Produced by David Widger
MEMOIRS OF JACQUES CASANOVA de SEINGALT 1725-1798
TO PARIS AND PRISON, Volume 2a—PARIS
THE RARE UNABRIDGED LONDON EDITION OF 1894 TRANSLATED BY ARTHUR MACHEN TOWHICH HAS BEEN ADDED THE CHAPTERS DISCOVERED BY ARTHUR SYMONS.
PARIS
CHAPTER I
Leave Bologna a Happy Man—The Captain Parts from Us in Reggio, where I
Spend a Delightful Night with Henriette—Our Arrival in Parma—Henriette
Resumes the Costume of a Woman; Our Mutual Felicity—I Meet Some
Relatives of Mine, but Do not Discover Myself
The reader can easily guess that there was a change as sudden as atransformation in a pantomime, and that the short but magic sentence,"Come to Parma," proved a very fortunate catastrophe, thanks to which Irapidly changed, passing from the tragic to the gentle mood, from theserious to the tender tone. Sooth to say, I fell at her feet, andlovingly pressing her knees I kissed them repeatedly with raptures ofgratitude. No more 'furore', no more bitter words; they do not suit thesweetest of all human feelings! Loving, docile, grateful, I swear neverto beg for any favour, not even to kiss her hand, until I have shewnmyself worthy of her precious love! The heavenly creature, delighted tosee me pass so rapidly from despair to the most lively tenderness, tellsme, with a voice the tone of which breathes of love, to get up from myknees.
"I am sure that you love me," says she, "and be quite certain that Ishall leave nothing undone to secure the constancy of your feelings."Even if she had said that she loved me as much as I adored her, she wouldnot have been more eloquent, for her words expressed all that can befelt. My lips were pressed to her beautiful hands as the captain enteredthe room. He complimented us with perfect good faith, and I told him, myface beaming with happiness, that I was going to order the carriage. Ileft them together, and in a short time we were on our road, cheerful,pleased, and merry.
Before reaching Reggio the honest captain told me that in his opinion itwould be better for him to proceed to Parma alone, as, if we arrived inthat city all together, it might cause some remarks, and people wouldtalk about us much less if we were without him. We both thought him quiteright, and we immediately made up our minds to pass the night in Reggio,while the captain would take a post-chaise and go alone to Parma.According to that arrangement his trunk was transferred to the vehiclewhich he hired in Reggio, he bade us farewell and went away, after havingpromised to dine with us on the following day in Parma.
The decision taken by the worthy Hungarian was, doubtless, as agreeableto my lovely friend as to me, for our delicacy would have condemned us toa great reserve in his presence. And truly, under the new circumstances,how were we to arrange for our lodgings in Reggio? Henriette could not,of course, share the bed of the captain any more, and she could not haveslept with me as long as he was with us, without being guilty of greatimmodesty. We should all three have laughed at that compulsory reservewhich we would have felt to be ridiculous, but we should, for all that,have submitted to it. Love is the little impudent god, the enemy ofbashfulness, although he may very often enjoy darkness and mystery, butif he gives way to it he feels disgraced; he loses three-fourths of hisdignity and the greatest portion of his charms.
Evidently there could be no happiness for Henriette or for me unless weparted with the person and even with the remembrance of the excellentcaptain.
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