A great sob broke from Juliette’s aching heart.  The misery of it all was more than she could bear.  Ah, pity her if you can!  She had fought and striven, and been conquered.  A girl’s soul is so young, so impressionable; and she had grown up with that one, awful, all-pervading idea of duty to accomplish, a most solemn oath to fulfil, one sworn to her dying father, and on the dead body of her brother.  She had begged for guidance, prayed for release, and the voice from above had remained silent.  Weak, miserable, cringing, the human soul, when torn with earthly passion, must look at its own strength for the fight.

And now the end had come.  That swift, scarce tangible dream of peace, which had flitted through her mind during the past few weeks, had vanished with the dawn, and she was left desolate, alone with her great sin and its lifelong expiation.

Scarce knowing what she did, she fell on her knees, there on that threshold, which she was about to leave for ever.  Fate had placed on her young shoulders a burden too heavy for her to bear.

“Juliette!”

At first she did not move.  It was his voice coming from the study behind her.  Its magic thrilled her, as it had done that day in the Hall of Justice.  Strong, passionate, tender, it seemed now to raise every echo of response in her heart.  She thought it was a dream, and remained there on her knees lest it should be dispelled.

Then she heard his footsteps on the flagstones of the hall.  Anne Mie’s plaintive singing had died away in the distance.  She started, and jumped to her feet, hastily drying her eyes.  The momentary dream was dispelled, and she was ashamed of her weakness.

He, the cause of all her sorrows, of her sin, and of her degradation, had no right to see her suffer.

She would have fled out of the house now, but it was too late.  He had come out of his study, and, seeing her there on her knees weeping, he came quickly forward, trying, with all the innate chivalry of his upright nature, not to let her see that he had been a witness to her tears.

“You are going out, mademoiselle?” he said courteously, as, wrapping her cloak around her, she was turning towards the door.

“Yes, yes,” she replied hastily; “a small errand, I...”

“Is it anything I can do for you?”

“No.”

“If...” he added, with visible embarrassment, “if your errand would brook a delay, might I crave the honour of your presence in my study for a few moments?”

“My errand brooks of no delay, Citizen Deroulede,” she said as composedly as she could, “and perhaps on my return I might...”

“I am leaving almost directly, mademoiselle, and I would wish to bid you good-bye.”

He stood aside to allow her to pass, either out, through the street door or across the hall to his study.

There had been no reproach in his voice towards the guest, who was thus leaving him without a word of farewell.  Perhaps if there had been any, Juliette would have rebelled.  As it was, an unconquerable magnetism seemed to draw her towards him, and, making an almost imperceptible sign of acquiescence, she glided past him into his room.