A very arduous task lies before him, but he is equal to it, I am certain.

My conviction as to that grows as one knows him better." "But you are not prepared to allow the young people to force you to take a leap in the dark," suggested Madame de Chantonnay.

"And that poor Juliette must consume her soul in patience; but she is sensible, as you justly say.

Yes, my dear Marquis, she is charming." They were thus engaged in facile talk when Albert de Chantonnay emerged from the long window of his study, a room opening on to a moss-grown terrace, where this plotter walked to and fro like another Richelieu and brooded over nation-shaking schemes.
He carried a letter in his hand and wore an air of genuine perturbment.
But even in his agitation he looked carefully round before he spoke.
"Here," he said to the Marquis and his fond mother, who watched him with complacency--"here I have a letter from Dormer Colville.

It is necessarily couched in very cautious language.