by Louis Tracy
CHAPTER X
MADELEINE'S FLIGHT
Rupert Fosdyke departed by the earliest train next day. He did not seeMrs. Carmac again, and it was assumed by those who gave any thought tothe matter that he would make for London. Bennett's clerk, however,traveling to England by the same train, did not set eyes on him againafter the local tramway had delivered its passengers at Quimperle.Fosdyke might or might not have gone home _via_ Paris. What was quitecertain was that he did not cross the Channel between St. Malo andSouthampton that night, because the clerk ascertained from the purserthat no one of the name was on board the steamer, and telegraphed tothat effect to his employer, who wished to be kept posted as toFosdyke's movements.
Meanwhile Raymond was so concerned about Mrs. Carmac's health that hesuggested the hiring of a hotel automobile, and a run to Lorient forluncheon. Yvonne and Bennett agreed readily to accompany her, and thesecretary was commissioned to order a car to be in readiness atten-thirty A.M. Now, there were three automobiles in the garage,--asmall runabout, a limousine to hold three and a chauffeur, and a hugetouring car, which would accommodate six easily. He chose this last.
"As the day is bright, and there is no wind, I have selected an opencar," he said on returning. "I hope you approve. Plenty of fresh airshould be the best of tonics."
Yes, his mistress was pleased, if only because Yvonne must be decked outin some of the magnificent furs that the thoughtful Celeste had broughtfrom Paris. Very charming the girl looked in a long sealskin coat withsable collar and cuffs, and a sable toque. Her mother's appraisingglance spoke volumes as to plans for the future, when Yvonne came toEngland, and would need dressing in accordance with the new scheme ofthings. But Mrs. Carmac was genuinely surprised when she saw the size ofthe car.
"Couldn't the hotel provide a smaller one?" she asked.
"Only a closed car," explained Raymond.
"Well, since there is so much room to spare, hadn't you better come withus--that is, if your arm permits?"
"I am more than inclined to risk it," and Raymond smiled ruefully, asthough tempted by this unexpected invitation. "Yes, please, I'll come.I'll only delay you a minute while I get a coat and an extra rug."
Tollemache happened to stroll out of the hotel the moment thesecretary's back was turned. He shook hands with Mrs. Carmac and thelawyer, and nodded to Yvonne, on whom he permitted his eyes to dwell inan admiring if somewhat critical survey.
"Where are you off to?" he inquired.
"Lorient," said Yvonne.
"Why Lorient?" and his eyebrows rounded.
"I really don't know." She turned to Mrs. Carmac. "You tell," she said.
"Mr. Raymond has arranged everything," said Mrs. Carmac. "But why notLorient?"
"Because it's an uninteresting place, notable only as containing themost inartistic statue in France."
"Very well. Come with us, and be our guide. We don't care where we go."
"Is Mr. Raymond joining you?"
"Yes."
"Then be a good Samaritan, and take that poor fellow, Jackson. He hasn'tbeen out of his room since he was brought ashore, and his game leg willkeep Mr. Raymond's crocked arm company."
"Bring him, by all means."
"'Take him,' I said, Mrs. Carmac."
"No, he must be your guest. Even then we have a spare seat."
"Done!" cried Tollemache.
Thus, when Raymond appeared, the party was larger than he had bargainedfor. He was all smiles, however, even when he found himself placed bythe side of the lame steward, and behind the chauffeur. Tollemache satin front; while Mrs. Carmac, Yvonne, and Bennett occupied the spaciousback seat. Tollemache promptly varied the program by striking into thebroad Route Nationale leading to Quimperle. They reached the quaint oldtown about eleven o'clock, and luncheon was ordered at that famousposting house, the Hotel du Lion d'Or. While the meal was being preparedthey went on to the beautiful Chapelle Saint Fiacre, with its remarkablerood screen of carved and painted wood and rare sixteenth centurystained glass.
Tollemache insisted, too, that they should return before sunset, or theevening chill might prove dangerous. The excursion was voted delightful.The only person who felt that his projects had been completelyfrustrated--for that day, at any rate--was Harvey Raymond. He had hardlyexchanged a word with Yvonne throughout the journey, and was hard put toit to maintain an agreeable conversation with Jackson during a fivehours' run.
* * * * *
The steward, however, was not neglected. His manner of speech was anunfailing source of amusement to Yvonne, whose acquaintance with theCockney dialect had hitherto been derived solely from books. He was byway of being a humorist too. When he hobbled into the Chapelle SaintFiacre, and gazed at the history of Adam and Eve as depicted on thescreen, he raised a laugh by a caustic comment.
