The Recruit by Honoré de Balzac
page 9 of 21 (42%)
page 9 of 21 (42%)
|
notice of it, and search her house, and _then_--"
He said no more, but all present understood what he meant. The sincere friends of Madame de Dey were so alarmed about her, that on the morning of the third day, the procureur-syndic of the commune made his wife write her a letter, urging her to receive her visitors as usual that evening. Bolder still, the old merchant went himself in the morning to Madame de Dey's house, and, strong in the service he wanted to render her, he insisted on seeing her, and was amazed to find her in the garden gathering flowers for her vases. "She must be protecting a lover," thought the old man, filled with sudden pity for the charming woman. The singular expression on the countess's face strengthened this conjecture. Much moved at the thought of such devotion, for all men are flattered by the sacrifices a woman makes for one of them, the old man told the countess of the rumors that were floating about the town, and the dangers to which she was exposing herself. "For," he said in conclusion, "though some of the authorities will readily pardon a heroism which protects a priest, none of them will spare you if they discover that you are sacrificing yourself to the interests of your heart." At these words Madame de Dey looked at the old man with a wild and bewildered air, that made him shudder. "Come," she said, taking him by the hand and leading him into her |
|