d: I love her, I
love her--oh, get that into your head! I love her, and will not
allow it!"

"Certainly your brain is turned. Go to your quarters, sir; it must
be sleep you want. Yes, yes, my poor fellow, you are pale as a
corpse! Go, get some sleep, and when you wake we will forget all
this."

"Before God, Monseigneur, I am telling you the truth. I need no
sleep but the sleep of death, and that is like to come soon enough.
But since we were children I have loved your daughter, and in the
strength of that love I forbid you to kill her."

The Commandant swung round on his heel.

"Follow me, if you please."

He led the way to his orderly-room, seated himself at the table, and
so confronted the young man, who stood humbly enough, though with his
pale face twitching.

"Dominique Guyon, once in my life I made a great mistake; and that
was when, to save my poor son's honour, I borrowed money of one of my
_censitaires_. I perceive now what hopes you have nursed, feeding
them on my embarrassments. You saw me impoverished, brought low,
bereaved by God's will of my only son; you guessed that I lay awake
of nights, troubled by the thought of my daughter, who must inherit
poverty; and on these foundations you laid your schemes. You dreamed
of becoming a _gentilhomme_, of marrying my daughter, of sitting in
my chair at Boisveyrac and dealing justice among the villagers.
And a fine dream it seemed to you, eh?" He paused.

"Monseigneur," Dominique answered simply, "you say some things that
are true; but you say them so that all seems false and vile. Yes, I
have dreamed dreams--even dreams of becoming a _gentilhomme_, as you
say; but my dreams were never wicked as you colour them, seeing that
they all flowed from love of Mademoiselle Diane, and returned to
her."

He glanced towards the window, through which the pair could see Diane
pacing the _terre-plein_ in the sunlight. The sight kindled the
elder man to fresh anger.

"If," said he harshly, "I tried to explain to you exactly how you
insult us, it would be wasting my time and yours; and, however much
you deserve it, I have no wish to wound your feelings beyond need.
Let us come to business." He unlocked a drawer and drew out three
bundles of notes. "As my farmer you will know better than I the
current discount on these. You come from Montreal. At what price
was the Government redeeming its paper there?"

As he unfolded them, Dominique glanced at the note