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Updated: June 23, 2025
"Oh! do not frighten yourself in that manner," said Athenais; "we have found a remedy." So, seating herself between her two companions, and taking each of them by the hand, which she held in her own, she began. The first words were hardly spoke, when they heard a horse galloping away over the stones of the public high-road, outside the gates of the chateau.
"Paul dear," said Athenais Reneaux more in sorrow than in anger: "somebody has been taking advantage of your trusting nature. Whitaker Monk is short, hopelessly stout, and the most commonplace person imaginable." "Then it would appear," Lanyard commented ruefully, "one did wisely to telegraph London for a keeper.
For she received this overt notification of the success of his quest without one sign other than a look of dawning puzzlement. "Madame la comtesse...?" she murmured with a rising inflection. "But monsieur is mistaken," the other stammered, biting her lip. "Surely one cannot have been so stupid!" Lanyard apologised. "But this is Mademoiselle Delorme," Athenais said ... "Monsieur Paul Martin."
"You heard, sire!" murmured Athenais. But the king did not reply; he remained with his eyes fixed upon La Valliere's half-closed eyes, and held her quiescent hand in his own. "Of course," replied Saint-Aignan, who, on his side, hoping that Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, too, would faint, advancing towards her, holding his arms extended, "of course; we did not even lose a single word."
"The deuce of it is," he complained, "this inhuman loneliness! If there were only something like a crowd in the streets as there must have been earlier in the evening..." "What are you thinking of, monsieur?" "But naturally of ridding you of an embarrassing and perhaps dangerous companion." "If you mean you're planning to jump down and run for it," Athenais replied, "you're a fool.
To leave this undone was to be false to his manhood; it was to be no better than the dumb beasts when their young perish. How could he let his boy suffer and die, without an effort, a cry, a prayer? He sank on his knees beside Athenais. "Out of the depths out of the depths we call for pity. The light of our eyes is fading the child is dying. Oh, the child, the child!
It appeared that Madame Denis had a weakness for Athenais, for instead of talking as she did when Emilie was singing, she listened from one end to the other to the romance of her favorite, her eyes tenderly fixed on the Abbe Brigaud, who, still eating and drinking, contented himself with nodding his head in sign of approbation.
Thus the face of an evil woman of middle-age, debauched beyond hope of redemption, was hideously revealed. Lanyard knew a qualm at seeing it, and looked hastily away. Beyond the rank of tables which stood between him and the dancing floor he saw Athenais Reneaux with Le Brun sweeping past in the suave movement of a waltz.
"No, my dear Athenais, reassure yourself, I am in no way angry with you. After all, these things do not concern me personally. You are anxious about what you may have said under the oak; you are afraid of having offended the king, and I wish to tranquillize you by ascertaining myself if it were possible you could have been overheard." "Oh, yes, Madame, the king was close to us."
The General led her toward Mademoiselle Marguerite, and, in a semi-solemn, semi-sentimental tone, he exclaimed: "Dear Athenais, this is the daughter of my best and oldest friend. I know your heart I know that she will find in you a second mother." Mademoiselle Marguerite stood speechless and rigid.
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