She
turned her head, saw the audience, with the eyes and glasses of
everyone focussed upon her. It seemed to her that they must all know
her secret. She tottered; and supported herself upon Athene. She must
have fallen from the frame and been badly hurt, if the Duke had not
caught her just in time. A cry escaped from the audience. The Marquis
de Montagnac gave a sign to the stage hands to stop revolving the
stage.
Albert climbed up on the stage at once. He thrust Paris quickly aside,
picked up the girl and carried her out on to the terrace. Maurice and
Jean followed him. She was not unconscious, but she could not speak
and she recognized no one. Genevieve knelt beside her. At first
delicacy--discretion--held the spectators back, but curiosity soon
drove them forward. But the Duke did not appear. He had seemingly
vanished.
The Doctor of the Chateau was called from playing croquet. He began by
ordering the crowd away. Esperance was stretched out on an easy chair
on the terrace. The Doctor looked at her for a moment, amazed at her
beauty, then sat beside her, feeling her pulse. Genevieve described
what had happened. He listened attentively.
"There is nothing serious," he said, "only a little exhaustion and
collapse. I will go and mix a soothing drink for her."
Esperance, still unconscious, was carried by her fiance to her room,
where Genevieve and Mlle. Frahender put her to bed. Albert went back
to wait for the Doctor.
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