When he returned, panting for breath, with an enormous bunch of them in his hand, the lady had already accepted mine.
"'Thank you, Monsieur de Mauleon,' said she, with a rather scornful air; 'offer your flowers to these ladies.' Then, with a slight inclination of the head to me, she struck her mule with her whip, and they rode away.
"The rest of the company followed her, gazing at me as they passed, the big, fashionable fellow especially giving me a rather impertinent glance.

I did not try to pick a quarrel with him on account of this discourteous manifestation.

When the cavalcade was at some distance, I went in search of my stick, which I found under a tree on the edge of the precipice; then I continued climbing the steep path, with my eyes fastened upon the rider in the black silk gown, her hair flying in the wind and my bouquet in her hand.
"A few moments later, I reached the pavilion at the Montanvert, where I found a gay company gathered together, made up principally of English people.

As for myself, I must admit the frivolous, or, rather mundane, bent of my tastes; the truly admirable spectacle presented to my eyes interested me much less than the young stranger, who at this moment was descending with the lightness of a sylph the little road which led to the Mer de Glace.
"I do not know what mysterious link bound me to this woman.

I had met many much more beautiful, but the sight of them had left me perfectly indifferent.