Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 286: what you’re looking at

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

270 A PONIARD THRUST. ‘*Diable! but they honor her much! Behold her treated like a criminal of state!’’ ‘*It comes from the fact that, thanks to Monsieur de Charny, my gentle cousin, Monsieur de Louvois, has caught wind of the maneuvers of Belle-Rose.’’ ‘*Indeed!’’ ‘‘Now the minister is a very prudent minister, who im- agines that one is more safe ina prison than a cloister, in a dungeon than in a cell.’’ ‘That is also the opinion of jailers.”’ ‘“Ah! if Madame d’Albergotti consented to pronounce her vows, he would leave her at ease in the pious house of the Benedictine nuns, quite sure that she would no longer leave it. But she is a frail creature who is wonderfully resolute. She would let herself be killed before articu- lating the sacramental ‘yes,’ ”’ ‘It is obstinacy. ’”’ ‘*Yes, but in the language of sentiment it is called con- stancy. Do you believe that in order to draw her from this gulf, I have proposed to her to marry her and to after- ward take her where she prefers to go, to some chateau of mine, if one is left me, or to one of my estates, promising her on my faith as a gentleman, to never return there without her permission? Butno, she would not!’’ ‘*She has refused you??’’ ‘*Without hesitation. Monsieur de Louvois will laugh at me.”’ ‘‘Faith, my dear count, it is necessary to place this re- fusal to the account of feminine caprices. A woman ac- cepts and refuses just as it rains and the wind blows— without one’s knowing why.”’ ‘‘The most curious fact is that, not being able to be Madame d’Albergotti’s husband, 1 am to become her tyrant. ’’ SV on {*? ‘‘I¢is an idea of Monsieur de Louvois. In three days I will place myself at the head of an escort which will take her I know not where, and at which point I am to assume charge of her. My cousin wishes to make of mea species of Bluebeard. ‘Monsieur le comte,’ he has said to me, ‘take care that the lady is not carried away from you after having played with you. Repulsed and deceived—it would be too much for your renown.’ This has piqued me, and upon my honor, I am going to become pitiless. ”’ The supper was about over; Monsieur de Pomereux arose, brought his fist heavily down upon the table, Eomicbooks.co ils