"Very well, we won't go until to-morrow," replied Edouard, who had seemed lost in profound thought for some minutes.

"To-morrow it is then," said Alfred, who was surprised, however, that Edouard consented to defer their departure.

The guests soon separated, each to do what pleased him best. Eudoxie doubtless wished that Alfred should pay his last farewells to her, for she asked him for his arm for a walk in the garden; and Cornelie, left alone with Robineau, said to him:

"Why do you presume to keep these gentlemen at the chateau without finding out whether I would like it?"

"My love, I thought that----"

"Your friends are very agreeable, are they not, to pa.s.s all their time travelling about no one knows where, and coming here only to eat?

Hereafter, monsieur, I will invite the persons whom I wish to receive."

"Very well, my dear love, if you wish, I will go and tell Alfred and Edouard that they can go at once, that we don't care."

"Another absurd remark! No, monsieur, say nothing, do nothing, meddle in nothing,--that is all I ask of you."

And with that, Cornelie left Robineau, who, when he was alone, stamped the floor viciously, saying:

"I will not thwart her, because this is our honeymoon; but I know that I am master, and that is enough for me."

After walking for a sufficiently long time with Eudoxie, Alfred returned to the chateau; he arranged everything for his approaching departure and then joined Edouard.

"What was your reason for consenting to defer our departure?" said Alfred; "I supposed that you were in a hurry to leave this region and these mountains."

"Yes, yes, of course," replied Edouard, with some embarra.s.sment; "but before leaving Auvergne, to which I shall never come again, I would like,--you will scold me, Alfred!"

"No; tell me frankly what hope you have."

"I have no hope at all, but I cannot resist the longing to see Isaure once more, to bid her a last farewell!"

"I suspected as much."

"I left her so abruptly, and yet I did not then know all her treachery; but never fear, it is not for the purpose of reproaching her uselessly, that I wish to see her--far from it. I will tell her that I forgive her all the pain that she has caused me, that I hope that she may be happy, that her image will never--Oh, no! I will not tell her that, and yet--Ah! blame me for my weakness, my friend, but I believe that I love her more dearly than ever."

"You mean to go to see Isaure again? Why, how can you think of such a thing? Suppose you should find--suppose you should meet the baron there?"

"I will watch for a moment when she is alone, you know very well that she pa.s.ses only a little time at the White House; I must see her again, even though I may be able to speak to her but a moment. Remember, Alfred, that it will be the last time."

"Very well, I will go with you. Yes, I will go with you; at all events, I shall be more certain that you will commit no imprudence, and I shall be able to see to it that no one surprises you with her."

"Dear Alfred! how kind you are!"

"I must needs become wise when you make a fool of yourself; each in his turn. I will go and tell the groom to have the horses ready for us to-night, for I do not see the necessity of going on foot again. We will start at the hour when the others go to bed, having alleged our departure to-morrow as an excuse for retiring early.--Edouard, you will take no weapons, I trust?"

"What an idea! Oh, no! I only want to see her, I only want to bid her farewell before leaving this place forever!"

Everything having been agreed upon, the young men returned to the guests. As Ferulus had predicted, the dinner was much less merry than usual. Alfred and Edouard had too much to think about to try to keep up the conversation. Eudoxie seemed bored; Monsieur de la Pincerie was in bad humor, because he foresaw that there would no longer be anybody to play whist with him in the evening; Cornelie maintained her haughty air, and hardly spoke; even Mignon himself did not seem very well pleased, because his niece had given him a thousand things to do in the chateau; lastly, Robineau treated his two friends with extreme coolness, hoping thereby to please his wife.

In the evening, the young men made their farewells.

"It is possible," said Alfred, "that we shall start to-morrow before you ladies have risen."

"As you please, messieurs," said Robineau; "indeed, if it will give you pleasure to go this evening, you may----"

Monsieur de la Roche-Noire did not finish his sentence, because his wife pulled his coat-tail so that she almost tore it. Alfred and Edouard glanced at each other with a smile; and after several hours'

conversation, interrupted by frequent yawns on the part of the marquis and by the stifled sighs of Madame de Hautmont, they bade one another farewell and separated.

The young men gave their hosts time to shut themselves up in their rooms; then they went down into the courtyard, found the horses saddled, and bade the concierge open the gate for them, saying to him:

"We shall return in two hours."

"You can return when you please, you will find the gate open," replied Cunette, who was drunk as usual. "The mistress has told me that I could look for another place. So you see I don't propose to bother my head about her gate. I am going to bed, and I will leave everything open; what is planted may come up; I don't care a fig; I don't propose to put myself out."

XXVIII

A CRIME

"We shall have ridden over this country at night quite often," said Alfred, as he trotted beside Edouard. The roads were very bad; the rain which had fallen during the evening had made them soft and slippery; and only by taking great precautions could the two hors.e.m.e.n proceed without accident.

Edouard answered his friend only by heaving a profound sigh. Alfred understood that as Edouard was about to see Isaure for the last time, he was naturally engrossed by his memories and his regrets; and so, respecting his friend's silence and his distress of mind, he rode close beside him, but did not speak to him again.

They had travelled only a third of the distance; a cold rain was falling; Edouard tried to urge his horse, but twice already the animal had nearly fallen. The road had become steep, and they had to resign themselves to go at a walk.

"I believe that we could travel faster on foot," said Edouard impatiently.

"Haven't we time enough?" replied Alfred; "There is no hurry about our returning to the chateau; and you don't need the whole night to bid Isaure farewell."

"I don't know what the matter is with me, but it seems to me as if I cannot reach her side soon enough. Gloomy thoughts oppress me.--Alfred, do you believe in presentiments?"

"Nonsense! what childish folly! when one has had some trouble, when one has been deceived, betrayed in one's affections, one dreads some new misfortune every instant; we call that having a presentiment, whereas it is simply the result of our frame of mind. Lucky people, those with whom everything succeeds, never have presentiments; and yet unpleasant things sometimes happen to them; but they have never foreseen them, because they don't look at the dark side of things.--This infernal horse! he absolutely insists upon kneeling. Francois told me that at Clermont, where he went the other day, there were two very good horses for sale; if you would like to travel that way, I will buy them."

Edouard did not reply; he had relapsed into his reflections, and emerged from them only to say in a low voice:

"How dismal and gloomy this night is! what a difference from last night!"

"Yes," said Alfred; "I begin to think that in winter, life in Auvergne is not very hilarious."

"Ah! If she had loved me, as she said; if I might have lived with her, these snow-covered mountains, these glaciers, this wild landscape, would always have been cheerful in my eyes!"

"Come, come, Edouard, be sensible; time will console you. I, too, loved Isaure dearly; oh, yes! I was mad over her; but I succeeded in triumphing over that love."

Edouard made no reply, but he sighed and said to himself: "He was very far from loving her as I do!"

At last they reached the path leading down into the valley; they halted and left their horses at the usual place, then walked toward the cottage. Alfred took Edouard's arm; the latter's excitement doubled as they approached Isaure's abode.