But, brave as she was, when the moment of departure came her heart
almost failed her. There was despair in the parting glance she
cast upon the princely mansion and the familiar faces of the
servants. And there was no one to encourage or sustain her. Ah,
yes! standing at a window on the second floor, with his forehead
pressed close against the pane of glass, she saw the only friend
she had in the world--the old magistrate who had defended,
encouraged, and sustained her--the man who had promised her his
assistance and advice, and prophesied ultimate success.
"Shall I be a coward?" she thought; "shall I be unworthy of
Pascal?" And she resolutely entered the carriage, mentally
exclaiming: "The die is cast!"
The General insisted that she should take a place beside Madame de
Fondege on the back seat; while he found a place next to Madame
Leon on the seat facing them. The drive was a silent and tedious
one. The night was coming on; it was a time when all Paris was on
the move, and the carriage was delayed at each street corner by a
crowd of passing vehicles. The conversation was solely kept alive
by the exertions of Madame de Fondege, whose shrill voice rose
above the rumble of the wheels, as she chronicled the virtues of
the late Count de Chalusse, and congratulated Mademoiselle
Marguerite on the wisdom of her decision. Her remarks were of a
commonplace description, and yet each word she uttered evinced
intense satisfaction, almost delight, as if she had won some
unexpected victory.
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