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Her heart, crushedby all her miseries, had not the strength to keep anything
back. Octave told his friend that in his boyhood he had had a passion
forstealing.
Her aunt noticed thismelancholy, and did not conceal from the girl
how angry it made her.
Octave came to Andilly and reappeared insociety.
I have
come to the stage of sufferingswhich I cannot admit even to myself.
How could
Octave fail togive her the preference?
This burst of spontaneous eloquence
greatly enhanced the Chevaliersreputation. Yes,Mama, to marry Armance
to-morrow, if that angel will still have me.
She sat down for a moment on the
landing of thestair. The Commander looked at him with a derisive _expression_
whichturned all his emotion to anger. And to gamble on Change he hadall the
requirements save only funds and credit. There were moments in which she
fancied that she had forgotten evenher love for Octave. As ill luck would have
it, this door was open. Octave has not enoughrelatives in society, and his
reserved manner makes him no friends. It was during her stay in Poitou that
Armance learned of an eventwhich affected her but little.
When he rejoined the
ladies he was furious.
His sombre nature makeshim too much inclined as it is to
that sort of life.
Sir, hesaid to him, gripping his arm tightly. Thethird
quarter sounded from the stable clock, then midnight. As soon as you have told
the Commander, godown to my room, tell Armance of our plan.
The Commander
looked at him with a derisive _expression_ whichturned all his emotion to
anger.
The elderly women began to make their way to the orangery, where
theseevening exercises were held.
No, itis over the other precipice that my
sons fortunes will be engulfed.
He read her a serious lecture upon
somefrivolous remark which she had just made about a procession. This third day
was even moresombre than those that had gone before. Madame de Malivert had
herself carried to her room, keepingup admirably the pretence of a
seizure.
Hemust take advantage of this universal storm while it still lasted.
The source iscited in all the editions as King Henry III. He wasagitated by a
thousand sinister thoughts. All this had the charm of novelty in the eyesof
Madame dAumale.
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