defiles. The inconsistencies of a man who falls under the dominion of
a woman much older than himself should be forgiven, for he is really
not accountable. Think how many sacrifices Canalis has made to her. He
has sown too much seed of that kind to resign the harvest; the duchess
represents to him ten years of devotion and happiness. You made him
forget all that, and unfortunately, he has more vanity than pride; he
did not reflect on what he was losing until he met Madame Chaulieu
here to-day. If you really understood him, you would help him. He is a
child, always mismanaging his life. You call him a seeker after
fortune, but he seeks very badly; like all poets, he is a victim of
sensations; he is childish, easily dazzled like a child by anything
that shines, and pursuing its glitter. He used to love horses and
pictures, and he craved fame,--well, he sold his pictures to buy armor
and old furniture of the Renaissance and Louis XV.; just now he is
seeking political power. Admit that his hobbies are noble things."

"You have said enough," replied Modeste; "come," she added, seeing her
father, whom she called with a motion of her head to give her his arm;
"come with me, and I will give you that scrap of paper; you shall
carry it to the great man and assure him of my condescension to his
wishes, but on one condition,--you must thank him in my name for the
pleasure I have taken in seeing one of the finest of the German plays
performed in my honor. I have learned that Goethe's masterpiece is
neither Faust nor Egmont--" and then, as Ernest looked at the
malicious girl with a puzzled air, she added: "It is Torquato Tasso!
Tell Monsieur de Canalis to re-read it," she added smiling; "I
particularly desire that you will repeat to your friend word for word
what I say; for it is not an epigram, it is the justification of his
conduct,--with this trifling difference, that he will, I trust, become
more and more reasonable, thanks to the folly of his Eleonore."