My lessons had taken effect, and I found they had become past mistresses in the art of pleasure.  But now and again joy gave place to sadness.

“We shall be wretched, sweetheart,” said Hedvig, “and if you like we will come with you.”

“I promise to come and see you before two years have expired,” said I; and in fact they had not so long to wait.

We fell asleep at midnight, and waking at four renewed our sweet battles till six o’clock.  Half an hour after I left them, worn out with my exertions, and I remained in bed all day.  In the evening I went to see the syndic and his young friends.  I found Helen there, and she was cunning enough to feign not to be more vexed at my departure than the others, and to further the deception she allowed the syndic to kiss her.  I followed suit, and begged her to bid farewell for me to her learned cousin and to excuse my taking leave of her in person.

The next day I set out in the early morning, and on the following day I reached Lyons.  Madame d’Urfe was not there, she had gone to an estate of hers at Bresse.  I found a letter in which she said that she would be delighted to see me, and I waited on her without losing any time.

She greeted me with her ordinary cordiality, and I told her that I was going to Turin to meet Frederic Gualdo, the head of the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross, and I revealed to her by the oracle that he would come with me to Marseilles, and that there he would complete her happiness.  After having received this oracle she would not go to Paris before she saw us.  The oracle also bade her wait for me at Lyons with young d’Aranda; who begged me to take him with me to Turin.  It may be imagined that I succeeded in putting him off.

Madame d’Urfe had to wait a fortnight to get me fifty thousand francs which I might require on my journey.  In the course of this fortnight I made the acquaintance of Madame Pernon, and spent a good deal of money with her husband, a rich mercer, in refurnishing my wardrobe.  Madame Pernon was handsome and intelligent.  She had a Milanese lover, named Bono, who did business for a Swiss banker named Sacco.  It was through Madame Peron that Bono got Madame d’Urfe the fifty thousand francs I required.  She also gave me the three dresses which she had promised to the Countess of Lascaris, but which that lady had never seen.

One of these dresses was furred, and was exquisitely beautiful.  I left Lyons equipped like a prince, and journeyed towards Turin, where I was to meet the famous Gualdo, who was none other than Ascanio Pogomas, whom I had summoned from Berne.  I thought it would be easy to make the fellow play the part I had destined for him, but I was cruelly deceived as the reader will see.

I could not resist stopping at Chamberi to see my fair nun, whom I found looking beautiful and contented.  She was grieving, however, after the young boarder, who had been taken from the convent and married.