sat before him, the pen in my hand, and in his eyes I read that he was
certain that I was about to sign to a wicked lie, and in mine he read
that I knew it to be a lie.

For a while we stared at each other thus, discovering each other's
souls. "Sign," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "the light dies."

Then I signed, and as I wrote the lamp went out, leaving us in darkness,
and through the darkness once more I heard that sound of laughter
echoing in the air above the house.



CHAPTER VIII

THE WISDOM OF SUZANNE

Now, although Suzanne heard not a word of our talk, still she grasped
its purport well enough, for she knew that I proposed to throw dust into
the eyes of the Englishmen. This troubled her conscience sorely, for
the more she thought of it the more did it seem to her to be wicked
that just because we loved him and did not wish to part with him,
Ralph should be cheated of his birthright. All night long she lay awake
brooding, and before ever the dawn broke she had settled in her mind
that she herself would speak to the Englishmen, telling them the truth,
come what might of her words, for Suzanne, my daughter, was a determined
girl with an upright heart. Now feeling happier because of her decision,
at length she fell asleep and slept late, and as it happened this
accident of fate was the cause of the miscarriage of her scheme.