MADELEINE'S FLIGHT
Rupert Fosdyke departed by the earliest train next day. He did not see
Mrs. Carmac again, and it was assumed by those who gave any thought to
the matter that he would make for London. Bennett's clerk, however,
traveling to England by the same train, did not set eyes on him again
after the local tramway had delivered its passengers at Quimperlé.
Fosdyke might or might not have gone home _via_ Paris. What was quite
certain was that he did not cross the Channel between St. Malo and
Southampton that night, because the clerk ascertained from the purser
that no one of the name was on board the steamer, and telegraphed to
that effect to his employer, who wished to be kept posted as to
Fosdyke's movements.
Meanwhile Raymond was so concerned about Mrs. Carmac's health that he
suggested the hiring of a hotel automobile, and a run to Lorient for
luncheon. Yvonne and Bennett agreed readily to accompany her, and the
secretary was commissioned to order a car to be in readiness at
ten-thirty A.M. Now, there were three automobiles in the garage,--a
small runabout, a limousine to hold three and a chauffeur, and a huge
touring car, which would accommodate six easily. He chose this last.
"As the day is bright, and there is no wind, I have selected an open
car," he said on returning. "I hope you approve. Plenty of fresh air
should be the best of tonics."
Yes, his mistress was pleased, if only because Yvonne must be decked out
in some of the magnificent furs that the thoughtful Celeste had brought
from Paris. Very charming the girl looked in a long sealskin coat with
sable collar and cuffs, and a sable toque. Her mother's appraising
glance spoke volumes as to plans for the future, when Yvonne came to
England, and would need dressing in accordance with the new scheme of
things. But Mrs. Carmac was genuinely surprised when she saw the size of
the 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 with
us--that is, if your arm permits?"
"I am more than inclined to risk it," and Raymond smiled ruefully, as
though 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 the
secretary's back was turned. He shook hands with Mrs. Carmac and the
lawyer, and nodded to Yvonne, on whom he permitted his eyes to dwell in
an 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 not
Lorient?"
"Because it's an uninteresting place, notable only as containing the
most 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't
been out of his room since he was brought ashore, and his game leg will
keep 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 bargained
for. He was all smiles, however, even when he found himself placed by
the side of the lame steward, and behind the chauffeur. Tollemache sat
in front; while Mrs. Carmac, Yvonne, and Bennett occupied the spacious
back seat. Tollemache promptly varied the program by striking into the
broad Route Nationale leading to Quimperlé. They reached the quaint old
town about eleven o'clock, and luncheon was ordered at that famous
posting house, the Hôtel du Lion d'Or. While the meal was being prepared
they went on to the beautiful Chapelle Saint Fiacre, with its remarkable
rood screen of carved and painted wood and rare sixteenth century
stained glass.
Tollemache insisted, too, that they should return before sunset, or the
evening chill might prove dangerous. The excursion was voted delightful.
The only person who felt that his projects had been completely
frustrated--for that day, at any rate--was Harvey Raymond. He had hardly
exchanged a word with Yvonne throughout the journey, and was hard put to
it to maintain an agreeable conversation with Jackson during a five
hours' run.
* * * * *
The steward, however, was not neglected. His manner of speech was an
unfailing source of amusement to Yvonne, whose acquaintance with the
Cockney dialect had hitherto been derived solely from books. He was by
way of being a humorist too. When he hobbled into the Chapelle Saint
Fiacre, and gazed at the history of Adam and Eve as depicted on the
screen, 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 expect
Eve 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 has
given 'er a pine!"
In the hotel at Quimperlé, too, he created a good deal of merriment on
discovering the English name of a dish which looked and tasted like
chicken but figured in the menu as _grenouilles à la financière_.
"W'at!" he cried, some natural embarrassment because of his surroundings
yielding 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, the
retort did not lack point.
But Raymond laughed with the others. He would have guffawed cheerfully
if someone had bumped into his injured arm by way of a joke.
Bennett, being a lawyer, was not dull of perception. He claimed the
front seat for the return journey; so Tollemache sat between Yvonne and
her mother.
* * * * *
In some respects, therefore, Raymond regarded the day as spoiled. But it
was far from being a failure in a general sense. He had established a
precedent. During the remainder of her stay in Pont Aven, Mrs. Carmac,
weather permitting, would surely hire the car every day, and, as she was
hardly likely to revert to a smaller and much inferior vehicle, he in
all probability would be invited to join her; while Yvonne's presence
was assured.
