Love in Excess

Grief-stricken and confused, D’elmont travels to Rome. He and Melliora continue to correspond, which gives him hope that she might someday change her mind and agree to marry him. In Rome, many women take notice of D’elmont, but he ignores all of them. One day, he receives an anonymous letter from a woman professing her love and desire for him. D’elmont attempts to politely discourage her with a note, but her servant (who has delivered the letter) tries to insist that D’elmont go to her house and meet with the anonymous woman. The servant is so insistent that he and D’elmont nearly have a physical fight before the servant leaves.

A short time later, D’elmont is out for a walk when he notices that a woman walking near him has dropped a valuable jewel. He hurries to return it to her; when she begins speaking to him, he realizes that she is the same woman who sent him the notes, and who contrived the meeting to speak with him. The woman is also stunningly beautiful. The pair are interrupted before D’elmont has the chance to tell her that he can never return her feelings. After the encounter, D'elmont feels guilty because he knows the pain unrequited love can cause, and he worries that this woman might come to a tragic fate similar to that of