the moment, the mad humor and confusion of her mind;
in vain, the Prefect openly showed his incredulity. Monsieur Seguret,
who in spite of his fondness for a jovial life, was of an exceedingly
suspicious disposition, lacking, too, a firm and clear judgment of men,
could not help regarding the depressed spirits of his daughter as a
proof of guilt, and he explained to her, with cutting severity, that
the truth alone would keep him from thrusting her from his heart.
Clarissa ceased speaking; words rushed in upon her like destroying
demons. The President grew sleepless and agitated, and wandered,
distracted, about the castle all night long. His reflections consisted
in fathoming Clarissa's nature on the side of its awful possibilities,
and he very soon saw her impenetrable character covered with the blots
and stigmas of the vice of romanticism. He, too, was completely under
the spell of the general fanatical opinion, his experience could not
hold out against the poisoned breath of calumny; the fear of being
connected with the monstrous deed was stronger than the voice of his
heart; suspicion became certainty, denial a lie. When he reflected upon
Clarissa's past, her ungovernable desire to desert the beaten paths--a
quality which appeared to him now as the gate to crime--no assumption
was too daring, and her image interwove itself in the dismal web.

Sleep was banished from Clarissa, too. She surprised her father in the
gray morning hours in his disturbed wanderings through the rooms, and
threw herself sobbing at his feet. He made no attempt to console her or
raise her; to her despairing question as to what she could be seeking
in the Bancal house, since as a widow she was perfectly free to come
and go as she pleased and could dispense with secrecy, the President's
reply was a significant shrug; and so firmly was his sinister
conjecture imbedded, that upon her dignified demand for a just
consideration, he only flung back the retort: "Tell the truth."

The news was not slow to travel. Relatives and friends of the President
made their appearance: amazed, excited, eager, malicious. To see the
impenetrably peculiar, elusively unapproachable Clarissa cast into the
mire was a sight they were all anxious to enjoy. A few of the older
ladies attempted a hypocritically gentle persuasion, and Clarissa's
contemptuous silence and the pained look of her eyes seemed to imply
avowals. The Prefect came once more, accompanied by two official