He ardently desired them to be continued, aware that he would have need of these gatherings to attain his end.

Besides, without asking himself the reason, he felt more at ease among these few persons whom he knew, and it gave him courage to look Therese in the face.
The young woman, attired in black, pale and meditative, seemed to him to possess a beauty that he had hitherto ignored.

He was happy to meet her eyes, and to see them rest upon his own with courageous fixedness.
Therese still belonged to him, heart and soul..