"‘Do you suppose that my daughter would love anybody before I had given her permission?’ he demanded angrily. ‘No, monsieur, no; that cannot be. A certain Chevalier de Savigny, of a very old family, I believe, seemed to be particularly fond of Adèle; but as soon as I became aware of his love I forbade him to come to my house again, for this Savigny is a downright scamp, a rake, a gambler, a libertine. A scandalous business, a duel about a woman, forced him to leave Bordeaux, where he had been for some time. And should such a man be my daughter’s husband? No, though she had died of love for him, I would never have consented to that marriage.’
"‘But I trust that she did not love this Savigny?’ I said, with an anxiety which I could not surmount.
"‘I am inclined to believe that she did not dislike him,’ replied Monsieur de Montfort; ‘that is to say, like all women, Adèle was dazzled, surprised, by the rascal’s gallant manners and honeyed tone; for, in order to obtain admission to my house, he had succeeded in disguising his vicious tastes at first. But love him! ten thousand frigates! she would never have dared!—However, monsieur, if you do not think my daughter worthy of you, nothing is settled as yet; but in that case I will request you to cease visits which might have some ill effect upon her reputation, and to say nothing more to me about your love.’
"Monsieur de Montfort was a man with whom it was necessary to decide promptly; excessively sensitive upon everything connected with honor as he was, I saw that, if I hesitated a moment, Adèle was lost to me. And I was too much in love to abandon the hope of being her husband; even supposing that she had received with pleasure the attentions of Savigny, should I for that reason abandon my suit? Savigny was no longer received at Monsieur de Montfort’s house, where I had never seen him. He had left Bordeaux and no one knew what had become of him. Adèle was only seventeen; was I not justified in hoping that my attentions, my affection would soon efface from her heart the memories which another might have left there? In short, I made haste to inform Monsieur de Montfort that my only desire was to become his daughter’s husband speedily.
"Satisfied with my sentiments, he assured me that Adèle should be my wife within a week; and summoning his daughter, who came to us at once, he quickly informed her of his intentions by ordering her to prepare to give me her hand.
"At that news, Adèle turned pale, a sudden trembling shook her from head to foot; I saw her stagger; she stammered some words which I could not understand; I flew to her side, I put my arm about her, and implored her to tell me if the thought of becoming my wife distressed her. But her father was there with his threatening eyes fixed upon her, and she answered under her breath:
"‘I will obey my father’; then she withdrew to her apartments.
"Adèle’s evident confusion had distressed me deeply; but Monsieur de Montfort was the first to speak jestingly of it. He knew but one thing,—obedience to his will.
"‘My dear fellow,’ he said, ‘when a girl is told that she is to be married, isn’t it to be expected that she will blush and turn pale and sigh and seem to be deeply moved? That is all customary. But a week after marriage, when a husband has any strength of character, a woman has no more vapors or giddy turns or faintings.’
"I did not propose to take Monsieur de Montfort for my model; I hoped to obtain Adèle’s affections by gentleness and love. Monsieur de Montfort wished that our marriage should take place at a country house of his in the suburbs of Bordeaux. He went there at once with his daughter; I remained a few days in the city to settle my affairs and make the customary purchases; then I joined my new family.