How should he?
Are you not betrothed to him?
He'll forgive you fast enough, when you just say that you did not know what you were about when you were writing it.' Thus her uncle went on; and as the outburst of his wrath was, as it were, chopped into little bits by his having to continue the reading of the letter, the storm did not fall upon Marie's head so violently as she had expected.

'There's a pretty kettle of fish you've made!' said he as soon as he had finished reading the letter.

'Of course, it means nothing.' 'But it must mean something, Uncle Michel.' 'I say it means nothing.

Now I'll tell you what I shall do, Marie.
I shall start for Basle directly.

I shall get there by twelve o'clock to-night by going through Colmar, and I shall endeavour to intercept the letter before Urmand would receive it to-morrow.' This was a cruel blow to Marie after all her precautions.