I can depend upon
you, can't I? You will never give me away to a living soul?"
"Word of honour!" I vowed. "What do you take me for? Do tell me you
don't regret! There's a dear. Tell me you don't regret."
She threw back her head dauntlessly.
"No," she said, "I don't regret. Only, in justice to me, remember that
I was treacherous in order to do a turn to you, not to escape my own
discomforts. To be candid, I believe that I wish we had met in two or
three weeks' time, instead of to-day!"
"Why that?"
"In two or three weeks' time the prize was to be raised to five
thousand francs, to keep up the excitement."
"Ciel!" I cried. "Five thousand francs? Do you know that positively?"
"Oh, yes!" She nodded. "It is arranged."
Five thousand francs would have been a fortune to me.
Neither of us spoke for some seconds. Then, continuing my thoughts
aloud, I said:
"After all, why should I telegraph at once? What is to prevent
_my_ waiting the two or three weeks?"
"Oh, to allow you to do that would be scandalous of me," she demurred;
"I should be actually swindling _La Voix_."
"_La Voix_ will obtain a magnificent advertisement for its outlay,
which is all that it desires," I argued; "the boom will be worth five
thousand francs to _La Voix_, there is no question of swindling.
Five thousand francs is a sum with which one might--"
"It can't be done," she persisted.
"To a man in my position," I said, "five thousand francs--"
"It is impossible for another reason! As I told you, I am at the end of
my resources.
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