from my tortured heart, and rushed to my brain, which has ever since throbbed with agony.

"I told François, madame la marquise,"

resumed Lisette, "that if monsieur le duc was faithless, that was no excuse for his being so, and reminded him of all the promises he had made me; but, would madame la marquise believe it, the perfidious François said, that he must obey his master's orders; and added, that he had only offered his vows to me because the duc commanded him, it being the general usage for the valet de chambre to form an attachment to the femme de chambre of the lady preferred by his master."

How was my pride and delicacy wounded by this speech of the weeping Lisette! I really felt ashamed to meet her eye.

66

"Ah! madame la marquise," sobbed she,

nous sommes bien à plaindre, car nous sommes toutes les deux trompées; vous, par le maître; et

moi, par le valet. Ah! les hommes, les hommes! ils sont tous de même, et nous sommes toujours leurs dupes! I endeavoured, but, alas! in vain, madame, to discover who the lady is to whom monsieur le duc is at present attached, in order that I might know who my rival is, but ce perfide François refused to give me the slightest clue. Ah! le vilain homme, comme il m'a trompé !"

Who can faithless duc from his allegiance?

it be that has seduced the

Yes, it is,

it must be, the Duchesse de Harfleur. I now remember he used to praise her beauty; and I, fool that I was, joined in his admiration. Again I have perused his letter. He advises me to leave no means untried in order to effect a reconciliation with ma tante, and on no account to seek an asylum with the Comtesse de Hauteforte. He never liked her, or approved of my friendship for her; but what

interest can he now have in where I go, or what becomes of me? Ah! I guess the motive for his advice. He knows that the Duchesse de Harfleur is on habits of intimacy with the Comtesse de Hauteforte; and dreads that, beneath her roof, I should become acquainted with his perfidy. I will instantly go to her, for she is now my sole refuge. She, at least, will pity, if she cannot console me.

I am distracted, Caroline! My brain burns, and my heart throbs nearly to bursting. Never was there such deception, such baseness, as that to which I have been made the victim! But let me relate the particulars to you while I have yet strength to do so, for the combined effects of conflicting passions have rendered me so ill, that I am almost incapable of the exertion.

I left off writing to you, to proceed to Madame de Hauteforte's-it maddens me to write her odious name. On arriving at her porte cocher, I saw the cabriolet of that false and heartless man, the duc, and instantly concluded that he had sought an interview with her thus early, to urge her to go and advise me to conciliate ma tante. Her porter told my servant that madame la comtesse was not at home; on hearing which, I assured him that his mistress would certainly receive my visit, although she excluded all others. He shook his head, looked incredulous, and I again repeated that the comtesse would be sure to receive me.

"I am very sorry to refuse madame la marquise the entrée,” replied he, "mais quoi faire? Madame la comtesse has given strict orders that no one is to be admitted when

monsieur le duc is with her, and there is no day in which I am not compelled to send away visitors, but the fault is not mine."

Such was my rage and indignation, that I felt capable, at that moment, of committing any folly — nay, more, any crime. I longed to force my way to the presence of this perfidious pair, and to overwhelm them with my just reproaches; but, as I caught the glances of the porter, and my own servant, I was recalled to a sense of prudence, and determined on not exposing myself to their animadversions by any display of the jealousy and anger that was torturing me. I drove to St. Pelagie to see poor Florestan, and make him acquainted with the perfidy of both these wretches.

Had you seen him, Caroline, your heart, like mine, would have ached at the terrible change that has taken place in his appearance; and the still more terrible one in his habits and