"That ain't exactly my idee of the Gawden o' Paradise, Miss," he said,when Yvonne told him what the carvings symbolized. "You wouldn't expectEve to be chewin' a crabapple--now, would yer, Miss?"
"But what makes you think Eve is eating a crabapple?" she cried.
"Why, Miss, look at 'er fice!" he said. "Tork abart lemons! One bite hasgiven 'er a pine!"
In the hotel at Quimperle, too, he created a good deal of merriment ondiscovering the English name of a dish which looked and tasted likechicken but figured in the menu as _grenouilles a la financiere_.
"W'at!" he cried, some natural embarrassment because of his surroundingsyielding to horrified surprise. "Me eat a frog? Well, live an' learn!But I tell you strite, I'd as soon 'ave eaten a snike!"
"What is a 'snike'?" inquired Raymond.
"It's a squirmin' reptyle w'at eats frogs," said Jackson instantly, and,as the secretary had partaken freely of that particular course, theretort did not lack point.
But Raymond laughed with the others. He would have guffawed cheerfullyif someone had bumped into his injured arm by way of a joke.
Bennett, being a lawyer, was not dull of perception. He claimed thefront seat for the return journey; so Tollemache sat between Yvonne andher mother.
* * * * *
In some respects, therefore, Raymond regarded the day as spoiled. But itwas far from being a failure in a general sense. He had established aprecedent. During the remainder of her stay in Pont Aven, Mrs. Carmac,weather permitting, would surely hire the car every day, and, as she washardly likely to revert to a smaller and much inferior vehicle, he inall probability would be invited to join her; while Yvonne's presencewas assured.
As for other additions to the party, he must take such fortune as thegods gave. The chief and vital consideration was that he would almostinfallibly be thrown into Yvonne's company during many hours daily. Ifhe contrived also to establish himself on a friendly footing with herfather, he had taken the first long stride toward the goal now clearlyvisible to his mind's eye.
With Rupert Fosdyke disinherited and discredited, why should not HarveyRaymond consolidate all warring interests by marrying Yvonne? Truly abrilliant notion! It followed the lines of high finance. Better thanrunning counter to your enemy, absorb him! Though he believed he heldMrs. Carmac's millions in the hollow of his hand, were it not forYvonne, he could act only through Fosdyke, who had flouted him openly,and would assuredly be disdainful, no matter how greatly beholden hemight be to an informant. But the fact that Yvonne existed changed allthat. Money talks, indeed! Money would shriek in ecstasy if the despisedsecretary married Mrs. Carmac's daughter.
There were obstacles in the way, of course; first, Tollemache? Raymondhad weighed this possible rival's claims carefully, and did not findthem overwhelming. Yvonne was the young artist's close friend of fiveyears; but that did not necessarily mean that they were lovers. Ifanything, such intimacy was favorable to the newcomer. The girl herself?Well, Raymond knew he was no Adonis; but keen-eyed students of humannature had established the axiom that exceedingly pretty w
omen oftenmated with the plainest of men. Here again the difficulty was notinsuperable.
There remained Mrs. Carmac. Willy nilly, she must range herselfdeterminedly on his side! Very gently, very unwillingly, letting thefacts be dragged out of him with the utmost reluctance, as it were, hemust make her understand that he held the power to crush herfinancially. During the last few days he had left no stone unturned tosecure proof of an astounding romance which depended for credenceotherwise on the unsupported testimony of a woman's raving. He hadneither blundered nor spared expense.
That very morning, and not before, he _knew_. The knowledge hadsustained him throughout a trying day. Each time he thought of theirresistible weapon now safe in his possession he chortled. No wonder helaughed, even when that impudent steward likened him to a snake! Therewas truth in the jibe. One person, at least, seated at that luncheontable would feel his fangs. Mrs. Carmac, if left in undisputedpossession of her wealth, would be _his_ puppet! She must choose betweencomparative pauperism and Harvey Raymond as a son-in-law! So, where shewas concerned, the money that Fate had showered on her would prove amost potent factor in his behalf.
Once again, then, would money talk. If necessary, it might even sing thesong of the sirens in Yvonne's ears. Why, her experiences that day, thevery wearing of those costly furs, and the swift whirling over theBreton roads in a luxurious car, were not negligible quantities in thearithmetical calculations that bemused the man's subtle intellect. Therewas no discernible flaw in them. British law would pronounce theAmerican divorce invalid. It followed that an estate held almostexclusively in Britain would go to the next of kin. And he alone heldthe key that would unlock this treasury!
