the end of the ballet, but he had already gone. I
was offended at his abrupt departure.--'How!' said I to myself, 'he sees me
dance, and this is the way he makes me his compliments.'--Next morning, he
breakfasted with us; he did not say a word about the evening; finally, not
being able to resist my impatience, 'Well, Monsieur de Marteille,' said I
to him, somewhat harshly, 'you left early last night; it was hardly polite
of you.'--'Ah! when you were to dance no more!' said he, with a sigh. This
was the first time that I was ever spoken to thus. Fearing that he had
said too much, and in order to divert Monsieur de Melun, who observed him
with a look of surprise, he began to speak of a little singer of no great
moment, who had a voice of some freshness.

"In the afternoon, the count detained at home for some reason or other,
begged his cousin to accompany me in a ride to the woods. He was to join
us on horseback. The idea of this ride made my heart beat violently. It
was the first time that I had listened with pleasure to the beatings of my
heart.

"We started on a fine summer's day. Every thing was like a holyday: the
sky, the houses, the trees, the horses, and the people. A veil had fallen
from my eyes. For some minutes we remained in the deepest silence; not
knowing what to do, I amused myself by making a diamond that I wore
glisten in the rays of the sun that entered the carriage. Monsieur de
Marteille caught hold of my hand. We both said not a word the whole time.
I tried to disengage my hand; he held it the harder. I blushed; he turned
pale. A jolt of the carriage occurred very opportunely to relieve us from
our embarrassment; the jolt had lifted me from my seat; it made me fall
upon his bosom.--'Monsieur,' said I, starting. 'Ah, madame, if you knew how
I love you!'--He said this with a tenderness beyond expression; it was love
itself that spoke! I had no longer the strength to get angry. He took my
hand again and devoured it with kisses. He did not say another word; I
tried to speak, but did not know what to say myself. From time to time our
looks met each other; it was then that we were eloquent. Such eternal
pledges, such promises of happiness!

"Notwithstanding, we arrived at the woods. All of a sudden, as if seized
with a new idea, he put his head out of the window, and said something to
the coachman. I understood, by the answer of La Violette, the coachman,
that he was not willing to obey; but Monsieur de Mar