FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129  
130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>  
... Get out, I know my daughter!... But answer, you villain!... Morestal, my friend, make him answer ... make him give his proofs.... And you, Suzanne, why don't you spit in his face?" He turned upon Suzanne; and Marthe, rousing herself from her torpor, went up to the girl, as he did. Suzanne stood tottering on her feet, with averted gaze. "Well, what's this?" roared her father. "Won't you answer either? Haven't you a word to answer to that liar?" She tried to speak, stammered a few confused syllables and was silent. Philippe met her eyes, the eyes of a hunted fawn, a pair of poor eyes pleading for help. "You admit it! You admit it!" shouted Jorance. And he made a sudden rush at her; and Philippe, as in a nightmare, saw Suzanne flung back, shaken by her father, struck by Marthe, who, she too, in an abrupt fit of fury, demanded the useless confession. It was a horrible and violent scene. Le Corbier and M. de Trebons interfered, while Morestal, shaking his fist at Philippe, cried: "I curse you! You're a criminal! Let her be, Jorance. She couldn't help it, poor thing. He is the one to blame.... Yes, you, you, my son!... And I curse you.... I turn you out...." The old man pressed his hand to his heart, stammered a few words more, begging Jorance's pardon and promising to look after his daughter, then turned on his heels and fell against the table, fainting.... PART III CHAPTER I THE ARMED VIGIL "Ma'am!" "What is it? What's the matter?" asked Mme. Morestal, waking with a start. "It's I, Catherine." "Well?" "They have sent from the town-hall, ma'am.... They are asking for the master.... They want instructions.... Victor says the troops are being mobilized...." The day before, after his fainting-fit at the Butte-aux-Loups, old Morestal was carried back to the Old Mill on a litter by the soldiers of the detachment. Marthe, who came with him, flung a few words of explanation to her mother-in-law and, without paying attention to the good woman's lamentations, without even speaking to her of Philippe and of what could have become of him, ran to her room and locked herself in. Dr. Borel was hurriedly sent for. He examined the patient, diagnosed serious trouble in the region of the heart and refused to give an opinion. The house was at sixes and sevens during the evening and all through that Sunday night. Catherine and Victor ran to and fro. Mme. Morestal, generally so
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129  
130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>  



Top keywords:
Morestal
 

Philippe

 

Suzanne

 

answer

 

Marthe

 
Jorance
 
Catherine
 

father

 
Victor
 

stammered


fainting

 

turned

 
daughter
 

mobilized

 
troops
 

master

 
matter
 
waking
 

instructions

 

CHAPTER


paying

 

trouble

 

region

 

refused

 

opinion

 

diagnosed

 

hurriedly

 

examined

 

patient

 

generally


Sunday

 
sevens
 

evening

 

locked

 

soldiers

 
detachment
 

explanation

 
litter
 

carried

 
mother

speaking
 

lamentations

 
attention
 
Trebons
 

roared

 

confused

 
syllables
 

pleading

 
shouted
 

sudden