"No, no, my poor Liline, don't be happy too soon! for it is your seducer himself who refuses to wipe out his crime and make you his wife." "He refuses--Albert! Oh! no, my dear brother, that is impossible; at all events, when he knows--and I haven't dared to tell him that yet--I hoped to make him very happy when he came back, with such a pleasant surprise--ah! brother, when he knows that I am going to be a mother, do you think he will refuse to give a name to his child?" As she spoke, Adeline hid her face on her brother's shoulder, and he held her for a moment in his arms. "A mother!" he murmured; "you, a mother! Ah! yes, he must be hard-hearted indeed to abandon you if that is so; and yet--the young men of these days care as little about leaving a poor girl in trouble as they do about changing a coat. Never mind; I'll see this gentleman, I'll speak to him, and, sacrebleu! if he has any decent feelings left, I'll rake 'em up from the bottom of his heart. But meanwhile you must go with me; we must start this very minute." "I must leave here--but suppose Albert should come back?" "Don't you be alarmed! he'll be in Paris before long, and Paris is where I'm going to take you. Remember that you must trust me, believe what I say, and obey me. You know perfectly well that I won't deceive you; you know that your happiness and the honor of our family are what I care most about." "Oh! yes, I do know it, brother." "Then do what I tell you. Make haste and get together what things belong to you. But leave all the money and jewels that man has given you; for we'll show him that he's mistaken if he thinks he can pay for your dishonor with them. If he deserts you, you will stay with me; I have strong arms, and I'm no longer the sot and loafer I used to be. No, no; I've had troubles of my own, you see; and trouble is like lead--it makes your head heavy. I'll tell you about it some day; meanwhile, I'll work to support you--and your child--and what I give you won't make you blush, at any rate. Go and do what I say, and be quick; there's a carriage waiting for us." Adeline made no reply, but hastened to do her brother's bidding; she very soon got her things together and made a package of them, which Sans-Cravate took under one arm; he supported his sister with the other and said to the peasant, who stared at them with a stupefied expression: "If the gentleman comes back and asks for the young lady he brought here, tell him that she went away with her brother--her brother, do you hear? As for her money and jewelry, he'll find them upstairs;--for you haven't taken any of 'em, have you, Liline?" "No, brother," replied the girl, putting her hand to her breast; "nothing, except this little souvenir, with some of his hair in it." As she spoke, she showed him a small glass locket, set in gold, in which there was a lock of hair. But Sans-Cravate put out his hand to take it, crying: "No, no; keep nothing that came from him! What do you want of this souvenir?"