As for other additions to the party, he must take such fortune as the
gods gave. The chief and vital consideration was that he would almost
infallibly be thrown into Yvonne's company during many hours daily. If
he contrived also to establish himself on a friendly footing with her
father, he had taken the first long stride toward the goal now clearly
visible to his mind's eye.
With Rupert Fosdyke disinherited and discredited, why should not Harvey
Raymond consolidate all warring interests by marrying Yvonne? Truly a
brilliant notion! It followed the lines of high finance. Better than
running counter to your enemy, absorb him! Though he believed he held
Mrs. Carmac's millions in the hollow of his hand, were it not for
Yvonne, he could act only through Fosdyke, who had flouted him openly,
and would assuredly be disdainful, no matter how greatly beholden he
might be to an informant. But the fact that Yvonne existed changed all
that. Money talks, indeed! Money would shriek in ecstasy if the despised
secretary married Mrs. Carmac's daughter.
There were obstacles in the way, of course; first, Tollemache? Raymond
had weighed this possible rival's claims carefully, and did not find
them overwhelming. Yvonne was the young artist's close friend of five
years; but that did not necessarily mean that they were lovers. If
anything, such intimacy was favorable to the newcomer. The girl herself?
Well, Raymond knew he was no Adonis; but keen-eyed students of human
nature had established the axiom that exceedingly pretty women often
mated with the plainest of men. Here again the difficulty was not
insuperable.
There remained Mrs. Carmac. Willy nilly, she must range herself
determinedly on his side! Very gently, very unwillingly, letting the
facts be dragged out of him with the utmost reluctance, as it were, he
must make her understand that he held the power to crush her
financially. During the last few days he had left no stone unturned to
secure proof of an astounding romance which depended for credence
otherwise on the unsupported testimony of a woman's raving. He had
neither blundered nor spared expense.
That very morning, and not before, he _knew_. The knowledge had
sustained him throughout a trying day. Each time he thought of the
irresistible weapon now safe in his possession he chortled. No wonder he
laughed, even when that impudent steward likened him to a snake! There
was truth in the jibe. One person, at least, seated at that luncheon
table would feel his fangs. Mrs. Carmac, if left in undisputed
possession of her wealth, would be _his_ puppet! She must choose between
comparative pauperism and Harvey Raymond as a son-in-law! So, where she
was concerned, the money that Fate had showered on her would prove a
most potent factor in his behalf.
Once again, then, would money talk. If necessary, it might even sing the
song of the sirens in Yvonne's ears. Why, her experiences that day, the
very wearing of those costly furs, and the swift whirling over the
Breton roads in a luxurious car, were not negligible quantities in the
arithmetical calculations that bemused the man's subtle intellect. There
was no discernible flaw in them. British law would pronounce the
American divorce invalid. It followed that an estate held almost
exclusively in Britain would go to the next of kin. And he alone held
the key that would unlock this treasury!
* * * * *
Snatches of talk came to him from the three in the back seat. He could
make little of it, because all three were speaking French; but when he
listened occasionally he gleaned that Yvonne and Tollemache were telling
Mrs. Carmac the legends of wayside chapels,--how this saint protected
the crops, and that the horses and cattle, how Sainte Barbe arranged
love 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 touching
his shoulder. "Why in such a brown study, Mr. Raymond?" she inquired
pleasantly, thinking that perhaps the queer little man might feel he had
been somewhat ignored. In her thoughts he figured invariably as a "queer
little man." Her woman's intuition had suspected that queerness as
something underhanded and evil; but his action with reference to
Madeleine Demoret had obliterated an unfavorable first impression. Now
she regarded him as an eccentric who did good by stealth.
The slight pressure of the girl's fingers thrilled him. "I was hoping
there might be a healer of broken limbs in Brittany. Now I know that
there _is_ one," he answered readily enough.
"Dr. Gamier is really quite skilful," she said, and Raymond had the wit
to remain silent.
* * * * *
It was dusk when they reached the hotel. Popple was standing there with
two strangers.
"Any news?" inquired Mrs. Carmac as she alighted.
"Yes, Ma'am, an' not the best," said Popple. "The wreck is all broken
up. 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 steward
heard his companion laugh softly.
"Then we must abandon the search?" came Mrs. Carmac's clear, well-bred
accents.
