Bigot rose to depart with an air of gay regret at leaving the
company of Angelique to make room for De Pean, "who," he said,
"would pull every hair out of his horse's mane if he waited much
longer."
"Your visit is no pleasure to you, Bigot," said she, looking hard at
him. "You are discontented with me, and would rather go than stay!"
"Well, Angelique, I am a dissatisfied man to-day. The mysterious
disappearance of that girl from Beaumanoir is the cause of my
discontent. The defiant boldness of the Bourgeois Philibert is
another. I have heard to-day that the Bourgeois has chartered every
ship that is to sail to France during the remainder of the autumn.
These things are provoking enough, but they drive me for consolation
to you. But for you I should shut myself up in Beaumanoir, and let
every thing go helter-skelter to the devil."
"You only flatter me and do not mean it!" said she, as he took her
hand with an over-empressement as perceptible to her as was his
occasional coldness.
"By all the saints! I mean it," said he.
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