s so haggard that she could not keep from
crying out, "What is the matter?"

Noel made no reply; he advanced towards her and took her hand.

"Juliette," he demanded in a hollow voice, fastening his flashing eyes
upon her,--"Juliette, be sincere; do you love me?"

She instinctively felt that something dreadful had occurred: she
seemed to breathe an atmosphere of evil; but she, as usual, affected
indifference.

"You ill-natured fellow," she replied, pouting her lips most
provokingly, "do you deserve--"

"Oh, enough!" broke in Noel, stamping his feet fiercely. "Answer me," he
continued, bruising her pretty hands in his grasp, "yes, or no,--do you
love me?"

A hundred times had she played with her lover's anger, delighting to
excite him into a fury, to enjoy the pleasure of appeasing him with a
word; but she had never seen him like this before.

She had wronged him greatly; and she dared not complain of this his
first harshness.

"Yes, I love you," she stammered, "do you not know it?"

"Why?" replied the advocate, releasing her hands; "why? Because, if
you love me you must prove it; if you love me, you must follow me at
once,--abandon everything. Come, fly with me. Time presses----"

The young girl was terrified.

"Great heavens! what has happened?"

"Nothing, except that I have loved you too much, Juliette. When I found
I had no more money for your luxury, your caprices, I became wild. To
procure money, I,--I committed a crime,--a crime; do you understand?
They are pursuing me now. I must fly: will you follow me?"

Juliette's eyes grew wide with astonishment; but she doubted Noel.

"A crime? You?" she began.

"Yes, me! Would you know the truth? I have committed murder, an
assassination. But it was all for you."

The advocate felt that Juliette would certainly recoil from him in
horror. He expected that terror which a murderer inspires. He was
resigned to it in advance. He thought that she would fly from him;
perhaps there would be a scene. She might, who knows, have hysterics;
might cry out, call for succor, for help, for aid. He was wrong.

With a bound, Juliette flew to him, throwing herself upon him, her arms
about his neck, and embraced him as she had never embraced him before.

"Yes, I do love you!" she cried. "Yes, you have committed a crime for
my sake, because you loved me. You have a heart. I never really knew you
before!"

It had cost him dear to inspire this passion in Madame Juliette; bu