Her fevered imagination played tricks in keeping with her fear: more
than once she fancied she saw the shadowy form of a beautiful woman
walking on the other side of Bigot next his heart! It was the form
of Caroline bearing a child in one arm, and claiming, by that
supreme appeal to a man's heart, the first place in his affections.
The figure sometimes vanished, sometimes reappeared in the same
place, and once and the last time assumed the figure and look of Our
Lady of St. Foye, triumphant after a thousand sufferings, and still
ever bearing the face and look of the lady of Beaumanoir.
Emerging at last from the dim avenue into the full light, where a
fountain sent up showers of sparkling crystals, the figure vanished,
and Angelique sat down on a quaintly-carved seat under a mountain-
ash, very tired, and profoundly vexed at all things and with
everybody.
A servant in gorgeous livery brought a message from the ballroom to
the Intendant.
He was summoned for a dance, but he would not leave Angelique, he
said. But Angelique begged for a short rest: it was so pleasant in
the garden.
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