“Sweet angel, Marguerite!” and he clasped her to his hot, heaving breast, and her white arms were flung about his neck, and their lips met in a long fiery kiss. Just in that point of time--in that soft melting moment--a heavy hand was laid quietly on Armand’s shoulder--he started, as the fiend sprang up, revealed before the temper of Ithuriel’s angel weapon--he started like a guilty thing from that forbidden kiss. A tall form stood beside him, shrouded from head to heel in a dark riding-cloak of the Italian fashion; but there was no hat on the stately head, nor any covering to the cold stern impassive features. The high broad forehead as pale as sculptured marble, with the dark chestnut curls falling off parted evenly upon the crown--the full, fixed, steady eye, which he could no more meet than he could gaze unscathed on the meridian sun, the noble features, sharpened by want and suffering and wo--were all! all those of his good cousin. For a moment’s space the three stood there in silence--Charles de La-Hirè reaping rich vengeance from the unconquerable consternation of the traitor! Armand de Laguy bent almost to the earth with shame and conscious terror! and Marguerite half dead with fear, and scarcely certain if indeed he who stood before her were the man in his living presence, whom she had vowed to love for ever; or if it were but the visioned form of an indignant friend returned from the dark grave to thunderstrike the false disturbers of his eternal rest. “I am in time”--he said at length, in accents slow and unfaltering as his whole air was cold and tranquil--“in time to break off this monstrous union!--Thy perjuries have been in vain, weak man; thy lies are open to the day. He whom thou didst betray to the Italian’s dungeon--to the Italian’s dagger--as thou didst then believe and hope--stands bodily before thee.” A long heart-piercing shriek burst from the lips of Marguerite, as the dread import of his speech fell on her sharpened fears--the man whom she _had_ loved--_first_ loved!--for all her previous words were false and fickle--stood at her side in all his power and glory--and she affianced to a liar, a base traitor--a foul murderer in his heart!--a scorn and byword to her own sex--an object of contempt and hatred to every noble spirit! But at that instant Armand de Laguy’s pride awoke--for he _was_ proud, and brave, and daring!--and he gave back the lie, and hurled defiance in his accuser’s teeth.