Dangerous Liaisons, Letter 135 summary

What happens

1. Madame de Tourvel opens in despair, declaring that Valmont never loves her and that remorse deepens her suffering.
2. She recounts how Valmont persuades her to cancel dinner plans, then abruptly leaves on supposedly urgent business.
3. Resuming her plans, she encounters his carriage near the Opera House and sees a prostitute beside him.
4. The woman stares and laughs at Tourvel, who reaches her dinner destination but cannot stay because of tears and faintness.
5. Tourvel sends Valmont a letter, then sends her servant to wait, but learns that Valmont is staying out all night.
6. The next morning, she requests her letters and bars Valmont from her house; by nearly noon, he gives no answer.

In this letter

What to notice

Tourvel suffers both from Valmont’s apparent betrayal and from her judgment of her own conduct. Her self-blame prevents her from simply condemning the other woman.

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