Austin suddenly
summoned her away; and again Claude Bainrothe and I were left for a few
minutes _tete-a-tete_. When my visitor departed, or rose to do so, we
shook hands frankly; and I thought, on the whole, he seemed grateful for
my mode of treatment, and the interest I had shown in his narrative--so
entire a proof of the disinterested nature of my feelings, could he only
have thought so! It had probably been his intention to test and probe
them in the beginning, and he had succeeded.
He lingered a moment, however, on the threshold, gazing at me earnestly.
"Miriam," he said, reentering and closing the door, "Miriam, I wish I
could be certain of your friendship. I may put it to fiery proof before
long. Can I rely on you to support me then?"
"Claude," I rejoined, gravely, "if I can assist you in any useful or
honorable way, I shall be glad to do so, on general principles alone.
You did not respond fairly to my friendly manifestations in times past,
after--after a certain explanation, and the impulse has died away since
then, I confess. Our future lives can have very little in common, I
imagine."
"Would you not help me to break a loathed chain?" he asked, almost
fiercely. "Bonds are often forced upon a man," he continued, "by the
very reason of his superior strength. It is so hard to resist a pleading
woman! O Miriam! more than any one living, I respect--revere--love--yes,
love you.
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