Reine has declined to have me, and I really think she has some other affair in her head.

Yet, to confess the truth, the clerk at the iron-works was a lover of my own imagining; she never thought of him." "Then why did you tell such a lie ?" cried Julien, impetuously.
"Because I thought I would plead the lie to get at the truth.

Forgive me for having made use of this old trick to put you on the right track.

It wasn't such a bad idea, for I succeeded in finding out what you took so much pains to hide from me." "To hide from you?
Yes, I did wish to hide it from you.

Wasn't that right, since I was convinced that Reine loved you ?" exclaimed Julien, in an almost stifled voice, as if the avowal were choking him.