Explore "Armance" by Stendhal on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Armance, in despair, saw herself at once disgraced for ever and betrayed by her lover. She sat down for a moment on the landing of the stair. She decided to go and knock at the door of Madame de Malivert's maid. The girl was asleep and did not answer. Madame de Malivert, with a vague fear that her son might be ill, took her nightlight and came to the door of her own room; she was alarmed by the expression on Armance's face. "What has happened to Octave?" cried Madame de Malivert. "Nothing, Madame, nothing at all to Octave, it is only I who am in distress and miserable at having disturbed your sleep. My idea was to speak to Madame Dérien and to ask for you only if I was told that you were still awake." "My child, you increase my alarm with all these _Madames_. Something strange has happened. Is Octave ill?" "No, Mama," said Armance and burst into tears, "it is only that I am a ruined girl."
Madame de Malivert took her into her bedroom, and there Armance told her what had just happened to her, concealing nothing and passing nothing over in silence, not even her own jealousy. Her heart, crushed by all her miseries, had not the strength to keep anything back.