If Madame d'Argeles lacked
bread in days gone by, she does so no longer--that's evident."
Naturally enough this reflection led him to wonder why such a rich
woman should become the Marquis de Valorsay's accomplice, and lend
a hand in so vile and cowardly a plot, which horrified even him--
Fortunat. "For she must be an accomplice," he thought.
And he marvelled at the freak of fate which had connected the
unfortunate man who had been sacrificed with the unacknowledged
daughter, and the cast-off sister, of the Count de Chalusse. A
vague presentiment, the mysterious voice of instinct, warned him,
moreover, that his profit in the affair would depend upon the
antagonism, or alliance, of Mademoiselle Marguerite and Madame
d'Argeles. But his meditations were suddenly interrupted by the
sound of a discussion in an adjoining room. He stepped eagerly
forward, hoping to hear something, and he did hear a man saying in
a coarse voice: "What! I leave an interesting game, and lose
precious time in coming to offer you my services, and you receive
me like this! Zounds! madame, this will teach me not to meddle
with what doesn't concern me, in future. So, good-bye, my dear
lady. You'll learn some day, to your cost, the real nature of
this villain of a Coralth whom you now defend so warmly."
This name of Coralth was also one of those which were engraven
upon M. Fortunat's memory; and yet he did not notice it at the
moment.
Pages:
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330