The Duke came up to Esperance.
"I should have preferred enchaining you to delivering you, Mademoiselle."
"I can speak now in the person of Andromeda and thank you for that deliverance ... which you promised," she answered with a little smile.
She had spoken so low that only the Duke could hear the ending which he alone understood. He had promised to deliver her from his love, but at that instant he revolted against the thought and the admonition.
"Why not?" he muttered to himself. "She must be happier with me than with that insufferable bore! I will keep my word until she herself absolves me from it."
They had to arrange her pose against the rock. Maurice and Albert helped her, while the Duke watched from a distance, and criticized the effect. All at once he cried out, "That is perfect. Don"t move. Now the mechanician must mark the place to set the fetters for the hands and feet."
Maurice stepped back by the Duke to judge of the effect.
"It is excellent," he said, looking only, thinking only as an artist.
"That child has a beauty of proportion, a dazzling grace, and the most lovely face imaginable."
As the Duke did not speak, Maurice looked at him. He was standing upright, leaning against a table, pale as death.
"Are you ill?" asked Maurice.
"No ... no...."
He pa.s.sed his hand across his forehead and said in an unnatural voice, "Will you see to it please, that they do not leave her suspended that way too long? Tell Albert to raise her head, it seems to me that she is going to faint."
He started forward.
"I will go," said Maurice, stopping him.
When the machinist finished s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the rings in the rock Maurice asked whether it would not be better to repeat this tableaux at once.
The Duke approved. The terrifying dragon was properly arranged on the ground--the wonderful dragon which was the design of a renowned sculptor and perfectly executed by Gerard in papier mache. Perseus (the Duke) with one foot on the head of the vanquished monster, bent towards Andromeda. The breath of her half-opened mouth was hot on his lips, and he could hear the wild beating of her little heart. He felt an infinite tenderness steal over him, and when a tear trembled on the young girl"s eyelashes he forgot everything, wiped the tear away tenderly with the end of his finger and kissed it lovingly. Happily the turning stage was almost out of sight and n.o.body except Genevieve had caught sight of the incident.
Esperance breathed, "G.o.d, my G.o.d!"
The Duke raised the poor child, and said to her very low, "I love you, Esperance."
She murmured, "You must not ... you must not."
While he was loosing her chains he continued, "I love you and I will do anything to win your love."
She strengthened herself desperately.
"You do not need to do anything for it, alas!"
And she fled.
When the Count came to find her, there was only the Duke talking to the stage hands.
"Where is Esperance?"
"I have no idea," replied Charles de Morlay dryly.
Albert turned on his heel, delighted to see the Duke out of humour.
Genevieve caught up with Andromeda who was running away out of breath, seeing nothing, hearing nothing. Genevieve saw her enter the grove leading to the clearing and there she joined her.
"Esperance, my darling, my little sister, stop, I beg you."
Her voice calmed the girl. She caught hold of one of the branches and clung to it, gasping.
"Genevieve, Genevieve, why am I here?"
Her eyes shone with a wild light. She seemed to be absolutely exalted.
"He loves me, he loves me...."
"And I love him." And she threw herself in her friend"s arms. "I am as happy as you now, for I love.... The thick cloud that hung over everything is gone. Everything is bright and beautiful. This dark grove is sparkling with sunlight and...?"
Genevieve stopped her.
"Little sister, you are raving. Your pulse is racing with fever. We must go back. Think of poor Albert."
Esperance drew herself up proudly, replying, "I will never betray him, I will tell the truth, and I will become the wife of the Duke."
"You are talking wildly, dearest, the Duke will not marry you."
"He will marry me, I swear it!"
"Albert will enter the Chartist Monastery and the Countess Styvens will die of sorrow."
"The Countess Styvens," said Esperance slowly.
As the sweet face of the mother came before her mind"s eye she began to tremble all over.
Maurice had followed the girls into the grove, and he found them now in each other"s arms.
"Genevieve," said Esperance, "not a word of what I have said!"
"Have you both gone crazy? They are looking everywhere for Esperance for the "Judgment of Paris," and here you are congratulating and kissing each other!"
"Cousin, I needed the air, don"t scold. Genevieve looked for me and found me before anybody else, and I kissed her because I love her most."
She spoke fast and laughed nervously.
"Who freed you from your chains?"
"Perseus, it was his duty!"
"And now he is going to give you an apple."