y on your protracted tortures, shall call
you to himself, and let you taste the ineffable sweetness of his
gracious forgiveness. But this will not be. No, no! these warnings will
be useless. Far from repenting, you regret every day, with horrid
blasphemies, the time when you could commit such atrocities. Alas! from
this continual struggle between your bloodthirsty desires and the
impossibility of satisfying them,--between your habits of fierce
oppression and the compulsion of submitting to beings as weak as they
are depraved,--there will result to you a fate so fearful, so appalling.
Ah, unhappy wretch!"

Rodolph's voice faltered, and for a moment he was silent, as if emotion
and horror had hindered him from proceeding. The Schoolmaster's hair
bristled on his brow. What could be--would be--that fate, which even his
executioner pitied?

"The fate that awaits you is so horrible," resumed Rodolph, "that, if
the Almighty, in his inexorable and all-powerful vengeance, would make
you in your person expiate all the crimes of all mankind, he could not
devise a more fearful punishment! Ah, woe for you! woe for you!"

At this moment the Schoolmaster uttered a piercing shriek, and awoke
with a bound at this horrid, frightful dream.

CHAPTER IX.

THE LETTER.

The hour of nine had struck on the Bouqueval clock, when Madame Georges
softly entered the chamber of Fleur-de-Marie. The light slumber of the
young girl was quickly broken, and she awoke to find her kind friend
standing by her bedside. A brilliant winter's sun darted its rays
through the blinds and chintz window-curtains, the pink linings of which
cast a bright glow on the pale countenance of La Goualeuse, giving it
the look of health it so greatly needed.

"Well, my child," said Madame Georges, sitting down and gently kissing
her forehead, "how are you this morning?"

"Much better, madame, I thank you."

"I hope you were not awoke very early this morning?"

"No, indeed, madame."

"I am glad of it; the blind man and his son, who were permitted to sleep
here last night, insisted upon quitting the farm immediately it was
light, and I was fearful that the noise made in opening the gates might
have woke you."

"Poor things! why did they go so very early?"

"I know not. After you became more calm and comfortable last night, I
went down into the kitchen for the purpose of seeing them, but they had
pleaded extreme weariness, and begged permission to retire.