Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 3

G I L B L A S. 67
much every day; for I cannot exprefs how dear
thou art to me. The very firft moment I faw
thee, I attached myfelf to thee by a tie too ftrong
for time to break. When I loft thee at Madrid, I
.did not defpair of finding thee again ; and yefter-
day, when I faw thee, received thee as a man
whom fate brought back to my arms. In a word,
my friend, heaven has deftined us for one another :
,thou lhalt be my hufband ; but we muft firft en¬
rich ourfelves. I want to have two or three more
intrigues to make thee eafy for life.”
I thanked her in a polite manner for the trouble
fhe intended to take on my account; and we in-
fenfibly engaged in a converfation that lafted till
noon. Then I retired to give an account to my
mafter of the manner in which his prelent was re¬
ceived : and though Laura had given me no in-
ftrucfions on that fubjedf, I did not fail to compofe
by the way a fine compliment, which I intended
to repeat in her name. But when I went home,
I was told that the marquis had gone out: and it
was decreed that I ihould fee him no more ; as may
be perceived in reading the following chapter.
CHAP. XI.
Gil Bias receives a piece of news, which is like a thun~
derbolt to him.
I Repaired to my eating-houfe, where meeting
two men of a very agreeable converfation, I
,dined and fat at table with them, till it was time
■to go to the play. Then we parted : they went
about their own affairs, and I took the road to
,the theatre. I muft obferve, by the bye, that I
Jiqd qll the reafon in the world to be in good hu¬
mour ;