e evening how She and several other
Domestics had been terrified while at Supper by the appearance of the
Bleeding Nun, as the Ghost is called in the Castle: 'Tis from her
account that I drew this sketch, and you may be certain that Cunegonda
was not omitted. There She is! I shall never forget what a passion
She was in, and how ugly She looked while She scolded me for having
made her picture so like herself!'

Here She pointed to a burlesque figure of an old Woman in an attitude
of terror.

In spite of the melancholy which oppressed me, I could not help smiling
at the playful imagination of Agnes: She had perfectly preserved Dame
Cunegonda's resemblance, but had so much exaggerated every fault, and
rendered every feature so irresistibly laughable, that I could easily
conceive the Duenna's anger.

'The figure is admirable, my dear Agnes! I knew not that you possessed
such talents for the ridiculous.'

'Stay a moment,' She replied; 'I will show you a figure still more
ridiculous than Dame Cunegonda's. If it pleases you, you may dispose
of it as seems best to yourself.'

She rose, and went to a Cabinet at some little distance. Unlocking a
drawer, She took out a small case, which She opened, and presented to
me.

'Do you know the resemblance?' said She smiling.

It was her own.

Transported at the gift, I pressed the portrait to my lips with
passion: I threw myself at her feet, and declared my gratitude in the
warmest and most affectionate terms. She listened to me with
complaisance, and assured me that She shared my sentiments: When
suddenly She uttered a loud shriek, disengaged the hand which I held,
and flew from the room by a door which opened to the Garden. Amazed at
this abrupt departure, I rose hastily from my knees. I beheld with
confusion the Baroness standing near me glowing with jealousy, and
almost choaked with rage. On recovering from her swoon, She had
tortured her imagination to discover her concealed Rival. No one
appeared to deserve her suspicions more than Agnes. She immediately
hastened to find her Niece, tax her with encouraging my addresses, and
assure herself whether her conjectures were well-grounded.
Unfortunately She had already seen enough to need no other
confirmation. She arrived at the door of the room at the precise
moment, when Agnes gave me her Portrait. She heard me profess an
everlasting attachment to her Rival, and saw me kneeling at her feet.
She advanced to sepa