And yet hope sprang up again when I remembered the strain in
which she had spoken of me to Mademoiselle Leblanc. I even succeeded in
persuading myself that she feared arousing her father's suspicions, and
that she was now feigning complete indifference only to draw me the more
surely to her arms as soon as the favourable moment had arrived. As it
was impossible to ascertain the truth, I resigned myself to waiting. But
days and nights passed without any explanation being sent, or any secret
message bidding me be patient. She used to come down to the drawing-room
for an hour in the morning; in the evening she was present at dinner,
and then would play piquet or chess with her father. During all this
time she was so well watched that I could not exchange a glance with
her. For the rest of the day she remained in her own room--inaccessible.
Noticing that I was chafing at the species of captivity in which I was
compelled to live, the chevalier frequently said to me:
"Go and have a chat with Edmee. You can go to her room and tell her that
I sent you."
But it was in vain that I knocked. No doubt they had heard me coming and
had recognised me by my heavy shuffling step. The door was never opened
to me. I grew desperate, furious.
Here I must interrupt the account of my personal impressions to tell you
what was happening at this time in the luckless Mauprat family. John and
Antony had really managed to escape, and though a very close search
had been made for them, they had not as yet been captured.
Pages:
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147