* * * * *
Snatches of talk came to him from the three in the back seat. He couldmake little of it, because all three were speaking French; but when helistened occasionally he gleaned that Yvonne and Tollemache were tellingMrs. Carmac the legends of wayside chapels,--how this saint protectedthe crops, and that the horses and cattle, how Sainte Barbe arrangedlove affairs and Saint Urlou cured the gout. Each ill, each blessing,had its patron, who exorcised demons or dispensed favors at will.
Nearing Pont Aven, Yvonne startled him by leaning forward and touchinghis shoulder. "Why in such a brown study, Mr. Raymond?" she inquiredpleasantly, thinking that perhaps the queer little man might feel he hadbeen somewhat ignored. In her thoughts he figured invariably as a "queerlittle man." Her woman's intuition had suspected that queerness assomething underhanded and evil; but his action with reference toMadeleine Demoret had obliterated an unfavorable first impression. Nowshe regarded him as an eccentric who did good by stealth.
The slight pressure of the girl's fingers thrilled him. "I was hopingthere might be a healer of broken limbs in Brittany. Now I know thatthere _is_ one," he answered readily enough.
"Dr. Gamier is really quite skilful," she said, and Raymond had the witto remain silent.
* * * * *
It was dusk when they reached the hotel. Popple was standing there withtwo strangers.
"Any news?" inquired Mrs. Carmac as she alighted.
"Yes, Ma'am, an' not the best," said Popple. "The wreck is all brokenup. The diver has been over the south side of the reef, and saw nothin'but scrap iron."
Neither Raymond nor Jackson had quitted his seat as yet, and the stewardheard his companion laugh softly.
"Then we must abandon the search?" came Mrs. Carmac's clear, well-bredaccents.
"There's just one more chanst, Ma'am," said Popple. "We can try atrawl."
"But isn't that a thing meant to catch fish?"
"It's surprisin' w'at you can ketch in a trawl sometimes, Ma'am."
"Captain Popple was telling me the other day that he has known it catcha man," put in Raymond, evidently regarding the sailor's suggestion asan excellent joke.
"I've seen a shawk in one meself," said the irrepressible Jackson.
Popple waved aside these flippant interruptions. "Mossoo Gueho here,from Brest," with an indicatory thumb toward one of his companions,"tells me there's a big trawler in Concarneau today, an' Peridot's boatwill be there too. If you like, Ma'am, he'll go to Concarneau thisevenin', an' bring both of 'em here tomorrow."
"Peridot? Why Peridot?" inquired Mrs. Carmac.
"He knows the set o' the tides so well, Ma'am. He'd help a lot."
"Well, I want to see him soon; so secure his services by all means. Asfor the trawler, or any appliance you think necessary, I wish MonsieurGueho to understand that every effort should be made to recover theboxes I spoke of."
Monsieur Gueho, who spoke English, assured Madame that his firm'sresources were entirely at her command.
Then Yvonne hurried to her mother's suite to divest herself of furs andtoque. For the time she had abandoned the Breton dress, and wore hertweed costume. She met Mrs. Carmac, Bennett, and Raymond on the steps.Tollemache was assisting Jackson to his room.
"I really must run home," she explained. "Dad will be wondering what hasbecome of me; though I sent a message by one of Julia's maids to tellhim that Lorry and I were being whisked off to Lorient in anautomobile."
"Yet you have been nowhere near Lorient," said her mother.
"A pleasure deferred, Mrs. Carmac," said Raymond. "You ought to take aspin in that car every day while in Pont Aven. It will do you a world ofgood. Don't you agree, Mr. Bennett?"
"Most certainly," said the lawyer; "that is, if Mrs. Carmac doesn'treturn to England with me tomorrow."
Bennett spoke as though he were giving indirect advice; but Yvonnegathered that her mother explained her decision to remain a few dayslonger because of anxiety with regard to the salvage work. Lorryreappeared on the terrace, and the girl hailed him.
"Come to supper," she cried. "Call in at Madeleine's on the way, andtell her to come too."
"Right-o!" he said.
* * * * *
But Madeleine failed to join the supper party at Madame Pitou's thatnight. She excused herself to Tollemache on account of a headache.
"She looked rather ill," said Lorry pityingly. "Her aunt was boilingsome decoction of herbs. Madeleine is to be dosed."
"If I was her aunt, I'd set her to scrub the stairs," commented MerePitou emphatically. "Work is the only tonic Madeleine needs. When thehands are busy the wits don't stray."
