en he comes back he will tell her."

"I do not like it, and I dislike needless mysteries. From a worldly
point of view,--and I at least, who have drunk deep of poverty, must
somewhat think for thee. Here are two people without competent means--"

"But I love him."

"And his mother?"

"But I love him." She had no other logic. "Oh, I wish Mr. Schmidt were
here! Rene says he will like it."

"That, at least, is a good thing." Both were silent a little while. Mrs.
Swanwick had been long used to defer to the German's opinions, but
looking far past love's limited horizon, the widow thought of the
certain anger of the mother, of the trap she in her pride would think
set for her son by designing people, her prejudices intensified by the
mere fact of the poverty which left her nothing but exaggerated
estimates of her son and what he was entitled to demand of the woman he
should some day marry. And too, Rene had often spoken of a return to
France. She said at last: "We will leave the matter now, and speak of it
to no one; but I should say to thee, my dear, that apart from what for
thy sake I should consider, and the one sad thing of his willingness to
avenge a hasty word by possibly killing a fellow-man,--how
terrible!--apart from these things, there is no one I had been more
willing to give thee to than Rene de Courval."

"Thank thee, mother." The evil hour when the vicomtesse must hear was at
least remote, and something akin to anger rose in the widow's mind as
she thought of it.

Rene came in to supper. Mrs. Swanwick was as usual quiet, asking
questions in regard to Margaret's errand of charity, but of a mind to
win time for reflection, and unwilling as yet to open the subject with
Rene.

When, late in the evening, he came out of the study where he had been
busy with the instructions left by Schmidt, he was annoyed to learn
that Margaret had gone up-stairs. There was still before him the task of
speaking to his mother of what he was sure was often in her mind,
Carteaux. She had learned from the gossip of guests that a Frenchman had
been set upon near Bristol and had been robbed and wounded. Incurious
and self-centered, the affairs of the outer world had for her but little
real interest. Now she must have her mind set at ease, for Rene well
knew that she had not expected him to rest contented or to be satisfied
with the result of his unfortunate duel. Her puritan creed was powerless
here as against her social training,