The writer's insincerity was fully revealed by
one passage of the letter. "You will fill the place of the
beloved daughter I have lost," wrote Madame de Fondege. It is
true that she had once had a daughter; but the child had died of
croup when only six months old, and more than twenty-five years
previously.
It was strange, moreover, that this letter had not been sent until
ten o'clock in the evening; but, on reflection, Mademoiselle
Marguerite was able to explain this circumstance satisfactorily to
herself. Before taking any decided step, M. and Madame de Fondege
had wished to consult their son; and they had been unable to see
him until late in the evening. However, as soon as the brilliant
hussar had approved the noble scheme concocted by his parents, a
servant had been dispatched with the letter. All these surmises
were surely very plausible; but it was difficult to reconcile them
with the opinion advanced by the magistrate--that M. de Fondege
must know what had become of the missing millions.
Mademoiselle Marguerite did not think of this, however. She was
losing her presence of mind at thought of the odious suspicions
which rested on her, suspicions which she had seemed to read in
the eyes of all who approached her, from Dr. Jodon to the Marquis
de Valorsay. It is true that the magistrate had taken her
defence; he had silenced the servants, but would that suffice?
Would she not remain branded by an abominable accusation? And even
the consciousness of her innocence did not reassure her, for
Pascal's case warned her that innocence is not a sufficient
safeguard against slander.
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