Though memories of the love with which his Pepita had filled his life crowded upon his mind, and gave to her dying words a sacred authority whose voice his soul must ever hear, yet Balthazar knew himself helpless in the grasp of his attendant genius; he heard the terrible mutterings of his passion, denying him the strength to carry his repentance into action: he feared himself.
When the grave had closed upon Madame Claes, one thought filled the minds of all,--the house had had a soul, and that soul was now departed.
The grief of the family was so intense that the parlor, where the noble woman still seemed to linger, was closed; no one had the courage to enter it..