redulity.

At the first flush, there was something so offensive in the manner of
their going that anger had the upper hand. I thought of the Lieutenant's
words, and I cursed him to hell with a sickening consciousness that I
should not forget them in a hurry.

'Was I playing the traitor to the Cardinal or to these women--which?'
MON DIEU! if ever question--but there, some day I would punish him. And
the Captain? I could put an end to his amusement, at any rate; and I
would. Doubtless among the country bucks of Auch he lorded it as a chief
provincial bully, but I would cut his comb for him some fine morning
behind the barracks.

And then as I grew cooler I began to wonder why they were going, and
what they were going to do. They might be already on the track, or
have the information they required under hand; in that case I could
understand the movement. But if they were still searching vaguely,
uncertain whether their quarry were in the neighbourhood or not, and
uncertain how long they might have to stay, it seemed incredible that
soldiers should move from good quarters to bad without motive.

I wandered down the garden, thinking sullenly of this, and pettishly
cutting off the heads of the flowers with my sheathed sword. After all,
if they found and arrested the man, what then? I should have to make my
peace with the Cardinal as I best might. He would have gained his point,
but not through me, and I should have to look to myself. On the other
hand, if I anticipated them--and, as a fact, I believed that I could lay
my hand on the fugitive within a few hours--there would come a time when
I must face Mademoiselle.

A little while back that had not seemed so difficult a thing. From the
day of our first meeting--and in a higher degree since that afternoon
when she had lashed me with her scorn-my views of her, and my feelings
towards her, had been strangely made up of antagonism and sympathy; of
repulsion, because in her past and present she was so different from me;
of yearning because she was a woman and friendless. Later I had duped
her and bought her confidence by returning the jewels, and so in a
measure I had sated my vengeance; then, as a consequence, sympathy had
again got the better of me, until now I hardly knew my own mind, or what
I felt, or what I intended. I DID NOT KNOW, in fact, what I intended.
I stood there in the garden with that conviction suddenly newborn in my
mind; and then, in a moment, I heard her