justly
proud..."

And, holding it there in his hands, a dull flush came and spread itself
over Jean's face. The triumph of his career, Henry Bliss had said--the
greatest moment of his life! This great and wonderful America, of
which he had heard so much, was waiting for him eagerly--waiting for
him--Jean Laparde--Jean Laparde! This was to be his welcome to that
New Land where all was on a scale so tremendous and magnificent. To
his ears there came the mighty roar of thousands shouting again and
again the name of Jean Laparde; before his eyes a sea of faces looked
up into his from dense-lined streets as he drove along--and all, all in
that vast multitude were cheering, waving, acclaiming Jean Laparde.
They were waiting for him there at the gateway to America, open-handed,
royal in their hospitality, to pay him honour such as he had never
known before. They were waiting for him there--for him--for Jean
Laparde! They were waiting--

The flush faded from his face, and a whiteness came, and upon his
forehead oozed out a bead of moisture--and, as the seconds passed, he
hung there almost limply, swaying a little in the agony that was upon
him. And then slowly the paper that was in his hands was torn across,
and the pieces fluttered to the floor, and the great head rose proud in
kingship on the broad shoulders--the kingship of himself, the kingship
of Jean Laparde.

Ay, they were waiting for him--but there was another beside who was
waiting too! He looked at the torn pieces of paper on the floor--and
his laugh rang suddenly clear and buoyant through the cabin. Once he
had sold his soul for such as that; but to-night, in spite of these
devil's tempters that sought to shake his resolution--there was his
answer! There was his answer--the answer that had come to him through
the fog and mist as through a veil rent suddenly asunder, the answer
that was in Marie-Louise's outstretched arms, the answer that was in
her banishment from the friends and the France she loved, in the bitter
wrong that he had done, in her love that now he knew for its priceless
worth! There in that torn paper was his answer!

And he laughed again--and as he laughed, he ran to the door and locked
it for the second time. There would be no more of that, no more
interruption, no more of those tempter thoughts, no more of them! And,
for the moment, no more thought even of Marie-Louise. He had need to
centre all his attention upon his immediate ac