t request?"
and as she looked at him, urging this, her eyes filled with tears. "Let
me go alone--let me go in peace. I can't call it peace--it's death. But
let me bury myself. So--good-by."

Newman passed his hand into his hair and stood slowly rubbing his head
and looking through his keenly-narrowed eyes from one to the other of
the three persons before him. His lips were compressed, and the two
lines which had formed themselves beside his mouth might have made
it appear at a first glance that he was smiling. I have said that his
excitement was an intenser deliberateness, and now he looked grimly
deliberate. "It seems very much as if you had interfered, marquis,"
he said slowly. "I thought you said you wouldn't interfere. I know
you don't like me; but that doesn't make any difference. I thought you
promised me you wouldn't interfere. I thought you swore on your honor
that you wouldn't interfere. Don't you remember, marquis?"

The marquis lifted his eyebrows; but he was apparently determined to be
even more urbane than usual. He rested his two hands upon the back of
his mother's chair and bent forward, as if he were leaning over the edge
of a pulpit or a lecture-desk. He did not smile, but he looked softly
grave. "Excuse me, sir," he said, "I assured you that I would not
influence my sister's decision. I adhered, to the letter, to my
engagement. Did I not, sister?"

"Don't appeal, my son," said the marquise, "your word is sufficient."

"Yes--she accepted me," said Newman. "That is very true, I can't deny
that. At least," he added, in a different tone, turning to Madame de
Cintre, "you DID accept me?"

Something in the tone seemed to move her strongly. She turned away,
burying her face in her hands.

"But you have interfered now, haven't you?" inquired Newman of the
marquis.

"Neither then nor now have I attempted to influence my sister. I used no
persuasion then, I have used no persuasion to-day."

"And what have you used?"

"We have used authority," said Madame de Bellegarde in a rich, bell-like
voice.

"Ah, you have used authority," Newman exclaimed. "They have used
authority," he went on, turning to Madame de Cintre. "What is it? how
did they use it?"

"My mother commanded," said Madame de Cintre.

"Commanded you to give me up--I see. And you obey--I see. But why do you
obey?" asked Newman.

Madame de Cintre looked across at the old marquise; her eyes slowly
measured her from head to foot. "I am afr