And at the sight of his pitiable condition the anger fell away from La Boulaye, and he smiled scornfully.
"My faith," he sneered.

"You are hot one moment and cold the next.
Citizen, I am afraid that you are no better than a vulgar coward.

Take him away," he ended, waving his hand towards the door, and as he watched them leading him out he reflected bitterly that this was the man to whom Suzanne was betrothed--the man whom, not a doubt of it, she loved, since for him she had stooped so low.

This miserable craven she preferred to him, because the man, so ignoble of nature, was noble by the accident of birth..