Emily no longer opposed him, as he led her into an adjoining parlour;

the manner, in which he had named Montoni, had so much alarmed her

for his own safety, that she was now only anxious to prevent the

consequences of his just resentment. He listened to her entreaties,

with attention, but replied to them only with looks of despondency and

tenderness, concealing, as much as possible, the sentiments he

felt towards Montoni, that he might soothe the apprehensions, which

distressed her. But she saw the veil he had spread over his resentment,

and, his assumed tranquillity only alarming her more, she urged, at

length, the impolicy of forcing an interview with Montoni, and of

taking any measure, which might render their separation irremediable.

Valancourt yielded to these remonstrances, and her affecting entreaties

drew from him a promise, that, however Montoni might persist in his

design of disuniting them, he would not seek to redress his wrongs by

violence.

'For my sake,' said Emily, 'let the consideration of what I

should suffer deter you from such a mode of revenge!' 'For your sake,

Emily,' replied Valancourt, his eyes filling with tears of tenderness

and grief, while he gazed upon her. 'Yes--yes--I shall subdue myself.

But, though I have given you my solemn promise to do this, do not

expect, that I can tamely submit to the authority of Montoni; if I

could, I should be unworthy of you. Yet, O Emily! how long may he

condemn me to live without you,--how long may it be before you return to

France!' Emily endeavoured to sooth him with assurances of her unalterable

affection, and by representing, that, in little more than a year, she

should be her own mistress, as far as related to her aunt, from whose

guardianship her age would then release her; assurances, which gave

little consolation to Valancourt, who considered, that she would then

be in Italy and in the power of those, whose dominion over her would not

cease with their rights; but he affected to be consoled by them.

Emily, comforted by the promise she had obtained, and by his apparent

composure, was about to leave him, when her aunt entered the room.

She threw a glance of sharp reproof upon her niece, who immediately

withdrew, and of haughty displeasure upon Valancourt.

'This is not the conduct I should have expected from you, sir;' said

she, 'I did not expect to see you in my house, after you had been

informed, that your visits were no longer agreeable, much less, that

you would seek a clandestine interview with my niece, and that she would

grant one.' Valancourt, perceiving it necessary to vindicate Emily from such a

design, explained, that the purpose of his own visit had been to request

an interview with Montoni, and he then entered upon the subject of it,

with the tempered spirit which the sex, rather than the respectability,

of Madame Montoni, demanded. His expostulations were answered with severe rebuke; she lamented again,

that her prudence had ever yielded to what she termed compassion, and

added, that she was so sensible of the folly of her former consent,

that, to prevent the possibility of a repetition, she had committed the

affair entirely to the conduct of Signor Montoni.




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