CANDIDE MEETS CUNEGONDE

CANDIDE MEETS CUNEGONDE 

"Who are you?" said Candide; "who has inspired you with so much goodness? What return can I make you?" 

The good woman made no answer.

"Come with me," she said, "and say nothing."

The old woman knocked at a little door, it opened, she led Candide up a staircase into a small apartment richly furnished. She left him on a brocaded sofa, shut the door and went away. Candide thought himself in a dream. 

The old woman returned very soon, supporting with difficulty a trembling woman of a majestic figure, brilliant with jewels, and covered with a veil.

"Take off that veil," said the old woman to Candide.

The young man approaches, he raises the veil with a timid hand. Oh! what a moment! what surprise! he believes he beholds Miss Cunegonde? he really sees her! it is herself! His strength fails him, he cannot utter a word, but drops at her feet. Cunegonde falls upon the sofa. The old woman supplies a smelling bottle; they come to themselves and recover their speech. As they began with questions and answers interchangeably interrupted with sighs, with tears, and cries, the old woman desired they would make less noise and then she left them to themselves. 

"What, is it you?" said Candide, "you live? I find you again in Portugal? then you have not been ravished? then they did not rip open your belly as Doctor Pangloss informed me?"

"Yes, they did," said the beautiful Cunegonde; "but those two accidents are not always mortal."

"But were your father and mother killed?"

"It is but too true," answered Cunegonde, in tears. 

(p. 24-25)

VOLTAIRE: CANDIDE, Simon & Schuster, New York 

Kishalay Sinha [G]