x. I loved you, I adored you secretly, I sought for a
favourable time to declare my passion."

Her eyes opened wide as she listened, and she would have given worlds to
escape, yet her feeling was mainly of pity.

"This is very unfortunate. Calm yourself, Abbe. I will ever have a
lively feeling of gratefulness for your devotion. Think of me on those
terms."

"Ah, Madame, those were the only terms which might have been possible in
former days; but they do not belong to the new _regime_. We are all
equal now. Nothing will satisfy me short of possessing you entirely."

"Abbe, you are excited."

"No, citizeness, I have long been determined you shall be my mate." She
shrank from the word and the uncanny passion of his gaze.

"When you will have reflected a few hours you will see that this is
impossible."

"What! impossible? And why impossible? Ah, yes, I know, it is because of
your pretty-faced lover Repentigny. I know all about that. I could have
crushed him between my fingers; and I will crush him yet. What!--that
man between myself and you! Why, then, did I bring you here? Was it to
allow his interference with my object? After all I have done for you, am
I to be met with answers of this sort?"

"I appreciate entirely your services, Abbe; they are too great to be
underrated."

"They shall be more, citizeness. In these days it is _my_ turn to
dictate."

"Am I to understand that this has been your aim all along?"

He hesitated, but replied boldly, "It has, and were it not for that, I
might long ago have pointed out both you and your doll-head lover to the
Committee of Public Safety."

"Then your whole service has been abstention from positive treachery for
your own ends?"

"You dare me? Caution, citizeness! You are in my power."

"In your power? You are a coward as well as a knave, then?"

"Remember still more," he hissed, losing all control of himself, "that
your lover also is in my power; he is captured."

"My God! you have brought us to this!" she cried.

The door creaked and the Admiral entered.

"Be off, you cur!" said he, standing sternly over the Abbe, who shrank
as if struck. "Go to your work, you----"

A look of terror upon his countenance, Jude precipitated himself through
the doorway.

The Admiral closed it, and returning, sat down by the candle and began
to talk to Cyrene. Seeing his features so close and large and
accentuated by the candle-light, their coarseness and horror filled her
w