"I do not know that she ever cared--but I do know that even his memory
has power to disturb her. He must have been just such another as your
friend, the Seigneur of Arranstoun. It is his presence which has
reminded her of something of the past, since it cannot be he himself."
"No, of course it cannot be Michael--" and Henry laughed shortly. "He is
an Englishman. She had never seen him before yesterday--You think she
seems disturbed?"
"Yes."
"What would you have me do, then, Father? I love this woman more than my
life and only desire her happiness."
The Cure of Heronac shrugged his high shoulders slightly.
"It is not for me to give advice to a man of the world--but had it been
in the days when I was Gaston d'Heronac, of the Imperial Guard, I should
have told you--Use your intelligence, search, investigate for yourself.
Make her love you--leave nothing vague or to chance. As a priest, I must
say that I find all divorces wrong--and that for me she should remain
the wife of the other man."
"Even when the man is a drunkard or a lunatic, and there have been no
children?" Henry demanded.
A strange look came in the old Cure's eye as he glanced at his companion
covertly, and for a second it seemed as though he meant to speak his
thought--but the only words which came were in Latin:
"Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder," and then
he held out his thin, brown hand; they had reached his door.
"In all cases you have my good wishes, my son, for you seem worthy of
her--my good wishes and my prayers."
Lord Fordyce mounted the stairs to his lady's sitting-room with lagging
steps. The Pere Anselme's advice had caused him to think deeply, and it
was necessary that he had speech with Sabine, if she would let him come
back into her sitting-room. He knocked at the door softly, as was his
way, and when her voice said "_Entrez_" rather impatiently he did enter
and advance with diffidence. She was sitting with her back to the light
in one of the great window embrasures, so that he could not see the
expression upon her face--and her tone became gentle as she welcomed
him.
"The evening is so glorious, come and watch the sunset; but there is a
little look of thunder there in the far west--to-morrow we may have a
storm."
Henry sat down beside her on the orange velvet seat--and his eyes, full
of love and tenderness, sought her face beseechingly.
"I shall simply hate going the day after to-morrow, dearest," he said.
"If it were not for the sternest duty to my mother, I would ask you to
keep me until Friday--it will be such pain to tear myself away."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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