"There's just one more chanst, Ma'am," said Popple. "We can try a
trawl."
"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 catch
a man," put in Raymond, evidently regarding the sailor's suggestion as
an excellent joke.
"I've seen a shawk in one meself," said the irrepressible Jackson.
Popple waved aside these flippant interruptions. "Mossoo Guého 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 boat
will be there too. If you like, Ma'am, he'll go to Concarneau this
evenin', 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. As
for the trawler, or any appliance you think necessary, I wish Monsieur
Guého to understand that every effort should be made to recover the
boxes I spoke of."
Monsieur Guého, who spoke English, assured Madame that his firm's
resources were entirely at her command.
Then Yvonne hurried to her mother's suite to divest herself of furs and
toque. For the time she had abandoned the Breton dress, and wore her
tweed 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 has
become of me; though I sent a message by one of Julia's maids to tell
him that Lorry and I were being whisked off to Lorient in an
automobile."
"Yet you have been nowhere near Lorient," said her mother.
"A pleasure deferred, Mrs. Carmac," said Raymond. "You ought to take a
spin in that car every day while in Pont Aven. It will do you a world of
good. Don't you agree, Mr. Bennett?"
"Most certainly," said the lawyer; "that is, if Mrs. Carmac doesn't
return to England with me tomorrow."
Bennett spoke as though he were giving indirect advice; but Yvonne
gathered that her mother explained her decision to remain a few days
longer because of anxiety with regard to the salvage work. Lorry
reappeared on the terrace, and the girl hailed him.
"Come to supper," she cried. "Call in at Madeleine's on the way, and
tell her to come too."
"Right-o!" he said.
* * * * *
But Madeleine failed to join the supper party at Madame Pitou's that
night. She excused herself to Tollemache on account of a headache.
"She looked rather ill," said Lorry pityingly. "Her aunt was boiling
some decoction of herbs. Madeleine is to be dosed."
"If I was her aunt, I'd set her to scrub the stairs," commented Mère
Pitou emphatically. "Work is the only tonic Madeleine needs. When the
hands are busy the wits don't stray."
"Is she up in the air about Peridot?" inquired Tollemache. "Before he
went away he told me she wouldn't speak to him; but he shouldn't have
taken it so seriously."
Madame shook her head and kept tight lips,--an ominous sign. Yvonne
strove at once to change this ticklish topic.
"Didn't Captain Popple say something about bringing Peridot here
tomorrow?" she said. "If he comes, he and Madeleine will soon bury the
hatchet, especially when they know that Mrs. Carmac means to present
Peridot with a fully equipped _vague_ [sardine boat]."
"Good!" cried Tollemache. "Mère Pitou and I will foot it together at the
wedding. 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 of
his words, because she laughed dryly, and herself turned the talk to the
day's outing. Yvonne, finding her father's eye on her, was just able to
repress a sigh. Mère Pitou knew of her friend's folly, and, if she knew,
there must have been gossip in the village. There was a chance, the
barest chance, that Peridot's arrival might still scandalous tongues, if
only Madeleine could be persuaded to receive him graciously and fix an
early date for their marriage. The girl had already ruined any prospects
she might have possessed of being elected Queen for the next Feast of
the Gorse Flowers. The Pont Aven maid who aspires to this must display
not only a pretty face but a spotless escutcheon. It might be that
Madeleine would see this for herself. If not, she must be told.
* * * * *
Next morning, then, Yvonne called at Madeleine's cottage in order to
make a later appointment. Madame Brissac, who admitted her, was in
tears.
"Madeleine is gone!" she explained. "She went to Quimperlé by the early
train. Nothing I could say would prevail on her. I've never seen her so
determined about anything."
Yvonne, sick with apprehension at first, found a crumb of solace in the
aunt's statement, which apparently limited the girl's flight to a town
not far removed from Pont Aven.
"But why has she gone to Quimperlé?" she faltered.
"That grinning fool Peridot left her too much to herself. She has been
moping about the house during the last week, saying that her lover had
deserted her. This morning she was out of bed before dawn. Her box was
packed when I rose at six. Then she told me she had decided to accept
her cousin's offer of a place in his shop, and meant to give it a fair
trial. 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 she
went!"
