* * * * *
_14 February, 1895._
My dear Lucie:
The few minutes that I passed with you were very sweet to me, although
it was impossible for me to tell you all that I had within my heart.
My time passed while I looked at you, trying to impress your image upon
my very being, asking myself by what inconceivable fatality I was
separated from you.
Some day when they will tell my story it will seem unbelievable. But
what we must tell ourselves now is that I must be rehabilitated. My name
must shine anew with all the lustre it should never have lost. I would
rather see my children dead than think that the name which they bear is
a dishonored one.
This is a vital question for us all. It is not possible to live without
honor. I cannot tell you this often enough.