from telling him what he now
knows.--The silly girl told him everything yesterday."

"How do you know that?"

I saw her face redden.

"I know it. That's enough!" she replied defiantly.

Feeling certain that Kondje-Gul had not told her anything of the
incident of the day before, I divined that she had just left Kiusko's,
where she had been, no doubt, during our interview.

"May I ask you, then, what you propose to do, now that Count Kiusko
knows everything?" I continued, controlling my anger.

"I shall do what my daughter's happiness impels me to do. You cannot
marry her without being obliged to give up your uncle's fortune. If
Count Kiusko should persist in wishing to make her his wife, knowing all
the circumstances that he now does, you can understand that I, as her
mother, could not but approve of a marriage which would assure her such
a rich future."

At this I could no longer restrain myself, but exclaimed:

"Oh, indeed! Do you imagine I shall let you dispose of her like that,
without defending her?"

"No, of course, I know all this.--And that's the very point upon which I
consulted a counsel; but, according to what he has advised me, I should
like to ask what authority you can claim over my daughter? What rights
can you set up against mine?"

"Well, I should like to remind you also that I can ruin your comfortable
expectations by killing Count Kiusko," I said, quite beside myself with
rage.

"If so it is written!" she rejoined in a calm voice.

Exasperated by her fatalistic imperturbability, I felt moved by some
furious and violent impulse. I got up from my chair to calm myself. I
could see that for two months past I had been duped by this woman, who
had been pursuing with avidity a vision of unexpected fortune, and that
nothing could now divert her from this pursuit. I felt myself caught in
their abominable toils.

Sitting motionless on her divan, with her hands folded over her knees,
she regarded me in silence.

"Well!" I said, coming close to her again, "I can see that your maternal
solicitude is all a question of money. For what sum will you sell me
your daughter a second time, and go back to live by yourself in the
East?"

She hesitated a moment, and then she said:

"I will tell you in a week's time."

By her deceitful looks I judged that she still placed some hope in
Kiusko, and that she probably wished to wait until she could make sure
about it, one way or the other--but from motives o