sane
desire to possess and call his own the one being whom he recognized as
his superior in every way.

But he had sense enough to see that he might ruin his prospects by undue
haste, and that the safest course would be to await the result of the
robbery and its effect upon Prosper.

He waited in anxious expectation of a summons from Mme. Fauvel. At last
he concluded that Madeleine was waiting for him to make the next move in
the direction of yielding.

He was right; Madeleine knew that after the last bold step the
accomplices would remain quiet for a while; she knew resistance could
have no worse results than would cowardly submission; and therefore
assumed the entire responsibility of managing the affair so as to keep
at bay both Raoul and Clameran.

She knew that Mme. Fauvel would be anxious to accept any terms of peace,
but she determined to use all her influence to prevent her doing this,
and to force upon her the necessity of preserving a dignified silence.

This accounted for the silence of the two women, who were quietly
waiting for their adversaries to renew hostilities.

They even succeeded in concealing their anxiety beneath assumed
indifference; never asking any questions about the robbery, or those in
any way connected with it.

M. Fauvel brought them an account of Prosper's examination, the many
charges brought against him, his obstinate denial of having stolen the
money; and finally how, after great perplexity and close study of the
case by the judge of instruction, the cashier had been discharged for
want of sufficient proof against him.

Since Clameran's offer to restore the notes, Mme. Fauvel had not doubted
Prosper's guilt. She said nothing, but inwardly accused him of having
seduced her son from the path of virtue, and enticed him into crime--her
son whom she would never cease to love, no matter how great his faults.

Madeleine had perfect faith in Prosper's innocence.

She was so confident of his being restored to liberty that she ventured
to ask her uncle, under pretext of some charitable object, to give
her ten thousand francs, which she sent to the unfortunate victim of
circumstantial evidence; who, from what she had heard of his poverty,
must be in need of assistance.

In the letter--cut from her prayer-book to avoid detection by
writing--accompanying the money, she advised Prosper to leave France,
because she knew that it would be impossible for a man of his proud
nature to remain