She glanced at De Mussidan strangely as he put this question to her, and after a moment's hesitation, replied that she would give him a reply the next day.

After thinking the matter over, she wrote and dispatched the letter which Francoise had carried to Norbert.

The prisoner in the dock as he anxiously awaits the sentence of his judge, can alone appreciate Diana's state of agonized suspense as she stood at the end of the park at Laurebourg awaiting the return of the girl.

Her anxiety of mind lasted nearly three hours, when Francoise hurried up breathless.
"What did the Marquis say ?" asked Diana.
"He said nothing; that is, he cried out very angrily, 'Never! no, never!'" In order to prevent any suspicions arising in the girl's mind, Mademoiselle de Laurebourg contrived to force a laugh, exclaiming: "Ah! indeed, that is just what I expected." Francoise seemed as if she had something to say on the tip of her tongue, but Diana hurriedly dismissed her, pressing a coin into her hand.

All anxiety was now at an end; for her there was no longer any suspense or anguish; all her struggles were now futile, and she felt grateful to Octave for having given her his love.