Chapter

  1 II  |         his voice.~ ~"There is no duchess here," she replied. "It
  2 II  |     trembled before~this nun. The Duchess went towards the door, but
  3 III |         Sister Theresa I~find the Duchess over again, ignorant of
  4 IV  |     division of the army,~and the Duchess held a post about one of
  5 IV  |          in command. The~Duke and Duchess were leading lives entirely
  6 IV  |        Court turned full upon the~Duchess, his honour was safe.~ ~
  7 IV  |         too far. At that time~the Duchess, whether for reasons of
  8 IV  |     chateau. Thus surrounded, the Duchess's~position was stronger
  9 V   |      dangerous comedies.~ ~So the Duchess had her court, and the number
 10 V   |         chose; so it was with the Duchess, and perhaps~she did not
 11 VI  |        oasis in the desert.~ ~The Duchess, struck from the first by
 12 VI  |        was a fancy, such~a merest Duchess's whim as furnished a Lope
 13 VI  |              Nature had given the Duchess every qualification for
 14 VI  |         against the creeds of the duchess.~ ~You might sit near her
 15 VI  |   feminine nature? In a word, the~Duchess was anything that she wished
 16 VI  |           to read feeling. If the~Duchess showed any curiosity, it
 17 VI  |       retire discreetly, when the Duchess~stopped him with an expressive
 18 VI  |      drawn~again and again to the Duchess by countless wavering reflections.~ ~
 19 VI  |        very much~like to have the Duchess for my mistress!" or, "If
 20 VI  |     brought them~to her lips. The Duchess meant to have the full benefit
 21 VI  |          that fell so seldom. The Duchess enjoyed the steady gaze~
 22 VI  |          into the deep,~while the Duchess was an angel soaring back
 23 VI  |          of times; or rather, the Duchess~had a score of times read
 24 VI  |    tormentor. And yet it gave the Duchess inexpressible~happiness
 25 VI  |           About an hour later the Duchess~came noiselessly out of
 26 VI  |           the gleaming folds. The Duchess was dazzling. The pale~blue
 27 VI  |         lost in admiration of the~Duchess and those repeated graceful
 28 VI  |        nothings as these! Oh, the Duchess understood son~metier de
 29 VI  |         ball if she likes."~ ~The Duchess probably thought that if
 30 VI  |           is the man for whom the Duchess~shows a preference," pronounced
 31 VI  |          their pretensions to the~Duchess, and remained in her train
 32 VI  |         from Mme~de Langeais. The Duchess was keen-sighted enough
 33 VI  |           will not tame HIM, dear Duchess," the old Vidame de~Pamiers
 34 VII | ingeniously spread for him by the~Duchess. So much of the child was
 35 VII |      direct question dismayed the Duchess more than a threat of~suicide
 36 VII |    gesture that such women as~the Duchess can use on light occasions,
 37 VII |     parted, mutually content. The Duchess had made a~pact that left
 38 VII |          And as for him, the~wily Duchess vowed to tire him out. He
 39 VII |      self-command. After all, the Duchess was practically separated~
 40 VII |        lips~were pressed. And the Duchess, on whom his love was poured
 41 VII |         gave rise. ~Possibly, the Duchess had ended by resolving love
 42 VII |       have been thus. For him the Duchess~would display her most sparkling
 43 VII |      cause of~God better than the Duchess. Never was the wrath of
 44 VII |           against Providence. The Duchess grew angry at such times.~ ~"
 45 VII |           return to love when the~Duchess stirred up his wrath by
 46 VII |           M.~l'Abbe Gondrand, the Duchess's spiritual director, established
 47 VII |        was the~real forger of the Duchess's armoury of scruples. ~ ~
 48 VII |            a single look from the Duchess was~enough. He was quiet.~ ~
 49 VII |           return game. As for the~Duchess, Montriveau's behaviour
 50 VII |     gesture which accompanied the~Duchess's speech further increased
 51 VII |          He was wretched; and the Duchess~was laughing within herself
 52 VII |            No, no. No more of the Duchess, no more of Langeais; I
 53 VII |        divinely sweet chords. The Duchess was at the piano. If the
 54 VII |          the end of that~time the Duchess grew weary of vain repetitions;
 55 VII |           battles. He mistook the~Duchess's heartless coquetry for
 56 VII |           legitimate rights. ~The Duchess had not to wait for her
 57 VII |           the discourse which~the Duchess trilled out with the quick
 58 VII |          wont to think.~ ~Now the Duchess and Montriveau were alike
 59 VIII|           a woman. ~He kissed the Duchess's skirt hem, her knees,
 60 VIII|          of love~in return.~ ~The Duchess thought herself generous
 61 VIII|    eloquent, insinuating. And~the Duchess tasted the pleasures which
 62 VIII|          she reigned a queen,~the Duchess would say to herself--~ ~"
 63 VIII|           he loved, was neither~a duchess nor a Navarreins; Antoinette,
 64 VIII|        her~divine loveliness. The Duchess became, for him, the most
 65 VIII|           did not ask whether the Duchess might not change,~whether
 66 VIII|             Armand broke in. "The Duchess~is an angel of innocence."~ ~
 67 VIII|        between~ourselves. Has the Duchess surrendered? If so, I have
 68 VIII|          you not tell me that the Duchess was a~puzzle to you? I would
 69 VIII|       sweets enjoyed by this fair Duchess of yours are so many venial~
 70 VIII|           vanity to her head. The Duchess is the same;~the head is
 71 VIII|          so much trouble with the Duchess? Between~ourselves a man
 72 VIII|        the stairs straight to~the Duchess's bedroom.~ ~"This is an
 73 VIII|        wife."~ ~He came up to the Duchess, took her in his arms, and
