“I can well appreciate the ‘I love you’ of the men; I do not disguise the fact that I know what it signifies at bottom, therefore upon me rests the burden of being offended at hearing them; but when women have penetrated their motives, they have need of their vanity to disconcert their designs.  Our anger, when they have offended us, is not the best weapon to use in opposing them.  Whoever must go outside herself and become angry to resist them, exposes her weakness.  A fine irony, a piquant raillery, a humiliating coolness, these are what discourage them.  Never a quarrel with them, consequently no reconciliation.  What advantages does not this mode of procedure take from them!

“The prude, it is true, follows a quite different method.  If she is exposed to the least danger, she does not imagine herself to be reasonable but in proportion to the resentment she experiences; but upon whom does such conduct impose?  Every man who knows the cards, says to himself:  ’I am ill used because the opportunity is unfavorable.  It is my awkwardness that is punished and not my temerity.  Another time, that will be well received which is a crime to-day; this severity is a notice to redouble my effort, to merit more indulgence and disarm pride; she wishes to be appeased.’  And the only means in such case to make her forget the offense is, that in making an apology to repeat it a second time.  With my recipe, I am certain that a man will never reason that way.

“The Marquis, for example, has sometimes permitted me to read in his eyes his respectful intentions.  I never knew but one way to punish him; I have feigned not to understand him; insensibly, I have diverted his mind to other objects.  And this recipe has worked well up to the moment I last saw him at my house.  There was no way to dissimulate with him; he wished to honor me with some familiarities, and I stopped him immediately, but not in anger.  I deemed it more prudent to arm myself with reason than with anger.  I appeared to be more afflicted than irritated, and I am sure my grief touched his heart more than bitter reproaches which might have alarmed him.  He went away very much dissatisfied; and just see what the heart is:  at first, I was afraid I had driven him away forever, I was tempted to reproach myself for my cruelty, but, upon reflection, I felt reassured.  Has severity ever produced inconstancy?”

To go on:  We talked until we were out of breath, and everything the Countess told me gave me to understand that she had made up her mind.  It will be in vain for you to cry out against her injustice, consider her as odd and inhuman, she will not accept any of the sweetness of love unless it costs her pride nothing, and I observe that she is following that resolution with more firmness than I imagined her capable of.  The loss of your heart would undoubtedly be a misfortune for which she could never be consoled.  But, on the other hand, the conditions you place upon your perseverance appear too hard to be accepted; she is willing to compromise with you.  She hopes to be able to hold you without betraying her duty, a project worthy of her courage, and I hope it will succeed better than the plan she had formed to guarantee her heart against love.  Let us await the outcome.