Yvonne knew indeed that a Quimperlé draper in a small way of business
had often tried to induce Madeleine to take charge of his retail trade
so that he might travel in the rural districts; but the girl had always
scoffed at the notion. Perhaps, dreading the weight of public opinion in
Pont Aven, or finding life in the village insupportable, she had sought
refuge in Quimperlé for a while, and would return when present clouds
were 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, because
Madeleine's help will enable Jacques to double his turnover; but I'll
miss her dreadfully, and I can't imagine why she should want to scurry
away in such a whirl. I haven't recovered from the shock yet."
Yvonne could only endeavor to console the old woman with a prediction of
the truant's early return. She herself was greatly distressed by
Madeleine's action in leaving the village without giving the least hint
of her intention, or uttering a word of farewell. Moreover, it was more
than unkind to put the blame on Peridot. The fact that Madeleine should
have 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 in
the car she asked as a favor that they should proceed direct to
Quimperlé in the first instance, as she wished to pay a call there.
Moreover, if Mrs. Carmac didn't particularly want the big car, it would
be more convenient if they used a smaller vehicle that day. Her mother
was only too glad to agree; so a servant was sent off post haste with
orders 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 an
arrangement that he interpreted as aimed against himself. Puzzled and
irritated, he seized an opportunity to put a daring question.
"Miss Ingersoll," he said, "I hope you have not forgotten your promise
to introduce me to your father?"
"No. How could I forget?" she cried. "Will you come to Mère Pitou's this
evening about five o'clock? Mrs. Carmac and I will be home long before
that hour. I--I'm afraid, Mr. Raymond, I may have cost you an agreeable
outing today; but I want to find Madeleine Demoret, and have a long talk
with her. It might be rather awkward if there were men in the party. She
would 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 his
complete agreement with any course suggested by Miss Ingersoll, when
Mrs. Carmac intervened.
"Madeleine Demoret?" she said. "Isn't she the girl you spoke of the
other evening?"
"Yes. She is definitely engaged to Peridot, and now, the very day he is
expected back in Pont Aven, she has flown off to Quimperlé, vowing that
she means to stay there with a married cousin. I want to see her, and
coax her into meeting Peridot soon, either here or in Quimperlé."
"You seem to be very much concerned about this young lady's love
affairs," smiled the older woman.
"Madeleine has been my playmate ever since I was able to walk," said
Yvonne simply, quite unaware of the pang that this seemingly innocuous
remark caused her mother, "and I do wish to see her happily married to
Peridot, who is an excellent fellow, and thoroughly devoted to her. It
would be too bad if they should separate now because of some absurd
tiff. 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 was
more in Yvonne's anxiety than met the eye; but it was inadvisable to
probe deeper into the problem until she and her daughter were alone.
"Ah, well," she said lightly. "Within the hour, I have no doubt, we
shall be listening to a tearful denunciation of Peridot. The Perfidy of
Peridot--it sounds like the alliterative title of a magazine story. Is
that our car? Tell Celeste you'll wear the furs you had yesterday. They
suit you admirably."
* * * * *
Monsieur and Madame Bontot were the most surprised people in Quimperlé
when two elegant ladies alighted from an automobile outside their tiny
shop, and inquired for Madeleine Demoret. They were almost astounded
when they recognized Yvonne, whom they had never before seen in such
guise.
"But why do you seek Madeleine here, Mademoiselle?" cried Madame Bontot,
recovering her breath and her wits simultaneously. "I've not even heard
from 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, and
decorated with a tape measure slung round his neck.
Yvonne paled, but was, in a sense, sufficiently forewarned that she did
not make matters worse for her unhappy friend by blurting out the true
cause of her visit.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It is my fault. I have not seen Madeleine for
some days, and I had a sort of idea that she meant coming to you about
this time. It was discussed, I believe?"
"Yes, yes!" admitted Madame Bontot instantly. "We should be glad to have
her in the shop. Then I could look after the dressmaking, and Jacques
could run all over the country for orders. Isn't that so, Jacques?"
"_Parfaitement_," said the stout man, breathing heavily. In imagination
he 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 voice
and features with difficulty until safe in the seclusion of the closed
car. Then she broke down, and sobbed bitterly; for she feared the worst.
Mrs. Carmac, unable to share this distress on account of some village
girl's escapade, felt nevertheless that some minor tragedy was about to
be added to the already heavy burden which life had imposed since the
Stella was shattered against the inhospitable rocks of Brittany.
