The Duchess de Langeais was one of the reigning belles of Paris, the pet of society, the envy of the women and the admiration of all the men. Her many conquests led her to believe herself to be irresistible, and when the famous General de Meyran failed to appreciate her charms, her vanity was piqued, and she determined to not only humble him in her own eyes, but in the eyes of all her friends. She had met him at an assembly at a friend’s home, where he seemed to be suffering from ennui. Nothing amused this blasé soldier, the music was poor, the chattering of the ladies was uninteresting, and altogether he seemed to be having a very poor time. So distinguished did he appear that the Duchess desired that he be presented to her. This was done, but the General, instead of seeming pleased, immediately makes his adieus and takes his departure. The character of the General in its calmness and dignity is a distinct contrast to the nature of the frivolous Duchess, and his coldness determines the coquettish young lady to bring him to her feet. In order to do this, she grants him a special favor by inviting him to a tête-à-tête in her own home. The General accepts the invitation and beneath the warm hospitality his indifference melts and he yields to the charm of his hostess. Finally falling at her feet, he is about to profess his love and admiration for her, when the door is opened and the personal friends of the Duchess, whom she has induced to wait for this critical moment in the ante-room, enter, laughing slyly at the General’s discomfiture. Deeply wounded and angered, the General takes his departure. After he is gone, the Duchess de Langeais realizes that she, too, has finally fallen deeply in love, but too late. She hastens to the General’s office and seeks admittance. This is at first refused, but when she threatens to do herself some injury if he doesn’t receive her, the austere soldier consents. When she is admitted, she throws herself at his feet and asks his forgiveness. This he sternly refuses, and immediately thereafter the Duchess disappears from Parisian society. Five years later, General de Meyran receives a commission from Ferdinand VII of Spain, and while establishing order in Formentera he visits the convent of the Order of the Carmelite Nuns. While passing through the chapel, he recognizes in the garb of a nun his former love, the Duchess de Langeais. The recognition is mutual and the Duchess flees to her cell. That night the General, with two friends, resolves to take her by force from the convent, and having forced an entrance they wander along the quiet passage until they find the door marked with the name which the Duchess has adopted at the time of her taking the veil. They enter, alas, too late; the excitement of seeing her love in such a place, after five years of separation, has proved too much for the Duchess, and she has died, and here in the lonely cell they find her body laid upon a rude bier, with a dim light of candles flickering on her pallid face. The Mother Superior now enters and sternly orders them to retire. This they do, after the General has imprinted his first and last kiss on the cold lips of his dead love.