Truth is,
down beneath her misconduct was a passion for the man which, not
satisfied, became a passion to destroy him and his career. It was a
characteristic of her blood and breed. It was a relic of ancient
dishonour, inherited and searching; it was atavism and the incorrigible
thing. Beneath everything was her desire for the man, and the mood in
which she had fought for him was the twist of a tortured spirit. She
was not so deliberate as her actions had indicated. She had been under
the malicious influence of her father and her father's friend. She was
like one possessed of a spirit that would not be deterred from its
purpose. Junia saw the impression she had made, and set it down to her
last words.
"Where did you first meet him? What was the way of it?" she added.
Suddenly Junia came forward and put her hands on Luzanne's shoulders.
"I think you loved Carnac once, and perhaps you love him now, and are
only trying to hurt him out of anger. If you destroy him, you will
repent of it--so soon! I don't know what is behind these things you are
doing, but you'll be sorry for it when it is too late. Yes, I know you
have loved Carnac, for I see all the signs--"
"Do you love him then, ma'm'selle?" asked Luzanne exasperated. "Do you
love him?"
"He has never asked me, and I have never told him that; and I don't know,
but, if I did, I would move heaven and earth to help him, and if he
didn't love me I'd help him just the same.
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