She hastened at once to
seek her brother, whom she found walking impatiently in the garden,
slashing the heads off the poppies and dahlias within reach of his
riding-whip. He was equipped for a ride, and waited the coming of
the groom with his horse.
Amelie ran up, and clasping his arms with both hands as she looked
up in his face with a smile, exclaimed, "Do not go to the village
yet, Le Gardeur! Wait for us!"
"Not go to the village yet, Amelie?" replied he; "why not? I shall
return for breakfast, although I have no appetite. I thought a ride
to the village would give me one."
"Wait until after breakfast, brother, when we will all go with you
to meet our friends who come this morning to Tilly,--our cousin
Heloise de Lotbiniere is coming to see you and Pierre Philibert; you
must be there to welcome her,--gallants are too scarce to allow her
to spare the handsomest of all, my own brother!"
Amelie divined truly from Le Gardeur's restless eyes and haggard
look that a fierce conflict was going on in his breast between duty
and desire,--whether he should remain at home, or go to the village
to plunge again into the sea of dissipation out of which he had just
been drawn to land half-drowned and utterly desperate.
Pages:
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559