Love in Excess

The second part of the novel begins with two poems, one written by Richard Savage and the other anonymous. Both of these poems praise Haywood’s skill as a writer. Then the narrative resumes.

As soon as Alovisa and D’elmont are married, Brillan leaves for Amiens. One evening, D’elmont receives a message that his longtime family friend and former guardian, Monsieur Frankville, is dying. D’elmont rushes to Frankville’s home. The dying man explains that his son is travelling abroad, and that he wants to make D’elmont the guardian to his daughter, Melliora. Melliora has been educated in a convent and has only recently entered Parisian society. D’elmont readily agrees; he meets the grieving young woman, and the two of them are immediately attracted to one another.

Frankville dies very soon afterwards, and D’elmont brings Melliora to live with him. Melliora is very unhappy that D’elmont is her new guardian, since she will have to suffer with unrequited love for a married man. D’elmont is also distressed since he finally understands what love is, and regrets having married Alovisa. He also thinks with sadness of the way he treated