 74 VIII|    terrible truth revealed by the Duchess's~nonchalance, and his heart
 75 VIII|         with a mocking grace, the Duchess added, "Be so good as~to
 76 VIII|          laugh which dismayed the~Duchess. "Will you permit me to
 77 VIII|          love; but so long as the~Duchess was the same as ever, while
 78 VIII|         bidden him~compromise the Duchess by responding to her show
 79 VIII|        the Hotel de Langeais. The Duchess could not~help shuddering
 80 VIII|        him quite at her ease. The Duchess felt~that she was under
 81 VIII|          questioning glances, the~Duchess received a respectful bow,
 82 VIII|         the first person~whom the Duchess saw when she came into the
 83 VIII|       exultant vengeance. And the Duchess? Her eyes were~haggard in
 84 VIII|            he was~saying (and the Duchess listened with all her ears), "
 85 VIII|          axe in your hand."~ ~The Duchess was in a cold sweat, but
 86 VIII|     ignorant of danger," said the Duchess. "I shall dance~now without
 87 VIII|           square dance.~ ~But the Duchess, in spite of her apparent
 88 VIII|           ear.~ ~So great was the Duchess's terror, that she could
 89 VIII|      Montriveau was speaking, the Duchess glanced about her; it~was
 90 VIII|      ordinary curtain-rod. As the Duchess~finally noted that the pattern
 91 VIII|      stung through~the words. The Duchess quite believed that she
 92 VIII|         and purified the air. The Duchess's astonishment was~only
 93 VIII|        resume."~ ~As he spoke the Duchess heard the smothered sound
 94 VIII|       great name, a fair woman, a duchess. You cannot~fall lower than
 95 VIII|         she has inflicted?"~ ~The Duchess burst out sobbing.~ ~"Pray
 96 VIII|       then, you will love!"~ ~The Duchess sat listening; her meekness
 97 IX  |          up so brightly, that the~Duchess could not help turning her
 98 IX  |       away lest he should see the~Duchess kneeling, quivering with
 99 IX  |     mirror reflects another. ~The Duchess, with every motive for reading
100 IX  |           you would always be the Duchess,~and But there, good-bye,
101 IX  |         willed that I should be a~duchess; I would I were a royal
102 IX  |          cry. He led the way; the~Duchess nobly true to her word,
103 IX  |       word. The air was warm; the Duchess, feeling the heat,~opened
104 IX  |        here to breathe," said the Duchess; "it is unbearably~hot in
105 IX  |       here for a minute,"~and the Duchess sat down on the sofa.~ ~"
106 IX  |      Swiss in Switzerland."~ ~The Duchess made no answer; she was
107 IX  |          crisis~through which the Duchess, like most women, was to
108 IX  |        gives it lasting life, the Duchess was beneath the yoke of~
109 IX  |          her hope of~success. The Duchess might be piqued, the vain
110 IX  |           going to bed," said the Duchess, drying her eyes. ~"But
111 IX  |           one of his~friends" the Duchess began sweetly.~ ~"I have
112 IX  |         Serizy concluded from the~Duchess's silence that she might
113 IX  |         world though she was, the Duchess seemed agitated,~yet she
114 IX  |        the past and~future.~ ~The Duchess learned the joys of this
115 IX  |          pain of it is sweet. The Duchess was dressed and~waiting
116 IX  |  difficulty in believing that the Duchess~was ill, seeing that she
117 IX  |          was to be~there. For the Duchess, on the balcony of the Tuileries
118 IX  |            frenzied hunger in the Duchess's eyes. As for~older men,
119 IX  |         people~had recognised the Duchess's carriage and liveries.
120 IX  |           the women who blame the~Duchess would make a declaration
121 IX  |           Rue de Tournon, and the Duchess in~consequence was beyond
122 IX  |     mistress was not at home; the Duchess had made no~exceptions to
123 IX  |        sign of annoyance over the Duchess's~escapade, but all of them
124 IX  |      asked the Marquis.~ ~"If the Duchess were an artless simpleton,
125 IX  |           Just at that moment the Duchess came out of her boudoir.
126 IX  |     holding out a hand, which the Duchess~kissed with affectionate
127 IX  |           looking~steadily at the Duchess, the younger woman flushed,
128 X   |                             X~The Duchess silenced the Vidame with
129 X   |           recollect that a~single duchess trampled the proprieties
130 X   |          to compromise~you"~ ~The Duchess rose to her feet with a
131 X   |        was the one idea which the Duchess had clearly grasped in~the
132 X   |        spite of the~fact that the Duchess's carriage had waited before
133 X   |         She is coming on, is~your Duchess. Go on, keep it up!" he
134 X   |           entirely~different. The Duchess was told that the General
135 X   |           deigns to read it," the Duchess continued with dignity,~"
136 X   |        the~grey-headed Vidame the Duchess displayed all the brilliancy
137 X   |              At seven o'clock the Duchess left him for a few minutes.
138 X   |            Dear Vidame," said the Duchess as they reached Montriveau'
139 X   |           last~word spoken by the Duchess and the woman of fashion.~ ~
140 X   |         the Hotel de Langeais the Duchess~was hurrying on foot through
141 X   |    through your fault. I left the Duchess at your~door"~ ~"When?"~ ~"
142 X   |   midnight.~ ~Armand gave him the Duchess's letter to read.~ ~"Well?"
143 X   |       could find any trace of the Duchess. It was~clear that she had
144 X   |      Caroline~was the illustrious duchess whose sudden disappearance
145 X   |      hubbub over carrying off the Duchess would~cover them with confusion.
146 X   |          before them lay the dead Duchess; her plank bed had been~
147 X   |           of making~a search, the Duchess had been lowered by a cord