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I may safely say that this woman was one of the most handsome in France; she was probably about twenty-six years old. She had been the wife of a druggist of Montpellier, and had been so unfortunate as to let Castelbajac seduce her. At London her beauty had produced no impression on me, my heart was another's; nevertheless, she was made to seduce the heart of man.
By the third deal Schwerin had lost his twenty counters and asked for twenty more; but the banker told him he must pay for them, and the self-styled field-marshal's nephew lapsed into silence and played no more. At the following deal Castelbajac was in the same position as his friend, and being on my side he begged to be allowed to take ten pieces.
I shall take care to be on my guard at the Betting Club, and I advise you, my lord, to be on your guard in the society of Castelbajac." "I will not forget the warning." When Pembroke had left me I went to see Madame Cornelis, who had written a week before to tell me my daughter was ill, and explained that she had been turned from my doors on two occasions though she felt certain I was in.
At last a carriage containing a lady and two gentlemen drove up to the door. One of the gentlemen was the rascally Castelbajac and the other was introduced as Count Schwerin, nephew of the famous marshal of that name who fell on what is commonly called the field of glory.
I have told some of my friends who are fond of gaming." "Does the charming Frenchwoman like gaming?" "No, but her husband does." "What's his name?" "He calls himself Count de Castelbajac." "Ah! Castelbajac?" "Yes." "He is a Gascon?" "Yes." "Tall, thin, and dark, and marked with the smallpox? "Exactly! I am delighted to find you know him. You will agree with me that his wife is very pretty?"
I seemed to have become young again; but I was altered, for several beautiful and clever actresses appeared on the stage without arousing any desires within me; and I would have it so. I had a lively desire to find Madame Castelbajac, not with any wish to renew my old relations with her.
She went away the day after, and the story went no farther. Towards the end of the fair I received a very unexpected visit from the fair Madame Castelbajac. I was just sitting down to table to eat a dozen larks, when she made her appearance. "What, madam, you here!" "Yes, to my sorrow. I have been here for the last three weeks, and have seen you several times, but you have always avoided us."
One often goes to a wise man for advice which one has not the courage to follow. In the evening I went to the general's, and found the self-styled Countess Castelbajac seated on Lord Pembroke's knees. The supper was a good one, and passed off pleasantly; the two rascals were not there, and their absence was not remarked. When we left the table we went into another room, and played till day-break.
He was the chief of the police, and told me that if I would pay for the journey he would arrest Castelbajac at Dover, for which town he had started at noon. As to the other he was sure of having him in the course of the night. I gave him a guinea, and told him it would be enough to catch the one, and that the other could go where he liked.
Lord Pembroke introduced us all to each other, and when he came to me Castelbajac said he was delighted to see me again, although he might easily have pretended not to know me under my name of Seingalt. We had a good English dinner, and afterwards the lady proposed a game of faro.
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