"Are you afraid she has run away--that she is making for Paris, or
London?" she whispered.
Yvonne nodded. She could not speak. For the first time in her life she
understood 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 attractions
for a man like him. She would weary him in a day."
Yvonne did not reply; and in her heart Mrs. Carmac knew why. Rupert
Fosdyke might share her half-veiled contempt for one of the "lower
orders"; but he would have no scruples in using poor Madeleine's
infatuation as a whip to scourge certain folk in Pont Aven.
* * * * *
Inquiry at the station was almost fruitless. Yvonne dared not appeal to
the conductor of the tramway service, because any hue and cry raised for
the missing girl must reach Pont Aven in the course of a few hours. She
ascertained that no young woman in Breton costume had bought a ticket to
Paris or St. Malo that day. This signified little. The very fact that
the coif identifies the Bretonne would induce Madeleine to travel in an
empty first-class carriage and change her outer garments.
"Was any ticket issued for a long journey to a girl of twenty after the
arrival of the first train from Pont Aven?" said Yvonne as a last
resource.
The booking clerk was inclined to be helpful. Not often did young
American ladies speak French with such an accent. Usually they
misunderstood him, or blandly assumed that he spoke English.
"_Tiens!_" he said, tickling his scalp with a pen-holder. "Such a one
booked 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 local
conductor had brought her box across to the departure platform. At any
rate, she was not a known resident in Quimperlé. And she possessed one
trunk, a black one, iron-clamped, and studded with brass nails.
Madeleine owned a similar box: but so did half the inhabitants of
Brittany.
With that Yvonne had to be satisfied. Madeleine might or might not have
gone to Nantes; whence, if so minded, she could travel on to Paris in
the same train. It was difficult to account for her possession of the
amount 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 believe
that your friend is on her way to meet Rupert Fosdyke somewhere. Of
course he would provide her with ample means. Gold is the most potent of
all 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 Pont
Aven, and she could make some excuse to hurry home. Her father and
Lorry, thinking she would be absent till a much later hour, had gone
out, tempted by the continued fine weather.
But she was given no respite from her misery. Madame Brissac had posted
an urchin to watch for the return of the motorists. She came now to
gather tidings of her wayward niece, and Yvonne was obliged to confess
that Madeleine was not at her cousin's house.
Then the storm broke. Madame Brissac had probably been made aware in the
meantime 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, and
her swarthy skin bleaching yellow with fury. "You turned her head with
your fine friends and their fairy tales. What could I expect but that my
girl would be led astray? But her character is not the only one at
stake. When we know the truth we'll hear more about that precious aunt
of yours. Aunt, indeed! Who ever heard of an aunt screaming for her
daughter and meaning her niece?"
Mère Pitou bustled out, breathing the flame of battle. "Marie Brissac,"
she cried, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself! Isn't this a case of
what's bred in the bone coming out in the flesh? Have you forgotten why
Jean Brissac married you? Because, if your memory is failing, mine
isn't. I can tell you now that Madeleine simply flung herself at that
young Englishman's head, and, if that's news to you, it's the talk of
everybody else in Pont Aven. Don't you dare come here insulting my
friends, 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 the
half-demented woman's shoulders. "You poor dear," she went on in a voice
choked with sobbing, "blame me if you wish, but don't condemn Madeleine
unheard. It may not be true. Let us pray the good God that it is not
true! I love Madeleine as my sister, and I shall never believe that she
has fled with any man until I hear it from her own lips."
Anger melted in tears. Madame Brissac suffered Yvonne to lead her back
to the deserted cottage. There the two talked for a long time, and the
girl got the old woman to agree that, in Madeleine's interests, the
fiction of transference to the drapery establishment in Quimperlé should
be maintained until something really definite became known. Not that any
such, pretense could avail to shield the lost one. The village was
already agog with the sensation of Madeleine's flight, and not a soul
credited Madame Brissac's story of the Quimperlé cousins. The shy,
rabbit-eyed glances of every village girl met in the street told Yvonne
that Madeleine could never again raise her head in her native place. The
maid of honor was dishonored--the Gorse Flower crushed into the mire!
And all this wretched hotchpotch of suffering and contumely was directly
attributable to the presence of _her_ mother in the community! Truly,
Yvonne was sorrow-laden and oppressed when she reached the cottage
again, and found Harvey Raymond awaiting her.