"Is she up in the air about Peridot?" inquired Tollemache. "Before hewent away he told me she wouldn't speak to him; but he shouldn't havetaken it so seriously."
Madame shook her head and kept tight lips,--an ominous sign. Yvonnestrove at once to change this ticklish topic.
"Didn't Captain Popple say something about bringing Peridot heretomorrow?" she said. "If he comes, he and Madeleine will soon bury thehatchet, especially when they know that Mrs. Carmac means to presentPeridot with a fully equipped _vague_ [sardine boat]."
"Good!" cried Tollemache. "Mere Pitou and I will foot it together at thewedding. I'm stuck on Breton weddings. There's no nonsense about them.Everybody enjoys life to the limit."
He had answered in English; but Madame evidently gathered the drift ofhis words, because she laughed dryly, and herself turned the talk to theday's outing. Yvonne, finding her father's eye on her, was just able torepress a sigh. Mere Pitou knew of her friend's folly, and, if she knew,there must have been gossip in the village. There was a chance, thebarest chance, that Peridot's arrival might still scandalous tongues, ifonly Madeleine could be persuaded to receive him graciously and fix anearly date for their marriage. The girl had already ruined any prospectsshe might have possessed of being elected Queen for the next Feast ofthe Gorse Flowers. The Pont Aven maid who aspires to this must displaynot only a pretty face but a spotless escutcheon. It might be thatMadeleine would see this for herself. If not, she must be told.
* * * * *
Next morning, then, Yvonne called at Madeleine's cottage i
n order tomake a later appointment. Madame Brissac, who admitted her, was intears.
"Madeleine is gone!" she explained. "She went to Quimperle by the earlytrain. Nothing I could say would prevail on her. I've never seen her sodetermined about anything."
Yvonne, sick with apprehension at first, found a crumb of solace in theaunt's statement, which apparently limited the girl's flight to a townnot far removed from Pont Aven.
"But why has she gone to Quimperle?" she faltered.
"That grinning fool Peridot left her too much to herself. She has beenmoping about the house during the last week, saying that her lover haddeserted her. This morning she was out of bed before dawn. Her box waspacked when I rose at six. Then she told me she had decided to accepther cousin's offer of a place in his shop, and meant to give it a fairtrial. As she might be of some use during the few days before Christmas,she was going at once. I argued and stormed; but it was useless. Off shewent!"
Yvonne knew indeed that a Quimperle draper in a small way of businesshad often tried to induce Madeleine to take charge of his retail tradeso that he might travel in the rural districts; but the girl had alwaysscoffed at the notion. Perhaps, dreading the weight of public opinion inPont Aven, or finding life in the village insupportable, she had soughtrefuge in Quimperle for a while, and would return when present cloudswere blown over.
"You are sure she means to join Monsieur Bontot?" she asked anxiously.
"Of course. There is no one else. Marie Bontot will welcome her, becauseMadeleine's help will enable Jacques to double his turnover; but I'llmiss her dreadfully, and I can't imagine why she should want to scurryaway in such a whirl. I haven't recovered from the shock yet."
Yvonne could only endeavor to console the old woman with a prediction ofthe truant's early return. She herself was greatly distressed byMadeleine's action in leaving the village without giving the least hintof her intention, or uttering a word of farewell. Moreover, it was morethan unkind to put the blame on Peridot. The fact that Madeleine shouldhave stooped to positive deception in that respect brought a suspicion,an ill-defined uneasiness, which was better suppressed at the moment.
* * * * *
But when she learned that Mrs. Carmac intended to take another run inthe car she asked as a favor that they should proceed direct toQuimperle in the first instance, as she wished to pay a call there.Moreover, if Mrs. Carmac didn't particularly want the big car, it wouldbe more convenient if they used a smaller vehicle that day. Her motherwas only too glad to agree; so a servant was sent off post haste withorders to hire the limousine.
Raymond was annoyed, but dared not show it. He heard the girl's request,and marked her agitated air, and searched for some explanation of anarrangement that he interpreted as aimed against himself. Puzzled andirritated, he seized an opportunity to put a daring question.
"Miss Ingersoll," he said, "I hope you have not forgotten your promiseto introduce me to your father?"
"No. How could I forget?" she cried. "Will you come to Mere Pitou's thisevening about five o'clock? Mrs. Carmac and I will be home long beforethat hour. I--I'm afraid, Mr. Raymond, I may have cost you an agreeableouting today; but I want to find Madeleine Demoret, and have a long talkwith her. It might be rather awkward if there were men in the party. Shewould not discuss matters freely."
