"
"Monsieur," said Jehan that night, "pardon, but do you ever . . . do
you ever think of Margot Bourdaloue?"
The marquis raised himself as though to hurl a curse at his luckless
servant. But all he said was; "Sometimes, Jehan, sometimes!"
CHAPTER XXV
OF ORIOLES AND WOMAN'S PREROGATIVES
"Tell Monsieur le Comte for me that I am sleeping and may not be
disturbed!"
All through the long night the marquis's thin, piercing voice rang in
the Chevalier's ears, and rang with sinister tone. He could find no
ease upon his pillow, and he stole quietly forth into the night. He
wandered about the upper town, round the cathedral, past the Ursulines,
under the frowning walls of the citadel, followed his shadow in the
moonlight and went before it. Those grim words had severed the last
delicate thread which bound father and son. To have humiliated
himself! To have left open in his armor a place for such a thrust! He
had gone with charity and forgiveness, to be repulsed! He had held
forth his hand, to find the other's withdrawn!
"Tell Monsieur le Comte for me that I am sleeping and may not be
disturbed!"
Mockery! And yet this same father had taken up the sword to drive it
through a man who had laughed.
Pages:
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422