Paula Monti; or, The Hôtel Lambert

by Eugène Sue

"Ah, dear father, you spoil me, as you ever did."

Without replying to her remark, the old man gazed with intense delight on the sweet face before him, then murmured, "Once more,—once more, after six long weary months of absence."

"Dearest father, the time, then, has seemed to you very long."

"But you have been quite happy, my child, have you not?"

"Oh, yes—quite—quite."

"Perfectly happy?"

"Yes, indeed, as much so as ever."

"And the thoughts of your felicity have armed me with courage to endure your absence. And your husband is still kind, good, and devoted to you?"

"Certainly, my dear father."

"And, during the six months you have passed in Lorraine, no doubt the constant enjoyment of each other's society has been far more congenial to your mutual tastes than your mode of life in Paris."