At these words Madame de Merret turned a haggard gaze upon her husband.
“Here, take your crucifix,” he added. “Swear to me before God that there is no one in there; I will believe you, I will never open that door.” Madame de Merret took the crucifix and said:
“I swear.”
“Louder,” said the husband, “and repeat `I swear before God that there is no one in that closet`. ”
She repeated the sentence calmly.
“That will do,” said Monsieur de Merret, coldly.
After a moment of silence:
“I never saw this pretty toy before,” he said, examining the ebony crucifix inlaid with silver, and most artistically chiseled.
“I found it at Duvivier`s, who bought it of a Spanish monk when the prisoners passed through Vendome last year.”
“Ah!” said Monsieur de Merret, as he replaced the crucifix on the nail, and he rang. Rosalie did not keep him waiting. Monsieur de Merret went quickly to meet her, led her to the bay window that opened on to the garden and whispered to her:
Gorenflot wishes to marry
“Listen! I know that Gorenflot wishes to marry you, poverty is the only drawback, and you told him that you would be his wife if he found the means to establish himself as a master mason. Well! go and fetch him, tell him to come here with his trowel and tools. Manage not to awaken any one in his house but himself; his fortune will be more than your desires. Above all, leave this room without babbling, otherwise—” He frowned. Rosalie went away, he recalled her.
“Here, take my latchkey,” he said. “Jean!” then cried Monsieur de Merret, in tones of thunder in the corridor. Jean, who was at the same time his coachman and his confidential servant, left his game of cards and came.
“Go to bed, all of you,” said his master, signing to him to approach; and the Count added, under his breath: “When they are all asleep— asleep, d`ye hear?—you will come down and tell me.” Monsieur de Merret, who had not lost sight of his wife all the time he was giving his orders, returned quietly to her at the fireside and began to tell her of the game of billiards and the talk of the club. When Rosalie returned she found Monsieur and Madame de Merret conversing very amicably.
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