"Do not leave me, sweetheart; come with me to Rome; and leave the matter in my hands. I will make you my wife, and we will live happily together ever after."
"That would be too great a bliss, but I could never make up my mind to it; say no more about it."
I was sure of spending a delicious night—in the possession of all her charms, and we stayed an hour at table, seasoning the dishes with sweet converse. When we had done, the woman came up, gave her a packet, and went away again, wishing us good night.
"What does this packet contain, darling?"
"It is the present I have got for you-my portrait, but you must not see it till I am in bed."
"I will indulge you in that fancy, although I am very curious to see the portrait."
"You will say I am right afterwards."
I wanted to undress her myself, and she submitted like a lamb. When she was in bed, she opened the packet, and shewed me her portrait, naked, and very like the naked portrait of M—— M——. I praised the painter for the excellence of the copy he had made; nothing was altered but the colour of the hair and eyes.
"It isn't a copy," she said, "there would not have been time. He only made the eyes and hair black, and the latter more abundant. Thus you have in it a portrait of the first and also of the second M—— M——, in whom you must forget the first. She has also vanished from the clothed portrait, for you see the nun has black eyes. I could shew this picture to anyone as my portrait."
"You do not know how precious your present is to me! Tell me, dearest, how you succeeded in carrying out your plan so well."