She was mistaken in thinking that she exercised any power over me. I was now governed by a higher influence, by a souvenir of an altogether different nature than her own. Again I conversed with my father in the evening and prevailed upon him to leave me at liberty to take my own view of the moral side of the affair. He bade me good-night, saying at the same time in rather a reproving tone, which I understood no more than I did his words: “My dear child, have a care. Madame d’Ionis is thine oracle I know, but I greatly fear that she is only making use of thee to advance the interests of another.” And as he observed my astonishment, he added: “We will talk that over later on. Think only of acquitting thyself well to-morrow, and of doing honor to thy father.” Just as I was getting into bed, I was surprised to see a bow of green ribbon pinned to my pillow. I took it up and felt that it contained a ring; it was the emerald star which I remembered but as a feverish dream. This mysterious ring really existed then; it had been given back to me. I put it on my finger and touched it a hundred times to assure myself that I was not the victim of an illusion; then I took it off and examined it with a care which I had not been equal to in the Castle of Ionis, and there deciphered this device in very ancient characters: “Thy life belongs to me alone.” Was it a command for me not to fight? Was the immortal nymph still unwilling for me to rejoin her? This was a great blow to me, for I was consumed with a thirst for death, and I had hoped that circumstances would authorize me to rid myself of life without being either rebellious or cowardly. I rang for Baptiste whom I could still hear walking around the house. “Come,” said I, “thou must tell me the truth, _mon ami_, for thou art an honest man, and my reason is in thy hands. Who has been here this evening? Who has put this ring in my room, on my pillow?” “What ring, monsieur? I have seen no ring.” “But don’t you see it now? Isn’t it on my finger? Haven’t you already seen it at the château d’Ionis?” “Certainly, monsieur, I see it and recognize it perfectly. It is the same one that you lost over there and that I found between two tiles; but I swear upon my honor, that I don’t know how it came here, and when I turned down your bed I saw nothing on your pillow.” “Perhaps thou canst tell me one thing at least, that I have never dared to ask thee since that fever that made me delirious for several hours. Who was it that took this ring away from me at the castle d’Ionis?” “I know no more than you, monsieur. Seeing that it was not on your finger I thought you had hidden it—so that you might not compromise——.” “Whom? Explain thyself.” “_Dame_, monsieur; did not Madame d’Ionis give it to you?” “Certainly not.” “To be sure, monsieur is not bound to tell me. But it must be she who sent it back to you.” “Hast thou seen any one from her house here to-day?”