The girl shook her head dubiously, and there was suspicion in her dark
eyes as she asked: "What do you want of me?"
Gonzague smiled more paternally than before. "I want you to love me," he
said; and then, seeing that the gypsy lifted her brows, he continued,
leisurely: "Do not misunderstand me. Women still are sometimes pleased to
smile on me. I do not want such smiles from you, child. There is another
fate for you. Are you content with your new life?"
Flora answered him with a weary tone in her voice and a weary look on her
pretty face. "You have given me fine clothes and fine jewels. I ought to
be content. But I miss my comrades and my wandering life."
Gonzague was still paternal as he explained: "You must forget your
wandering life. Henceforward you are a great lady. Your father was a
duke."