Raymond was so profoundly relieved that he nearly blurted out, "Oh, is_that_ it?" He contrived, however, to murmur something about hiscomplete agreement with any course suggested by Miss Ingersoll, whenMrs. Carmac intervened.
"Madeleine Demoret?" she said. "Isn't she the girl you spoke of theother evening?"
"Yes. She is definitely engaged to Peridot, and now, the very day he isexpected back in Pont Aven, she has flown off to Quimperle, vowing thatshe means to stay there with a married cousin. I want to see her, andcoax her into meeting Peridot soon, either here or in Quimperle."
"You seem to be very much concerned about this young lady's loveaffairs," smiled the older woman.
"Madeleine has been my playmate ever since I was able to walk," saidYvonne simply, quite unaware of the pang that this seemingly innocuousremark caused her mother, "and I do wish to see her happily married toPeridot, who is an excellent fellow, and thoroughly devoted to her. Itwould be too bad if they should separate now because of some absurdtiff. In any case," she added, "I want to know the truth."
"As to why she has gone?"
"Yes."
Mrs. Carmac was perplexed. She too, like Raymond, felt that there wasmore in Yvonne's anxiety than met the eye; but it was inadvisable toprobe deeper into the problem until she and her daughter were alone.
"Ah, well," she said lightly. "Within the hour, I have no doubt, weshall be listening to a tearful denunciation of Peridot. The Perfidy ofPeridot--it sounds like the alliterative title of a magazine story. Isthat our car? Tell Celeste you'll wear the furs you had yesterday. Theysuit you admirably."
* * * * *
Monsieur and Madame Bontot were the most surprised people in Quimperlewhen two elegant ladies alighted from an automobile outside their tinyshop, and inquired for Madeleine Demoret. They were almost astoundedwhen they recognized Yvonne, whom they had never before seen in suchguise.
"But why do you seek Madeleine here, Mademoiselle?" cried Madame Bontot,recovering her breath and her wits simultaneously. "I've not even heardfrom her or her aunt since Jacques was in Pont Aven two months ago.Isn't that so, Jacques?"
"_Parfaitement_," agreed Jacques, a rotund little man, coatless, anddecorated with a tape measure slung round his neck.
Yvonne paled, but was, in a sense, sufficiently forewarned that she didnot make matters worse for her unhappy friend by blurting out the truecause of her visit.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It is my fault. I have not seen Madeleine forsome days, and I had a sort of idea that she meant coming to you aboutthis time. It was discussed, I believe?"
"Yes, yes!" admitted Madame Bontot instantly. "We should be glad to haveher in the shop. Then I could look after the dressmaking, and Jacquescould run all over the country for orders. Isn't that so, Jacques?"
"_Parfaitement_," said the stout man, breathing heavily. In imaginationhe was running already.
"Well, I'll look her up when I return home, and tell her of my mistake.Then I'll see that she writes to you, at least," said Yvonne.
"Take us to the station," she said to the chauffeur, controlling voiceand features with difficulty until safe in the seclusion of the closedcar. Then she broke down, and sobbed bitterly; for she feared the worst.
Mrs. Carmac, unable to share this distress on account of some villagegirl's escapade, felt nevertheless that some minor tragedy was about tobe added to the already heavy burden which life had imposed since theStella was shattered against the inhospitable rocks of Brittany.
"Are you afraid she has run away--that she is making for Paris, orLondon?" she whispered.
Yvonne nodded. She could not speak. For the first time in her life sheunderstood what hysteria meant.
"To join Rupert Fosdyke?" persisted her mother.
"Oh, I don't know! I am afraid--terribly afraid!" was the broken answer.
"But--it is inconceivable. A rustic of her type can have no attractionsfor a man like him. She would weary him in a day."
Yvonne did not reply; and in her heart Mrs. Carmac knew why. RupertFosdyke might share her half-veiled contempt for one of the "lowerorders"; but he would have no scruples in using poor Madeleine'sinfatuation as a whip to scourge certain folk in Pont Aven.
* * * * *
Inquiry at the station was almost fruitless. Yvonne dared not appeal tothe conductor of the tramway service, because any hue and cry raised forthe missing girl must reach Pont Aven in the course of a few hours. Sheascertained that no young woman in Breton costume had bought a ticket toParis or St. Malo that day. This signified little. The very fact thatthe coif identifies the Bretonne
would induce Madeleine to travel in anempty first-class carriage and change her outer garments.
