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"Mademoiselle, madeet that I a rant What can you advance to show that I should be justified in proceeding as you wish?"

"Helas,butmade"

"What is your interest in this Monsieur de Lesperon?"

"He is not Monsieur de Lesperon," she cried

"But, since you cannot tell me who he is, you must be content that we speak of hiine the evil grin hich he would accompany the words

The better that you may appreciate that which followed, let me here i into ed later into absolute convictions touching the course the Count intended to pursue concerninghad thrown hi to carry out his plans concerning me, it was his object, IEre he did so, however, and presunorance of His Majesty's presence in Toulouse, Chatellerault would of a certainty have boundthat promise the price of my liberty and my life--to breathe no word ofbrain would have advanced e myself

He had not calculated upon Castelroux, nor that the King should already have heard of my detention Now that Roxalanne came to entreat him to do that which already he saw himself forced to do, he turned his attention to the profit that he uess also sonal proof of my success with her, and already I anticipated, I think, the bargain that he would drive

"Tell entleentle face clouded with the trouble that sprang fro an' answer to that question; I could picture her innocent eyes cast down, her delicate cheeks pinked by some measure of shame, as at last, in a low, stifled voice, the four words broke from her "I love him, ht it had stirred me to the very depths of my poor, sinful soul to have her say so much to me, how infinitely more did it not affect me to overhear this frank avowal of it to another! And to think that she was undergoing all this to the end that she ht save me!