Produced by David Widger
MEMOIRS OF JACQUES CASANOVA de SEINGALT 1725-1798
ADVENTURES IN THE SOUTH, Volume 4d—BACK AGAIN TO PARIS
THE RARE UNABRIDGED LONDON EDITION OF 1894 TRANSLATED BY ARTHUR MACHEN TOWHICH HAS BEEN ADDED THE CHAPTERS DISCOVERED BY ARTHUR SYMONS.
BACK AGAIN TO PARIS
CHAPTER XIII
My Stay at Paris and My Departure for Strasburg, Where I Find the
Renaud—My Misfortunes at Munich and My Sad Visit to Augsburg
At ten o'clock in the morning, cheered by the pleasant feeling of beingonce more in that Paris which is so imperfect, but which is the only truetown in the world, I called on my dear Madame d'Urfe, who received mewith open arms. She told me that the young Count d'Aranda was quite well,and if I liked she would ask him to dinner the next day. I told her Ishould be delighted to see him, and then I informed her that theoperation by which she was to become a man could not be performed tillQuerilinto, one of the three chiefs of the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross,was liberated from the dungeons of the Inquisition, at Lisbon.
"This is the reason," I added, "that I am going to Augsburg in the courseof next month, where I shall confer with the Earl of Stormont as to theliberation of the adept, under the pretext of a mission from thePortuguese Government. For these purposes I shall require a good letterof credit, and some watches and snuff-boxes to make presents with, as weshall have to win over certain of the profane."
"I will gladly see to all that, but you need not hurry yourself as the
Congress will not meet till September."
"Believe me, it will never meet at all, but the ambassadors of thebelligerent powers will be there all the same. If, contrary to myexpectation, the Congress is held, I shall be obliged to go to Lisbon. Inany case, I promise to see you again in the ensuing winter. The fortnightthat I have to spend here will enable me to defeat a plot of St.Germain's."
"St. Germain—he would never dare to return to Paris."
"I am certain that he is here in disguise. The state messenger whoordered him to leave London has convinced him the English minister wasnot duped by the demand for his person to be given up, made by the Comted'Afri in the name of the king to the States-General."
All this was mere guess-work, and it will be seen that I guessed rightly.
Madame d'Urfe then congratulated me on the charming girl whom I had sentfrom Grenoble to Paris. Valenglard had told her the whole story.
"The king adores her," said she, "and before long she will make him afather. I have been to see her at Passi with the Duchesse de l'Oraguais."
"She will give birth to a son who will make France happy, and in thirtyyears time you will see wondrous things, of which, unfortunately, I cantell you nothing until your transformation. Did you mention my name toher?"
"No, I did not; but I am sure you will be able to see her, if only at
Madame Varnier's."
She was not mistaken; but shortly afterwards an event happened which madethe madness of this excellent woman much worse.
Towards four o'clock, as we were talking over my travels and our designs,she took a fancy to walk in the Bois du Boulogne. She begged me toaccompany her, and I acceded to her request. We walked into the deepestrecesses of the wood and sat down under a tree. "It is eighteen yearsago," said she, "since I fell asleep on the same spot that we now occupy.