age natural to youth, he despised the cowardly
part forced upon him; this dark plot, laid for the destruction of two
helpless women, filled him with horror and disgust. His heart revolted
at the idea of acting the part of Judas toward his mother to betray her
between two kisses.

Disgusted by the cool villainy of Louis, he longed for some unexpected
danger to spring up, some great peril to be braved, so as to excuse
himself in his own eyes, to give him the spirit to carry through
the scheme; for he would like to reap the benefits without doing the
revolting work.

But no; he well knew that he ran no risk, not even that of being
arrested and sent to the galleys. For he was certain that, if M. Fauvel
discovered everything, he would do his best to hush it up, to conceal
every fact connected with the disgraceful story which would implicate
his wife. Although he was careful not to breathe it to Clameran, he felt
a sincere affection for Mme. Fauvel, and was touched by the indulgent
fondness which she so unchangingly lavished upon him. He had been happy
at Vesinet, while his accomplice, or rather his master, was at Oloron.
He would have been glad to lead an honest life, and could not see the
sense of committing a crime when there was no necessity for it. He hated
Clameran for not consenting to let the matter drop, now that he was rich
enough to live in affluence the rest of his life, and who, for the sake
of gratifying a selfish passion, was abusing his power, and endangering
the safety and happiness of so many people. He longed for an opportunity
of thwarting his plots, if it could be done without also ruining
himself.

His resolution, which had been so firm in the beginning, was growing
weaker and weaker as the hours rolled on: as the crisis approached, his
horror of the deed increased.

Seeing this uncertain state of Raoul's mind, Louis never left him, but
continued to paint for him a dazzling future, position, wealth, and
freedom. Possessing a large fortune, he would be his own master, gratify
his every wish, and make amends to his mother for his present undutiful
conduct. He urged him to take pride in acting his part in this little
comedy, which would soon be over without doing harm to anyone.

He prepared, and forced his accomplice to rehearse, the scene which was
to be enacted at Mme. Fauvel's, with as much coolness and precision as
if it were to be performed at a public theatre. Louis said that no piece
could be