When that day comes I will go to your
guardian and ask him for your hand; but in Heaven's name don't
speak now.' I understood Pascal's motives well enough. The
count's immense fortune frightened him, and he feared that he
would be accused of being a fortune-hunter. So I waited, with
that secret anguish which still haunts those who have been unhappy
even when their present is peaceful, and their future seems
bright. I kept my secret, saying to myself that such happiness
was not meant for me, that it would soon take flight.
"It took flight all too soon. One morning I heard a carriage draw
up outside our door, and the next moment the Count de Chalusse
entered the sitting-room. 'Everything is ready to receive you at
the Hotel de Chalusse, Marguerite,' said he, 'come!' He
ceremoniously offered me his arm, and I accompanied him. I could
not even leave a message for Pascal, for I had never made a
confidante of Madame Leon. Still, a faint hope sustained me. I
thought that the precautions taken by M. de Chalusse would
somewhat dispel the uncertainty of my position, and furnish me at
least with some idea of the vague danger which threatened me. But
no. His efforts, so far as I could discover, had been confined to
changing his servants. Our life in this grand house was the same
as it had been at Cannes--even more secluded, if that were
possible. The count had aged considerably. It was evident that
he was sinking beneath the burden of some ever-present sorrow.
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