I dared not tell him what occupied my thoughts, and for the rest invention failed me.

But his gaiety and those pretty affectations on which he spent an infinity of pains, for the purpose, apparently, of hiding the sterling worth of a character deficient neither in courage nor backbone, were united to much good nature.
Believing at last that I had sent for him in a fit of the vapours, he devoted himself to amusing me and abusing Bruhl--a very favourite pastime with him.

And in this way he made out a call of two hours.
I had not long to wait for proof of Simon's wisdom in taking this precaution.

We thought it prudent to keep within doors after our guest's departure, and so passed the night in ignorance whether anything had happened or not.

But about seven next morning one of the Marquis's servants, despatched by M.d'Agen, burst in upon us with the news--which was no news from the moment his hurried footstep sounded on the stairs that Father Antoine had been set upon and killed the previous evening! I heard this confirmation of my hopes with grave thankfulness; Simon with so much emotion that when the messenger was gone he sat down on a stool and began to sob and tremble as if he had lost his mother, instead of a mortal foe.