As soon as the marchioness had gone I left the “Treize Cantons” and went to live with Marcoline, giving her four hundred and sixty louis, which, with the hundred and forty she had won at biribi, gave her a total of six hundred louis, or fourteen thousand four hundred francs.  With this sum she could look the future in the face fearlessly.

The day after Madame d’Urfe’s departure, the betrothed of Mdlle.  Crosin arrived at Marseilles with a letter from Rosalie, which he handed to me on the day of his arrival.  She begged me in the name of our common honour to introduce the bearer in person to the father of the betrothed.  Rosalie was right, but as the lady was not my real niece there were some difficulties in the way.  I welcomed the young man and told him that I would first take him to Madame Audibert, and that we could then go together to his father-in-law in prospective.

The young Genoese had gone to the “Treize Cantons,” where he thought I was staying.  He was delighted to find himself so near the goal of his desires, and his ecstacy received a new momentum when he saw how cordially Madame Audibert received him.  We all got into my carriage and drove to the father’s who gave him an excellent reception, and then presented him to his wife, who was already friendly disposed towards him.

I was pleasantly surprised when this good and sensible man introduced me to his wife as his cousin, the Chevalier de Seingalt, who had taken such care of their daughter.  The good wife and good mother, her husband’s worthy partner, stretched out her hand to me, and all my trouble was over.

My new cousin immediately sent an express messenger to his sister, telling her that he and his wife, his future son-in-law, Madame Audibert, and a cousin she had not met before, would come and dine with her on the following day.  This done he invited us, and Madame Audibert said that she would escort us.  She told him that I had another niece with me, of whom his daughter was very fond, and would be delighted to see again.  The worthy man was overjoyed to be able to increase his daughter’s happiness.

I, too, was pleased with Madame Audibert’s tact and thoughtfulness; and as making Marcoline happy was to make me happy also, I expressed my gratitude to her in very warm terms.

I took the young Genoese to the play, to Marcoline’s delight, for she would have liked the French very much if she could have understood them.  We had an excellent supper together, in the course of which I told Marcoline of the pleasure which awaited her on the morrow.  I thought she would have gone wild with joy.

The next day we were at Madame Audibert’s as punctually as Achilles on the field of battle.  The lady spoke Italian well, and was charmed with Marcoline, reproaching me for not having introduced her before.  At eleven we got to St. Louis, and my eyes were charmed with the dramatic situation.  My late niece had an air of dignity which became her to admiration, and received her future husband with great graciousness; and then, after thanking me with a pleasant smile for introducing him to her father, she passed from dignity to gaiety, and gave her sweetheart a hundred kisses.