Your arrival at Versailles, your grace, beauty, and
wit, excited universal jealousy; and, amidst the general panic
caused by your all-excelling merit, was it not necessary I too
should keep myself on my guard? For the first time in my life
a beautiful woman became an object of alarm to me; you may
further believe me, when I protest that, at the outset, I warmly
defended you; but how could I wage war against so many--how
oppose the general torrent? It bore me down."
"And you fear lest it should carry you beyond your depth, and
would fain return to
; is it not so, my lord duke?"
At this ironical speech an expression of heavy displeasure rose
to the countenance of M. de Choiseul, and he remained for several
minutes like a man who fears to trust himself to reply. Then
he added,
"Madam, when I solicited the favour of this conversation, it was
with the sincerest desire of adjusting all differences between
us, and it would but ill advance that purpose were I now to reply
to you with warmth and petulance; condescend, on your part, to
lay aside sarcasm and raillery. You have already too many advantages
over me, and it would ill accord with your wonted generosity to
insult a half-conquered foe."
"You are right, my lord," answered I; "jests and recrimination
will effect nothing; let us rather proceed at once to consider
what is best for the interest of both."
"Willingly," replied he.
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