Oh, Queen! Queen! You do not know what felicity from heaven, what joys from paradise, are comprised in a moment like that. Take my wealth, my fortune, my glory, all the days I have to live, for such an instant, for a night like that. For that night, madame, that night you loved me, I will swear it.”

“My Lord, yes; it is possible that the influence of the place, the charm of the beautiful evening, the fascination of your look — the thousand circumstances, in short, which sometimes unite to destroy a woman — were grouped around me on that fatal evening; but, my Lord, you saw the queen come to the aid of the woman who faltered. At the first word you dared to utter, at the first freedom to which I had to reply, I called for help.”

“Yes, yes, that is true.