"Was any ticket issued for a long journey to a girl of twenty after thearrival of the first train from Pont Aven?" said Yvonne as a lastresource.
The booking clerk was inclined to be helpful. Not often did youngAmerican ladies speak French with such an accent. Usually theymisunderstood him, or blandly assumed that he spoke English.
"_Tiens!_" he said, tickling his scalp with a pen-holder. "Such a onebooked to Nantes. I remember thinking that she had a lot of money,because she picked a hundred-franc note out of a fair-sized packet."
"Was she a Bretonne?"
"Yes, Madame. Wait one moment." He called a porter. "Pierre," he cried,"you had charge of a lady's baggage by the nine o'clock train to Nantes.Did she come from Pont Aven?"
Pierre thought she did, but could not be sure. If so, the localconductor had brought her box across to the departure platform. At anyrate, she was not a known resident in Quimperle. And she possessed onetrunk, a black one, iron-clamped, and studded with brass nails.Madeleine owned a similar box: but so did half the inhabitants ofBrittany.
With that Yvonne had to be satisfied. Madeleine might or might not havegone to Nantes; whence, if so minded, she could travel on to Paris inthe same train. It was difficult to account for her possession of theamount of money spoken of by the observer behind the wicket; but Mrs.Carmac solved the riddle at once.
"Until I am convinced to the contrary," she declared, "I shall believethat your friend is on her way to meet Rupert Fosdyke somewhere. Ofcourse he would provide her with ample means. Gold is the most potent ofall lures."
Yvonne shuddered. Her mother was least lovable when she became cynical.The girl felt unutterably sad and depressed.
* * * * *
It was a relief, in a sense, when the car sped down the hill into PontAven, and she could make some excuse to hurry home. Her father andLorry, thinking she would be absent till a much later hour, had goneout, tempted by the continued fine weather.
But she was given no respite from her misery. Madame Brissac had postedan urchin to watch for the return of the motorists. She came now togather tidings of her wayward niece, and Yvonne was obliged to confessthat Madeleine was not at her cousin's house.
Then the storm broke. Madame Brissac had probably been made aware in themeantime that Madeleine had outraged local conventions by "walking out"with a stranger, and she poured her wrath on Yvonne.
"This is your doing!" she screamed, her black eyes flashing fire, andher swarthy skin bleaching yellow with fury. "You turned her head withyour fine friends and their fairy tales. What could I expect but that mygirl would be led astray? But her character is not the only one atstake. When we know the truth we'll hear more about that precious auntof yours. Aunt, indeed! Who ever heard of an aunt screaming for herdaughter and meaning her niece?"
Mere Pitou bustled out, breathing the flame of battle. "Marie Brissac,"she cried, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself! Isn't this a case ofwhat's bred in the bone coming out in the flesh? Have you forgotten whyJean Brissac married you? Because, if your memory is failing, mineisn't. I can tell you now that Madeleine simply flung herself at thatyoung Englishman's head, and, if that's news to you, it's the talk ofeverybody else in Pont Aven. Don't you dare come here insulting myfriends, or you'll get more than you bargain for!"
"Oh, please, please, don't quarrel with Madame Brissac on my account,"wailed Yvonne, daring all, even a blow, and putting her arms round thehalf-demented woman's shoulders. "You poor dear," she went on in a voicechoked with sobbing, "blame me if you wish, but don't condemn Madeleineunheard. It may not be true. Let us pray the good God that it is nottrue! I love Madeleine as my sister, and I shall never believe that shehas fled with any man until I hear it from her own lips."
Anger melted in tears. Madame Brissac suffered Yvonne to lead her backto the deserted cottage. There the two talked for a long time, and thegirl got the old woman to agree that, in Madeleine's interests, thefiction of transference to the drapery establishment in Quimperle shouldbe maintained until something really definite became known. Not that anysuch, pretense could avail to shield the lost one. The village wasalready agog with the sensation of Madeleine's flight, and not a soulcredited Madame Brissac's story of the Quimperle cousins. The shy,rabbit-eyed glances of every village girl met in the street told Yvonnethat Madeleine could never again raise her head in her native place. Themaid of honor was dishonored--the Gorse Flower crushed into the mire!
And all this wretched hotchpotch of suffering and contumely was directlyattributable to the presence of _her_ mother in the community! Truly,Yvonne was sorrow-laden and oppressed when she reached the cottageagain, and found Harvey Raymond awaiting her.
