Belle-Rose — page 103: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ee | : “- — , 92... ‘THE DREAMSOFASUMMER DAY. - tained Madame de ChAteaufort near the bleeding form of Belle-Rose? When she had remained, she forgot Monsieur . de Villebrais, and when she had forgotten the officer, she loved the soldier. But this new love did not triumph over { her pride without a struggle. T'wenty times a rebel against the tender and tumultuous sentiments which this passion born of accident raised in her heart, she wished to break the chain which kept her at the bedside of the patient, but an hour’s absence soon brought her back more in- flamed and more submissive than ever. She wasno longer the imperious woman with whom words were commands, who chose in the crowd of courtiers, and who knew how to remain free and mistress of herself even in her going astray. She loved, and the disdain of her soul was lost in the breath of. a tenderness as infinite as unexpected. Leaning over the bed to which fever bound Belle-Rose, she listened to his delirium, her heart bounding at each word, and let flow, without seeing them, the tears to which she was no longer accustomed. When the convalescence came, Madame de Chateaufort enlivened its first days by her as-_ siduous presence and the thousand enchantments of her of his room, she made him lean on her arm. Belle-Rose still loved Madame d’Albergotti, but we mustacknowledge also that he willingly‘leaned onthe arm of Madame de Chateaufort. True that, for nothing in the world would he have wished to betray her to whom all his soul had been given; but at the least rustling of a satin dress elid- ing over the sand_of the paths, all the secret dreams, all the confused desires of his youth fled to Madame. de Cha- teaufort. His love for Madame d’Albergotti was pure and calm like a lake shaded by willows; he saw the bottom at the first glance, and his heart drew from it a tender mel- . mind; and the first time Belle-Rose passed the threshold, ancholy which left to his dreams their certainty and their limpidity; but at the sight of Genevieve de Chateaufort, all his soul was troubled, a strange tumult took place in his mind, he felt mount to his lips a thousand burning words, looked wildly at her, and fled, no longer knowing whether love was that profound and sincere worship which he vowed to the name of Suzanne, or the delirium which was lit by the presence of Genevieve. Nevertheless he re- mained, and like those travelers slumbering under the odoriferous foliage of the Antilles which conceals poison in its perfumes, he no longer had the strength to shake off the intoxicating sleep produced by a nascent passion. Belle-Rose had not the liberty of leaving the park, but | Gomicbooks.co