Why should he hate her?
It was true that she sought to attract him,--true that she was
scheming to lead him to a point at which he might find it so
impossible to give her up, that, being well convinced that he could
have her on no other terms, he might offer her marriage. But was
there anything worse in that than men had been treated "since summer
first was leafy?" How many men had married women in her position--
women less capable of doing credit to the position to which they
were raised than she was? How many men had been treated in such
matters very much worse than she had any thought of treating him?
She fully proposed to make him a good and true wife, and fully
thought that she should do so. She was not deceiving him in any way.
She made the best of her past life--naturally; but was it to be for
a moment supposed that such a man as the Marchese could, or did,
imagine that she, Bianca Lalli, whose career, for the last eight
years, was known to all Italy, was in the position of a young
contessa just taken from her convent?
It is abundantly clear that there were difficulties in the way of
the desirable understanding being arrived at, greater than either
the lady was aware of, or than might usually be expected to attend
similar negotiations.
Bianca waited without impatience the coming of the Marchese.
Pages:
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298