be exposed
to, that she had at length no words to form denials, and gave him leave
to conduct her to some monastry in Italy, the choice of which she left
to him, till the campaign was over. This was indeed all he presumed to
request of her at present. It may happen, said he, that your lover may
fall a victim to the fate of war, among many other more brave and worthy
men, who doubtless will not survive the next battle, and you will then
be at liberty to pursue your inclinations either to England or
elsewhere; and be assured of this, that I shall take care, before the
hour of danger, to leave you mistress of a fortune, sufficient to protect
you from any future insults of the nature you received from Melanthe.
The tender soul of Louisa was so much dissolved at these words, that she
burst into a flood of tears, and cried out, Oh! too generous du Plessis,
think not I will survive the cruel hour which informs me all that is
valuable in man has ceased to be! - Take, - oh! take no care for me; when
you are no more, nothing this world affords can enable me to drag on a
wretched life!
What must be the transport of a man, who loved like him, to hear a mouth
accustomed to the greatest reserve, utter exclamations so soft, so
engaging, so convincing to him that he was no less dear to her than he
could even wish to be! - He threw himself at her feet, and even thought
that posture not humble enough to testify, as it deserved, his gratitude
and joy. But she not suffering him to continue in it, he took the hand
that raised him, kissed off the tears which had fallen from her eyes
upon it, with speechless extacies, and seemed almost beside himself at
the concern she could not yet overcome, on the bare imagination of
losing him in the way he mentioned. If you love me, said she tenderly,
you will endeavour to preserve yourself: - I have now put myself under
your protection, by consenting to do as you would have me, and have no
other from whom I would receive those favours I expect from you: - think
not, therefore, that I will perform my promise, unless you give me
yours, not to be so covetous of fame as to court dangers, nor, in too
eager a pursuit of glory, to lose the remembrance of what you owe
to love.
Oh thou divinest softness! cried he, be assured I will put nothing to
the venture that might take me from Louisa! - Your kindness, my angel,
has shewed me the value of life, and almost made a coward of your
lover: - no farther will I go than the duties of my post oblige me, and
that honour, which to forfeit, would render me unworthy of your care.
Louisa now found herself so much at ease, in having discovered a secret
she had so long laboured with, and suffered an infinity of pain in the
concealing of, that nothing could be more chearful than her looks and
behaviour. He, on the other hand, was all rapture, yet did it not make
him in the least forgetful of the rules he had prescribed himself, or
give her modesty any room to repent the confession she had made in
favour of his passion: - the conversation between them was all made up of
innocence and love; and every hour they passed together, rendered them
still dearer to each other.
Monsieur du Plessis having thus gained the point his soul was let on,
began to consider in what part of Italy it would be best to place his
dear Louisa: as Bolognia was a free country, under the jurisdiction of
the Pope, he thought she would there be the least subject to alarms, on
account of the army's continual marches and countermarches thro' most
other parts of Italy. He therefore got a post-chaise, and by easy
journeys conducted her thither; and having made an agreement with the
lady abbess of the Augustines, she was welcomed into the convent by the
holy sisterhood with all imaginable good-nature and politeness.
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