ness. His love
had not hindered him from perceiving in Emilie the prejudices which
marred her young nature; but before attempting to counteract them, he
wished to be sure that she loved him, for he would no sooner risk the
fate of his love than of his life. He had, therefore, persistently kept
a silence to which his looks, his behavior, and his smallest actions
gave the lie.

On her side, the self-respect natural to a young girl, augmented in
Mademoiselle de Fontaine by the monstrous vanity founded on her birth
and beauty, kept her from meeting the declaration half-way, which her
growing passion sometimes urged her to invite. Thus the lovers had
instinctively understood the situation without explaining to each
other their secret motives. There are times in life when such vagueness
pleases youthful minds. Just because each had postponed speaking too
long, they seemed to be playing a cruel game of suspense. He was trying
to discover whether he was beloved, by the effort any confession would
cost his haughty mistress; she every minute hoped that he would break a
too respectful silence.

Emilie, seated on a rustic bench, was reflecting on all that had
happened in these three months full of enchantment. Her father's
suspicions were the last that could appeal to her; she even disposed
of them at once by two or three of those reflections natural to an
inexperienced girl, which, to her, seemed conclusive. Above all, she was
convinced that it was impossible that she should deceive herself. All
the summer through she had not been able to detect in Maximilien a
single gesture, or a single word, which could indicate a vulgar origin
or vulgar occupations; nay more, his manner of discussing things
revealed a man devoted to the highest interests of the nation.
"Besides," she reflected, "an office clerk, a banker, or a merchant,
would not be at leisure to spend a whole season in paying his addresses
to me in the midst of woods and fields; wasting his time as freely as a
nobleman who has life before him free of all care."

She had given herself up to meditations far more interesting to her
than these preliminary thoughts, when a slight rustling in the leaves
announced to her than Maximilien had been watching her for a minute, not
probably without admiration.

"Do you know that it is very wrong to take a young girl thus unawares?"
she asked him, smiling.

"Especially when they are busy with their secrets," replied Maximilien
archl