I have lost! What charming naturalness? What naivety! I used to know her thoughts before she did herself. I used to see them come into existence. The only rival she had in her heart was the fear of her childrens' death. It was a reasonable, natural feeling to me, and even though I suffered from it I found it charming. I have been a fool. The ideas I had in my head about Paris prevented me from appreciating that sublime woman.
"Great God what a contrast and what do I find here? Arid, haughty vanity: all the fine shades of wounded egotism and nothing more."
They got up from table. "I must not let my academician get snapped up," said Julien to himself. He went up to him as they were passing into the garden, assumed an air of soft submissiveness and shared in his fury against the success of Hernani.
"If only we were still in the days of lettres de cachet!" he said.
"Then he would not have dared," exclaimed the academician with a gesture worthy of Talma.
Julien quoted some words from Virgil's Georgics in reference to a flower and expressed the opinion that nothing was equal to the abbé Delille's verses. In a word he flattered the academician in every possible way. He then said to him with the utmost indifference. "I suppose mademoiselle de la Mole has inherited something from some uncle for whom she is in mourning."
"What! you belong to the house?" said the academician stopping short, "and you do not know her folly? As a matter of fact it is strange her mother should allow her to do such things, but between ourselves, they do not shine in this household exactly by their force of character. Mademoiselle's share has to do for all of them, and governs them. To-day is the thirtieth of April!" and the academician stopped and looked meaningly at Julien. Julien smiled with the most knowing expression he could master. "What connection can there be between ruling a household, wearing a black dress, and the thirtieth April?" he said to himself. "I must be even sillier than I thought."
"I must confess …" he said to the academician while he ontinued to question him with his look. "Let us take a turn
