"I know that I am the slave and you the master. The laws of this country make you my master. You can bind my body, tie my hands, govern my acts. You have the right of the stronger, and society confirms you in it; but you cannot command my will, monsieur; God alone can bend it and subdue it. Try to find a law, a dungeon, an instrument of torture that gives you any hold on it! you might as well try to handle the air and grasp space." "Hold your tongue, you foolish, impertinent creature; your high-flown novelist's phrases weary me." "You can impose silence on me, but not prevent me from thinking." "Silly pride! pride of a poor worm! you abuse the compassion I have had for you! But you will soon see that this mighty will can be subdued without too much difficulty." "I don't advise you to try it; your repose would suffer, and you would gain nothing in dignity." "Do you think so?" he said, crushing her hand between his thumb and forefinger. "I do think so," she said, without wincing. Ralph stepped forward, grasped the colonel's arm in his iron hand and bent it like a reed, saying in a pacific tone: "I beg that you will not touch a hair of that woman's head." Delmare longed to fly at him; but he felt that he was in the wrong and he dreaded nothing in the world so much as having to blush for himself. So he simply pushed him away, saying: "Attend to your own business." Then he returned to his wife. "So, madame," he said, holding his arms tightly against his sides to resist the temptation to strike her, "you rebel against me, you refuse to go to Ile Bourbon with me, you desire a separation? Very well! _Mordieu!_ I too----" "I desire it no longer," she replied. "I did desire it yesterday, it was my will; it is not so this morning. You resorted to violence and locked me in my room; I went out through the window to show you that there is a difference between exerting an absurd control over a woman's actions and reigning over her will. I passed several hours away from your domination; I breathed the air of liberty in order to show you that you are not morally my master, and that I look to no one on earth but myself for orders. As I walked along I reflected that I owed it to my duty and my conscience to return and place myself under your control once more. I did it of my own free will. My cousin _accompanied_ me here, he did not _bring me back_. If I had not chosen to come with him, he could not have forced me to do it, as you can imagine. So, monsieur, do not waste your time fighting against my determination; you will never control it, you lost all right to change it as soon as you undertook to assert your right by force. Make your preparations for departure; I am ready to assist you and to accompany you, not because it is your will, but because it is my pleasure. You may condemn me, but I will never obey anyone but myself." "I am sorry for the derangement of your mind," said the colonel, shrugging his shoulders.