ek a refuge in
death. I had condemned my faint-hearted love, and a man who acknowledges
his weakness is strong indeed.

"The countess, in her blue cashmere gown, was reclining on a sofa, with
her feet on a cushion. She wore an Oriental turban such as painters
assign to early Hebrews; its strangeness added an indescribable
coquettish grace to her attractions. A transitory charm seemed to have
laid its spell on her face; it might have furnished the argument that
at every instant we become new and unparalleled beings, without any
resemblance to the _us_ of the future or of the past. I had never yet
seen her so radiant.

"'Do you know that you have piqued my curiosity?' she said, laughing.

"'I will not disappoint it,' I said quietly, as I seated myself near
to her and took the hand that she surrendered to me. 'You have a very
beautiful voice!'

"'You have never heard me sing!' she exclaimed, starting involuntarily
with surprise.

"'I will prove that it is quite otherwise, whenever it is necessary. Is
your delightful singing still to remain a mystery? Have no fear, I do
not wish to penetrate it.'

"We spent about an hour in familiar talk. While I adopted the attitude
and manner of a man to whom Foedora must refuse nothing, I showed her
all a lover's deference. Acting in this way, I received a favor--I was
allowed to kiss her hand. She daintily drew off the glove, and my whole
soul was dissolved and poured forth in that kiss. I was steeped in the
bliss of an illusion in which I tried to believe.

"Foedora lent herself most unexpectedly to my caress and my flatteries.
Do not accuse me of faint-heartedness; if I had gone a step beyond these
fraternal compliments, the claws would have been out of the sheath and
into me. We remained perfectly silent for nearly ten minutes. I was
admiring her, investing her with the charms she had not. She was mine
just then, and mine only,--this enchanting being was mine, as was
permissible, in my imagination; my longing wrapped her round and
held her close; in my soul I wedded her. The countess was subdued and
fascinated by my magnetic influence. Ever since I have regretted that
this subjugation was not absolute; but just then I yearned for her soul,
her heart alone, and for nothing else. I longed for an ideal and perfect
happiness, a fair illusion that cannot last for very long. At last I
spoke, feeling that the last hours of my frenzy were at hand.

"'Hear me, madame. I love you, an