Paris and Holland | Page 9

and having something to say we
went to the other end of the room.
"Your letter, dearest, has made me the happiest of men. You have
displayed in it such intelligence and such admirable characteristics as
would win you the fervent adoration of every man of good sense."
"I only want one man's love. I will be content with the esteem of the
rest."
"My angel, I will make you my wife, and I shall bless till my latest
breath the lucky audacity to which I owe my being chosen before other
men who would not have refused your hand, even without the fifty
thousand crowns, which are nothing in comparison with your beauty
and your wit."

"I am very glad you like me so much."
"Could I do otherwise? And now that you know my heart, do nothing
hastily, but trust in me."
"You will not forget how I am placed."
"I will bear it in mind. Let me have time to take a house, to furnish it
and to put myself in a position in which I shall be worthy of your hand.
You must remember that I am only in furnished apartments; that you
are well connected, and that I should not like to be regarded as a
fortune-hunter."
"You know that my intended husband will soon arrive?"
"Yes, I will take care of that."
"When he does come, you know, matters will be pushed on rapidly."
"Not too rapidly for me to be able to set you free in twenty-four hours,
and without letting your aunt know that the blow comes from me. You
may rest assured, dearest, that the minister for foreign affairs, on being
assured that you wish to marry me, and me only, will get you an
inviolable asylum in the best convent in Paris. He will also retain
counsel on your behalf, and if your mother's will is properly drawn out
your aunt will soon be obliged to hand over your dowry, and to give
security for the rest of the property. Do not trouble yourself about the
matter, but let the Dunkirk merchant come when he likes. At all
hazards, you may reckon upon me, and you may be sure you will not be
in your aunt's house on the day fixed for the wedding."
"I confide in you entirely, but for goodness' sake say no more on a
circumstance which wounds my sense of modesty. You said that I
offered you marriage because you took liberties with me?"
"Was I wrong?"
"Yes, partly, at all events; and you ought to know that if I had not good

reasons I should have done a very foolish thing in offering to marry
you, but I may as well tell you that, liberties or no liberties, I should
always have liked you better than anyone."
I was beside myself with joy, and seizing her hand I covered it with
tender and respectful kisses; and I feel certain that if a notary and priest
had been then and there available, I should have married her without
the smallest hesitation.
Full of each other, like all lovers, we paid no attention to the horrible
racket that was going on at the other end of the room. At last I thought
it my duty to see what was happening, and leaving my intended I
rejoined the company to quiet Tiretta.
I saw on the table a casket, its lid open, and full of all sorts of jewels;
close by were two men who were disputing with Tiretta, who held a
book in one hand. I saw at once that they were talking about a lottery,
but why were they disputing? Tiretta told me they were a pair of knaves
who had won thirty or forty louis of him by means of the book, which
he handed to me.
"Sir," said one of the gamesters, "this book treats of a lottery in which
all the calculations are made in the fairest manner possible. It contains
twelve hundred leaves, two hundred being winning leaves, while the
rest are blanks. Anyone who wants to play has only to pay a crown, and
then to put a pin's point at random between two leaves of the closed
book. The book is then opened at the place where the pin is, and if the
leaf is blank the player loses; but if, on the other hand, the leaf bears a
number, he is given the corresponding ticket, and an article of the value
indicated on the ticket is then handed to him. Please to observe, sir, that
the lowest prize is twelve francs, and there are some numbers worth as
much as six hundred francs, and even one to the value of twelve
hundred. We have been playing for an hour, and have