A more amiable woman (so far) I never met with!
After the second visit I was left free. It was then close on midnight. Up
to that time there was nothing in the behavior of the mad Englishman to
reward Mrs. Fairbank and the doctor for presenting themselves at his
bedside. He lay half awake, half asleep, with an odd wondering kind of
look in his face. My mistress at parting warned me to be particularly
watchful of him toward two in the morning. The doctor (in case anything
happened) left me a large hand bell to ring, which could easily be heard
at the house.
Restored to the society of my fair friend, I spread the supper table. A
pate, a sausage, and a few bottles of generous Moselle wine, composed our
simple meal. When persons adore each other, the intoxicating illusion of
Love transforms the simplest meal into a banquet. With immeasurable
capacities for enjoyment, we sat down to table. At the very moment when I
placed my fascinating companion in a chair, the infamous Englishman in the
next room took that occasion, of all others, to become restless and noisy
once more. He struck with his stick on the floor; he cried out, in a
delirious access of terror, "Rigobert! Rigobert!"
The sound of that lamentable voice, suddenly assailing our ears, terrified
my fair friend. She lost all her charming color in an instant.
Pages:
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364