With this view she led him one day into the garden, and being seated in a close arbour, where there was no danger of being overheard,—­’Natura,’ said she, ’I doubt not but you may perceive, by the civilities I have treated you with, that you are not indifferent to me; but as you cannot be sensible to how great a degree my regard for you extends, it remains that I confess to you there is but one thing wanting to compleat the intire conquest of my heart’; ‘and that is,’ continued she, fixing her eyes intently on his face, ’that you will cease for the future to pay those extraordinary assiduities to Elgidia you have lately done.’

How much soever Natura was transported at the beginning of this discourse, the closure of it gave him an inexpressible shock, insomuch that he was wholly unable to make any reply, to testify the sense he had of the obligation she conferred on him.  ‘I see,’ said she, ’the too great influence my sister has over you leaves me no room to hope any thing from you:—­I did not think the sacrifice I exacted from you so great, that the purchase of my heart would not have atoned for it; but since I find it is otherwise, I repent I put you to the trial.’

In speaking these words she rose up, and flew out of the arbour:  the confusion Natura was in, prevented him from endeavouring to detain her; and before he could resolve with himself how to behave in so critical a conjuncture, she was out of sight.—­Whatever tenderness he had for the other, he could not bear the thoughts of having offended this lady:  the confession she had just made him, seemed to deserve all his gratitude; and tho’ the price she demanded for her heart was too excessive for him to comply with, yet he resolved to make his peace with her the first time he found her alone, on the best terms he could.

This was an opportunity, however, not so easily attained as he had imagined:—­the abbess conceived so much spite at the little inclination he had testified to comply with her demand, that she kept one or other of the nuns with her the whole remainder of that day, and he could only tell her by his eyes how desirous he was of coming to an eclaircisement.

But as if this was a day destined to produce nothing but extraordinary events, perceiving the abbess industriously avoided speaking to him, he had retired into the parlour to ruminate on the affair, when Elgidia came in to him, and with somewhat more gaiety than she was accustomed to, cried, ’What, alone, Natura! but I suppose you attend my sister, and I will not be any interruption’; and then turned to go out of the room.  All the discontent he was in for the displeasure he found he had given the abbess, could not keep him from getting between her and the door:—­’I have no other way to convince you of the injustice of your suspicion,’ said he, ‘than to detain you here; tho’ perhaps,’ added he, looking on her with an unfeigned tenderness, ’while I am clearing myself in one article, it may not be in my power to prevent betraying my guilt in another, which it may be you will find yet less worthy of forgiveness.’