ANOTHER CHAPTER ON THE " RIGHTS OF WOMAN." 275 



thought. If the hours spent apart from the presence of the princess,, had 

 not been assiduously filled up by the duties of his office, and by the short 

 intervals accorded to repose, they would have proved unsupportable. But 

 when he rose in the morning, he took his station by her side, and he did not 

 quit it until evening. If she sometimes mitigated the severity of her intel- 

 lectual labours by a change to some gentler subjects, it was always in 

 conjunction with her young protege. She discoursed with him on the arts 

 which she encouraged, and of which she was passionately fond : she listened 

 with interest to some sweet and simple poetry, with which the youth be- 

 came inspired by [her presence, or she talked to him of the blessings of a 

 laborious and regulated life, of the charms of a chaste and holy friendship. 

 St. Juiien listened to her with delight, and as he gazed upon her serene 

 brow and her looks of maternal tenderness, he was unconscious that a stormy 

 or fatal passion could be engendered beside such a woman ; he fancied he 

 had arrived at the accomplishment of the fairest wish that a noble spirit 

 could propose to itself: he believed he had attained to a lasting happiness 

 without alloy and without remorse. Sometimes indeed, when he found 

 himself alone after these delicious conversations, his brain became inflamed, 

 his heart beat quickly, his emotion became a species of vague uneasiness ; 

 but these agitations gave way to a religious feeling.; He thanked the Al- 

 mighty for withdrawing him from a painful condition, to make him taste 

 such complete happiness ; he pronounced the name of Quintilia in associa- 

 tion with that of the Virgin. When he relieved his heart by ecstasies like 

 these, he returned with ardour to the task confided to him, and exulted in 

 the anticipation of meriting and obtaining the praise and thanks of his mis- 

 tress. Separated entirely from the appendages surrounding the princess, 

 he communicated with none save Galeotto (the page) and La Ginetta. 

 His timid yet proud disposition, his serious and sustained occupations, and 

 above all the interior sentiment of happiness which rendered all confidences 

 useless, were obstacles to any communication with those around him. He 

 lived so much apart from everything but Quintilia, that he scarcely knew 

 the names of those whom he met in the interior of the palace. And yet a 

 passion, strong, consuming and ineradicable was imperceptibly lighted in 

 his bosom. His imaginations was so pure, he was so inexperienced in 

 the effects of love, that he was not aware of its torments, and felt without 

 being able to perceive them. 



" Six months had thus passed away : one evening the work was brought 

 to a conclusion. During the whole of that day the princess had been more 

 grave and thoughtful than usual. With her own hand she added a last page 

 to the manuscript presented by St. Juiien. Whilst she was writing, Ginetta, 

 who had entered the apartment on tiptoe, awaited the conclusion with im- 

 patience. Her black and glancing eyes were directed now at the door, where 

 St. Juiien perceived the skirt of Galeotto's mantle, and anon on the darkened 

 and contracted eyebrows of the princess. At length the latter laid down 

 her pen with an air of abstraction, covered her face with her hands resumed 

 her pen, played for an instant with a lock of her hair which had got loose 

 from its bandage, started, traced some figures with precipitation, signed 

 the manuscript, closed it, and pushed it away from her. Then rising from 

 her seat, she advanced towards Ginetta and stuck her pen in the thick fold 

 of her black hair. The waiting maid uttered an exclamation of delight : 

 ' Is it finished at last, madame ?' cried she, ' have we reached the end of this 

 sombre Lent? Is pleasure once more to burst the lid of the coffin in which 

 you have enclosed it? Shall I cast to the wind this nasty pen, which feels 

 as heavy as lead ?' 



" ' Make an auto-da-fe of it, an thou wilt/ said the princess. ' I work 

 no more this year.' 



" ' Vive la liberte !' cried Galeotto, bounding into the apartment. " At 



