Page:Memoirs of Hyppolite Clairon (Volume 1).djvu/55

 greatest deference to age. I attended her. An emotion which I was not mistress of made me survey her from head to foot. This emotion increased when I perceived she experienced the same feelings. I was only able to request her to take a seat: he accepted my offer. We continued some time silent; but our eyes left no room to doubt the extreme desire we had to address each other. She knew who I was, but I knew her not: he felt that the task was imposed on her to break silence. The following was the conversation that took place between us:

“It is, madam, a long time since I have been impressed with the most anxious desire to become acquainted