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84 silent; but then raising her eyes to him frankly and trustfully she said—

"I think I should like to tell you. You will not think shame of me. I fear I could never have been Gerard de Cobalt's wife. All night I wrestled with the problem, and prayed fervently for strength to do my duty, and keep the pledge made for me by my parents. But when I knew Gerard de Cobalt would come to-day, I dreaded to meet him. Can you not guess why?" She was all blushes and sweetness as the faltered confession dropped from her lips.

"You cannot think what this means to me," he answered with passion. "But some day you will understand."

"Why not now, Gerard? I have betrayed all my little secret—little, do I say—if you but knew how great, how all in all it is to me! I have shown you all my heart," she whispered.

They were leaning on the marble balustrade, gazing over the lovely gardens which the risen moon was silvering with her glory.

"Why not now, Gerard?" she repeated, after a long pause, with sweet, gentle insistence. "What need of secrets between us two?"

He longed to respond to this frank confession of her feelings by telling her everything; and the impulse to speak was only curbed with great effort. But prudence stayed him, and the fear of unknown consequences which might imperil everything by forcing a disclosure to de Proballe.

"We will have no secrets one from the other, Gabrielle, when once this matter in my thoughts has been cleared up," he said, his reluctance to refuse her plea causing him to speak with hesitation.

"Is it the same of which you spoke to-day so strangely?"