"Forget the years passed in retirement and commence a new life. This dwelling shall become a place of delight; parties and pleasures shall succeed each other here without interruption as soon as your beautiful eyes repay my efforts with a smile. The barber did not deserve your friendship; the wretch would not have brought you up had it not been for his interest to do so; you may dismiss all thoughts of gratitude from your heart. As to the young man to whom he wished to marry you, he is but a boy, somebody has told me, and will soon forget you." "Urbain forget me!" cried Blanche, starting convulsively. Then she said in a calmer tone, falling back in her chair,-- "No, monsieur, Urbain will not forget me, for I feel sure I shall love him always, and our hearts had but a single thought." The marquis rose, greatly annoyed, and walked about the room. In a moment he said,-- "It is, however, useless, mademoiselle, to nourish a sentiment which must henceforth be hopeless, for you shall never more see this Urbain, whom I hate without knowing." Blanche looked supplicatingly at the marquis, approached him and threw herself on her knees, saying, in a voice broken by sobs,-- "Monsieur, what have I done to you that you should punish me like this? If, unknowingly, I have been guilty of any fault, forgive me, I beg of you, but do not separate me from Urbain." "Rise, I beseech you," said Villebelle, who yielded in spite of himself to the emotion which he felt. "No, you are not guilty, lovely girl, it is I, I alone; yes, I am a monster to make you shed tears. Ah, why did I ever see you--but you are so pretty!" "Monsieur, has any one the right to shut up a girl because she is pretty? If you punish me by shutting me up a prisoner in your chateau, that should be forbidden. Is it permitted to a great nobleman to torment poor people at his will? O my God! and the talisman which Marguerite gave me to preserve me from all danger! O poor Marguerite! if she only knew how unfortunate I am." "Oh, well," said he, leaning towards Blanche, "since you hate me, since I am only an object of dislike to you--" "I hate you!" said the innocent child, raising her sweet eyes to his. "Oh, no, monsieur, don't believe that; despite all the grief you have caused me, I don't know how it is, but I feel that I should like to forgive you, I feel that I could even love you." "You could love me, delightful girl," exclaimed the marquis, intoxicated by these words. "O heavens, she could love me and I was just about to consent--oh, never; rather would I die than lose you or yield you to another. You have given me a foretaste of so much happiness that the idea of it alone transports me. Blanche, Blanche, I shall do everything to merit the love which you allow me to hope for, but to renounce you--ah, that is henceforth impossible. I must leave you, that I may not see those tears which make me detest my love."