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Her curiosity, concerning the Marchioness, powerful as it was, it is

probable she would now have resisted, as she had for the few terrible words in the papers, which had never

since been erased from her memory, had she been certain that the history

of that lady was the subject of those papers, or, that such simple

particulars only as it was probable Dorothee could relate were included

in her father's command What was known to her could be no secret to

many other persons; and, since it appeared very unlikely, that St

Aubert should atteht learn by ordinary

th concluded, that, if the papers had related to the

story of the Marchioness, it was not those circumstances of it, which

Dorothee could disclose, that he had thought sufficiently ier hesitated to ratification of her curiosity

'Ah, ma'amselle!' said Dorothee, 'it is a sad story, and cannot be told

now: but what a? I never will tell it Many years have passed,

since it happened; and I never loved to talk of the Marchioness to any

body, but my husband He lived in the family, at that time, as well as

myself, and he knew many particulars from me, which nobody else did; for

I was about the person of my lady in her last illness, and saw and heard