As he had said to the father, to
impose a wife on Etienne would be to kill him. Above all it was
important that the young recluse should not be alarmed at the thought
of marriage, of which he knew nothing, or be made aware of the object
of his father's wishes. This unknown poet conceived as yet only the
beautiful and noble passion of Petrarch for Laura, of Dante for
Beatrice. Like his mother he was all pure love and soul; the
opportunity to love must be given to him, and then the event should be
awaited, not compelled. A command to love would have dried within him
the very sources of his life.
Maitre Antoine Beauvouloir was a father; he had a daughter brought up
under conditions which made her the wife for Etienne. It was so
difficult to foresee the events which would make a son, disowned by
his father and destined to the priesthood, the presumptive heir of the
house of Herouville that Beauvouloir had never until now noticed the
resemblance between the fate of Etienne and that of Gabrielle. A
sudden idea which now came to him was inspired more by his devotion to
those two beings than by ambition.
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