Frahender were to go alone to
meet them. That gave her several hours of solitude to think of him,
only of him.
Maurice repeated his last orders for the engrossing fete, against
which he railed ceaselessly, in spite of Genevieve's constant efforts
to calm him.
"Oh! of course, it is perfectly evident that I am unreasonable, I know
it; but if I break my leg slipping on an orange peel, you would not
prevent me from swearing at the person who had peeled the fruit there,
would you?"
Genevieve laughed in spite of herself. "Be a good boy, tell your uncle
everything as soon as he comes; but say nothing against Esperance, for
that would not be right."
Her lovely face was very sad. Maurice looked at her with a world of
tenderness, "My darling, forgive me; the truth is that I am so
worried. Albert's face is hard and set. He knows nothing, cannot know
anything, but he is gifted with the intuition that simple souls often
possess. I am very uneasy, I can tell you. Say nothing to Esperance.
Come now, let us stroll into this thicket and talk just by ourselves
for awhile."
They entered the thicket, holding each other close, in silence. When
they came to the clearing they stopped short. The Duke was there,
stretched out upon the bench, smoking, dreaming.
He got up, surprised, and apologized.
"I had just come back here to live over an unforgettable moment."
"This corner must be the rendezvous for the slaves of the little god,"
said Maurice, bowing to the statuette of _Love Enchained_.
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