And diving deep into the sea of pleasures he
brought back more grit than pearls. Thus had he come, like potentates,
to implore of Chance some obstacle to surmount, some enterprise which
should ask the employment of his dormant moral and physical strength.
Although Paquita Valdes presented him with a marvelous concentration
of perfections which he had only yet enjoyed in detail, the attraction
of passion was almost _nil_ with him. Constant satiety had weakened in
his heart the sentiment of love. Like old men and people
disillusioned, he had no longer anything but extravagant caprices,
ruinous tastes, fantasies, which, once satisfied, left no pleasant
memory in his heart. Amongst young people love is the finest of the
emotions, it makes the life of the soul blossom, it nourishes by its
solar power the finest inspirations and their great thoughts; the
first fruits in all things have a delicious savor. Amongst men love
becomes a passion; strength leads to abuse. Amongst old men it turns
to vice; impotence tends to extremes. Henri was at once an old man, a
man, and a youth. To afford him the feelings of a real love, he needed
like Lovelace, a Clarissa Harlowe. Without the magic lustre of that
unattainable pearl he could only have either passions rendered acute
by some Parisian vanity, or set determinations with himself to bring
such and such a woman to such and such a point of corruption, or else
adventures which stimulated his curiosity.
The report of Laurent, his _valet de chambre_ had just given an
enormous value to the girl with the golden eyes.
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