Pagina 561 van 788

But the Judge retained Thaddeus in the room and said to the

Monk:-

"It is time for me to tell you what I learned with certainty only

yesterday, that our Thaddeus is sincerely in love with Zosia; let

him ask her hand before his departure! I have spoken with

Telimena, and she no longer opposes the match; Zosia also agrees

to the wishes of her guardians. If we cannot to-day make the pair

happy by marriage, then at least, brother, we may betroth them

before his departure; for the heart of a young traveller, as you

know well, is exposed to various temptations. And yet, when a

young man glances at his ring and calls to mind that he is

already a husband, at once the fever of temptations in a foreign

land subsides. Believe me, a wedding ring has great force.