The Indiscretion of the Duchess / Being a Story Concerning Two Ladies, a Nobleman, and a Necklace

on my

Table of

exclaimed, as I set out for the

wance for the mistakes which, possibly, I had committed. She had behaved so unreasonably as to release me from any obligation. As to Marie Delhasse, I had had enough (so I declared in the hasty disgust my temper engendered) of Quixotic endeavors to rescue people who, had they any moral resolution, could well rescue themselves.

n armchair. I had half a mind to send the box down to Marie Delhasse by the waiter-with my compliments; but my ill-humor did not carry me so far as thus to risk betraying her to her mother, and I perceived that I must have one more

ull, and had at last the effect of bringing up my

e waiting like thi

ented him from answering

sir," he protested at last. "I c

g on on the

n taking a hasty meal, and her carriage is ordered to be round at the d

saw a closed carriage, with four trunks and some s

going?" I aske

er, Mme. Delhasse, attended by the waiter who ought to have been looking after me, came out of the hotel and got into the carriage. She spoke to the waiter, and appeared to give him money. He bowed and closed the door. The driver started his horses and made off at a rapid pace tow

the waiter was at the door

he going t

sir," he answered, wiping his brow and si

ung lady-wh

already g

I cried. "Gone w

at the address, sir, she made a little exclamation, and tore the note open in a manner that showed great agitation. She read it; and when she had read it stood still, holding it

l, get on!

d said: 'My mother was fatigued by her walk, and is sleeping. I am going out, but I do not wish her disturbed. I will write a note of explanation. Be so good as to cause it to be given to her when she wak

way did

hill. An hour or more passed, and then madame's bell rang. I r

at did

uggage and the young lady's. Oh! she was in a great hurry, and in the best of spirits; and she pressed us on so that I was not

sed. I sat sil

se you wish to know,

tried temper

at the devil it al

t he had always put me down as an admirer of Marie Delhasse. He saw in

t from a carriage which waited at the bottom of the hill, out of sight of the town. And-well, sir, the

f. The waiter, discreetly i

er if she would take with her a bouquet of roses which she had purchased in the

r? That the duke had sent his carriage for her was likely enough; that he would cause it to wait outside the town was not impossible; that Marie had told her mother

, "send any answer to the not

he wrote an answer, and the mess

speak of see anything

pass that wa

hat she had gone in the duke's carriage and looked to her mother to follow her. And having thus thrown both parties on a false scent, she had put on her hat and walked quietly out of the hotel. But, then, where had she walked to? My chain of inference was broken by that missing link. I looked up at the waiter. And then I cursed my carelessness. For the waiter's eyes were no longer fixed on my face, but were fastened in eloquent curiosity on the red box which lay on my t

ntleman like you will soon find anot

resenting myself in a very triumphant guise to

" said I with a shrug. "I'll tr

r. It's a pity, sir, to waste thought on them-much more, good money. Y

and with a last nod of intelligen

ime the Duke of Saint-Maclou would be scouring the country and setting every spring in motion in the effort to find the truant lady, and-what I thought he would be at least anxious about-the truant necklace. For to give your family heirlooms away without recompense is a vexatious thing; and ladies who accept them and vanish with them into space can claim but small cons

ecy. Human nature is a poor thing. To speak candidly, I cannot recollect that, amid my own selfish perplexities, I spared more than one brief moment to gladness tha