He will start to-morrow, and will post the two letters written by the Marquis de Croisenois, one at Marseilles, and the other at Cairo." "Do you not think that these letters will insure my perfect security ?" "I see that any indiscretion on our agent's part, or a mere act of carelessness, may ruin us." "And yet it must be done." After consulting together, the doctors had given some slight hope, but the position of the patient was still very precarious.

It was suggested that her intellect might be permanently affected; and during all these long and anxious hours Norbert did not even dare to close his eyes, and it was with feelings of secret terror that he permitted the maids to perform their duties around their invalid mistress.
Upon the fourth day the fever took a favorable turn, and Marie slept, giving Norbert time to review his position.
How was it that Madame de Mussidan, who was a daily visitor, had not appeared at the house since that eventful night?
He was so much surprised at this that he ventured to dispatch a short note, acquainting her of the sudden illness of his wife.
In an hour he received a reply, merely containing these words:-- "Can you account for M.de Mussidan's sudden determination to spend the winter in Italy?
We leave this evening.

Farewell .-- D." And so she, too, had abandoned him, taking with her all the hopes he had in the world.

Still, however, his infatuation held its sway over him, and he forced himself to believe that she felt this separation as keenly as he did.
Some five days afterwards, when the Duchess de Champdoce had been pronounced out of immediate danger, one of the doctors took him mysteriously aside.

He said that he wanted to inform the Duke of a startling, but he hoped a welcome piece of intelligence--that the Duchess de Champdoce was in the way to present the Duke with an heir to his title and estates.
It was the knowledge of this that had decided her not to leave her husband's roof, and had steeled her heart against George's entreaties.
She had hesitated, and had almost yielded to the feelings of her heart, when this thought troubled her.
Unfortunately for herself, she had not disclosed her condition to her husband, and, at the news, all Norbert's former suspicions revived, and his wrath rose once more to an extraordinary height.