She only saw and
understood one thing--that he had no intention of casting her off,
but was indeed ready to devote himself to her. "My God!" she
faltered, "is this really true? Will you allow me to remain with
you? Oh, don't reply rashly! Consider well, before you promise to
make such a sacrifice. Think how much sorrow and pain it will
cost you."
"I have considered. It is decided--mother."
She sprang up, wild with hope and enthusiasm. "Then we are
saved!" she cried. "Blessed be he who betrayed my secret! And I
doubted your courage, my Wilkie! At last I can escape from this
hell! This very night we will fly from this house, without one
backward glance. I will never set foot in these rooms again--the
detested gamblers who are sitting here shall never see me again.
From this moment Lia d'Argeles is dead."
M. Wilkie positively felt like a man who had just fallen from the
clouds. "What, fly?" he stammered. "Where shall we go, then?"
"To a country where we are unknown, Wilkie--to a land where you
will not have to blush for your mother."
"But--"
"Trust yourself to me, my son. I know a pleasant village near
London where we can find a refuge. My connections in England are
such that you need not fear the obstacles one generally meets with
among foreigners. M. Patterson, who manages a large manufacturing
establishment, will, I know, be happy to be of service to us--but
we shall not be indebted to any one for long, now that you have
resolved to work.
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