something of the stage lingering in it, an
audacity, an impulsiveness, rare among great ladies, and it must be
remembered that in the limited society of St. Ignace, Miss Clairville
passed as a great lady, and was one indeed in all minor traits. Then
the touch of her skin was so soft, there always exhaled a delicate,
elusive, but sweet perfume from her clothes and hair, and even in her
mourning she had preserved the artistic touches necessary to please.
No wonder that the poor Artemise should burst into weak tears and cry
for pity and forgiveness as that soft kiss fell upon her cheek and
those proud hands grasped her own.

"_Chut_!" cried Miss Clairville, drawing the other into the _salon_.
"I am not angry with you, child! If Henry made you his wife it was
very right of him and no one shall blame you nor complain. Only had I
known--ah, well, it might not have made so much difference after all.
You are going to be very comfortable here, Artemise, and I shall write
to you from time to time--oh, have no fear! regularly, my dear! And
Dr. Renaud and his Reverence are to see about selling Henry's books and
papers, and it is possible that they bring you a nice sum of money.
With that, there is one thing I should like you to do. Are you
listening to me, Artemise?"

"_Bien_, mademoiselle," answered Artemise, through her sobs. "I
listen, I will do anything you say. I am sorry, ma'amselle. I should
not be here, I know; it is you who should be here, here at Clairville,
and be its mistress."

Still secure in her ideas of impending ease and happiness, and unaware
of the course of tragic accident which was operating at that same
moment against her visions of release and freedom and depriving her of
the future she relied on, Pauline laughed musically at the notion.

"Oh, that--for me? No, thank you, my dear. In any case I had done
with Clairville. If not marriage, then the stage. If not the
stage--and there were times when it wearied and disgusted me, with the
uneducated people one met and the vagaries of that man, Jean
Rochelle--then a paid situation somewhere. The last--very difficult
for me, a Clairville [and again she very nearly used the prefix, a
tardy endorsing of Henry's pet project], and with my peculiar needs.
To be sure, a religious house had offered me a good place, thanks to
Father Rielle, at a good figure for Canada, but there are other
countries, Artemise, there are other countries, and I am still young,