A moment later, Octave’s lips were fastened upon this rather trembling hand, as if he wished to imbibe, to the very depths of his soul, the soft, perfumed tissue.  Twice the Baroness tried to disengage herself, twice her strength failed her.  It was beginning to be time for the aunt to awaken, but she slept more soundly than ever; and if a slight indecision was to be noticed in the upper hand, the lower notes were struck with an energy capable of metamorphosing Mademoiselle de Corandeuil into a second Sleeping Beauty.

When Octave had softly caressed this hand for a long time, he raised his head in order to obtain a new favor.  This time Madame de Bergenheim did not turn away her eyes, but, after looking at Octave for an instant, she said to him in a coquettish, seductive way: 

“Aline?”

The mute glance which replied to this question was such an eloquent denial that all words were superfluous.  His sweet, knowing smile betrayed the secret of his duplicity; he was understood and forgiven.  There was at this moment no longer any doubt, fear, or struggle between them.  They did not feel the necessity of any explanation as to the mutual suffering they had undergone; the suffering no longer existed.  They were silent for some time, happy to look at each other, to be together and alone-for the old aunt still slept.  Not a sound was to be heard; one would have said that sleep had overcome the two lovers also.  Suddenly the charm was broken by a terrible noise, like a trumpet calling the guilty ones to repentance.

CHAPTER XVII

A RUDE INTERRUPTION

Had a cannon-ball struck the two lovers in the midst of their ecstasy it would have been less cruel than the sensation caused by this horrible noise.  Clemence trembled and fell back in her chair, frozen with horror.  Gerfaut rose, almost as frightened as she; Mademoiselle de Corandeuil, aroused from her sleep, sat up in her chair as suddenly as a Jack-in-a-box that jumps in one’s face when a spring is touched.  As to Constance, she darted under her mistress’s chair, uttering the most piteous howls.

One of the folding-doors opposite the window opened; the bell of a hunting-horn appeared in the opening, blown at full blast and waking the echoes in the drawing-room.  The curtain of the drama had risen upon a parody, a second incident had changed the pantomime and sentiments of the performers.  The old lady fell back in her chair and stopped up her ears with her fingers, as she stamped upon the floor; but it was in vain for her to try to speak, her words were drowned by the racket made by this terrible instrument.  Clemence also stopped her ears.  After running in her terror, under every chair in the room, Constance, half wild, darted, in a fit of despair, through the partly opened door.  Gerfaut finally began to laugh heartily as if he thought it all great fun, for M. de Bergenheim’s purple face took the place of the trumpet and his hearty laugh rang out almost as noisily.