He advanced to take her hand, making a sign to Gustave to depart. But
as he approached Julie, she uttered a weak piteous wail, and fell at his
feet senseless. De Mauleon raised and carried her into her room, where
he left her to the care of the old bonne. On re-entering the anteroom,
he found Gustave still lingering by the outer door. "You will pardon
me, Monsieur," he said to the Vicomte, "but in fact I feel so uneasy, so
unhappy. Has she--? You see, you see that there is danger to her health,
perhaps to her reason, in so abrupt a separation, so cruel a rupture
between us. Let me call again, or I may not have strength to keep my
promise."

De Mauleon remained a few minutes musing. Then he said in a whisper,
"Come back into the salon. Let us talk frankly."

CHAPTER X.

"M. Rameau," said De Mauleon, when the two men had reseated themselves
in the salon, "I will honestly say that my desire is to rid myself as
soon as I can of the trust of guardian to this young lady. Playing as I
do with fortune, my only stake against her favours is my life. I feel
as if it were my duty to see that Mademoiselle is not left alone and
friendless in the world at my decease. I have in my mind for her a
husband that I think in every way suitable: a handsome and brave
young fellow in my battalion, of respectable birth, without any living
relations to consult as to his choice. I have reason to believe that if
Julie married him, she need never fear as a reproach to her antecedents.
Her dot would suffice to enable him to realise his own wish of a country
town in Normandy. And in that station, Paris and its temptations would
soon pass from the poor child's thoughts, as an evil dream. But I
cannot dispose of her hand without her own consent; and if she is to be
reasoned out of her fancy for you, I have no time to devote to the task.
I come to the point, You are not the man I would choose for her husband.
But, evidently, you are the man she would choose. Are you disposed to
marry her? You hesitate, very naturally; I have no right to demand an
immediate answer to a question so serious. Perhaps you will think over
it, and let me know in a day or two? I take it for granted that if you
were, as I heard, engaged before the siege to marry the Signora Cicogna,
that engagement is annulled?"

"Why take it for granted?" asked Gustave, perplexed. "Simply because I
find you here. Nay, spare explanations and excuses. I quite understand
that you were i