A Parisian Romance — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

14 A PARISIAN ROMANCE, If he is as selfish as you say, what induces him to marry Mademoiselle d’ Ambleuse? She was en- tirely dependent upon relatives for support, and brought him no dowry whatever. Is he in love with her?” 3 “Hm-m-m! If passion be love, I suppose he is. He coveted her beauty, and knew the only way to possess it was through the blessing of a priest. I told you he has never known how to deny himself anything, and it was so in this case. Besides, he is rich enough to overlook the lack of money, other things being equal. Then, too, you must remem- ber, the baron is no longer so young as he once was, and when a man has reached acertain age, there is nothing like marriage to rejuvenate him.” “And so he has taken Mademoiselle d’ Ambleuse as he would a dose of medicine,” exclaimed De Targy, half-angrily, “a sort of draught from Ponce de Leon’s fountain.” “Something of that sort,” ab hGl the doctor, laughing. “I remember meeting him at the races of Longchamp about a year ago. ‘Well, baron,’ I greeted him, ‘still young and victorious in the lists of love?’ ‘No, doctor,’ he replied, ‘I am afraid Iam growing old, so, at the first touch of gout, when Iam obliged to stay by the fireside, I shall give myself the luxury of a real wife’ (those were his words): ‘if Ican find some one really at- tractive, I shall take her.’” Eomicbooks:- co