He
shook his head mournfully, and buried his face in his hands.
"Say no more, Adelheid--for my sake--for thine own sake, say no more--in
mercy, be silent! Thou never canst be mine--No, no--honor forbids it; in
thee it would be madness, in me dishonor--we can never be united. What
fatal weakness has kept me near thee--I have long dreaded this--"
"Dreaded!"
"Nay, do not repeat my words,--for I scarce know what I say. Thou and thy
father have yielded, in a moment of vivid gratitude, to a generous, a
noble impulse--but it is not for me to profit by the accident that has
enabled me to gain this advantage. What would all of thy blood, all of the
republic say, Adelheid, were the noblest born, the best endowed, the
fairest, gentlest, best maiden of the canton, to wed a nameless,
houseless, soldier of fortune, who has but his sword and some gifts of
nature to recommend him? Thy excellent father will surely think better of
this, and we will speak of it no more!"
"Were I to listen to the common feelings of my sex, Sigismund, this
reluctance to accept what both my father and myself offer might cause me
to feign displeasure.
Pages:
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284