must have been quite on Virginie's side), but the brandy she had drunk
made her slumber heavily. Virginie went. Pierre's heart beat fast. He
was sure his cousin would try to intercept her; but how, he could not
imagine. He longed to run out and see the catastrophe,--but he had let
the moment slip; he was also afraid of reawakening his mother to her
unusual state of anger and violence."




CHAPTER VIII.


"Pierre went on pretending to read, but in reality listening with acute
tension of ear to every little sound. His perceptions became so
sensitive in this respect that he was incapable of measuring time, every
moment had seemed so full of noises, from the beating of his heart up to
the roll of the heavy carts in the distance. He wondered whether
Virginie would have reached the place of rendezvous, and yet he was
unable to compute the passage of minutes. His mother slept soundly: that
was well. By this time Virginie must have met the 'faithful cousin:' if,
indeed, Morin had not made his appearance.

"At length, he felt as if he could no longer sit still, awaiting the
issue, but must run out and see what course events had taken. In vain
his mother, half-rousing herself, called after him to ask whither he was
going: he was already out of hearing before she had ended her sentence,
and he ran on until, stopped by the sight of Mademoiselle Cannes walking
along at so swift a pace that it was almost a run; while at her side,
resolutely keeping by her, Morin was striding abreast. Pierre had just