He knew the
Marquis Del Castello to be a _parti_ the bluest blood in his own land
would be more than satisfied with. He was the possessor of a noble and
princely estate, and this man, with all these advantages, was a suitor
for the hand of the woman he loved with an overwhelming passion. And
the Spaniard had said she could not be loved as he loved her. Ah,
well! what does man know of man? Only this, what he chooses more than
"language," as Talleyrand says, "was given us to conceal our
thoughts;" for we smile when the heart is breaking; we weep to conceal
the joy we are feeling; and Lionel listened and suffered. He had never
been a man to make his moan into the ear of men and women, for the
sympathy of society is curiosity! and man listens and forgets, and
woman listens and talks; she cannot help it, poor thing. Can the snake
do other than charm--then sting?
And Vaura had conquered and enslaved him, but was still unsubdued--so
he thought,--and though peerless among her sex, she is only a woman.
And how will it be if I allow this man to pour his love tale into her
ear with all the impassioned eloquence his countrymen possess.
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