Part 63 (1/2)
”Practically a stranger to er to me, Andre She is my cousin and very dear and valued friend And,her out of Paris She must be rescued, Andre, at all costs--she ent than Aline's!”
He stood a suppliant before his Godson, very different now froreeted him on his arrival His face was pale, his hands shook, and there were beads of perspiration on his brow
”Monsieurin reason But I cannot do this To rescue her ht mean ruin for Aline and yourself as well as for ht to speak for yourself, of course”
”Oh, and for you, believeman ”Andre, I implore you to take astel”
Andre looked at hirateful memories of the lady's interest in ain ht to convert ion But I do not risk my neck for her--no, nor yours, nor Aline's”
”Ah! But, Andre”
”That islate, and I desire to sleep in Paris”
”No, no! Wait!” The Lord of Gavrillac was displaying signs of unspeakable distress ”Andre, you must!”
There was in this insistence and, stillso unreasonable that Andre could not fail to assume that some dark and mysterious motive lay behind it
”I must?” he echoed ”Why must I? Your reasons, ”
”Pray allow e of that” Andre-Louis' manner was almost peremptory
The demand seemed to reduce M de Kercadiou to despair He paced the rooht-clasped behind him, his brorinkled At last he came to stand before his Godson
”Can't you take uish
”In such a matter as this--a matter that may involve my neck? Oh, monsieur, is that reasonable?”
”I violate my word of honour,his hands, his condition visibly piteous; then turned again to Andre ”But in this extreenerously insist, I shall have to tell you God help me, I have no choice She will realize that when she knows Andre, ain, a man afraid He set a hand on his Godson's shoulder, and to his increasing ahted eyes there was a filastel is yourthat he was told was not i came at last Andre-Louis' first impulse was to cry out But he possessed hi That was in his nature And he was true to his nature even in this supre that queer histrionic instinct, he could trust himself to speak without emotion ”I see,” he said, at last, quite coolly
Hisback over the past Swiftly he reviewed his ular if sporadic interest in him, the curious blend of affection and wistfulness which her manner towards him had always presented, and at last he understood so ued hiain; and added now, ”Of course, any but a fool would have guessed it long ago”
It was M de Kercadiou who cried out, M de Kercadiou who recoiled as from a blow
”My God, Andre, of what are you made? You can take such an announcement in this fashi+on?”
”And hoould you have me take it? Should it surprise me to discover that I had a etting one's self born”
He sat down abruptly, to conceal the too-revealing fact that his li He pulled a handkerchief frorown da
At the sight of those tears strea silently down that face that had turned so pale, M de Kercadiou came quickly across to him He sat down beside him and threw an arm affectionately over his shoulder