"Very good, Pierre," she said; "if any evil happens to her, if a hair
of her head is injured, you and I will have seen each other for the
last time; for I shall be in heaven, and you will go to hell."
The possessed of devils whom the Church in former days used to
exorcise with great pomp were not more shaken and agitated than
Marche-a-Terre at this prophecy, uttered with a conviction that gave
it certainty. His glance, which at first had a character of savage
tenderness, counteracted by a fanaticism as powerful in his soul as
love, suddenly became surly, as he felt the imperious manner of the
girl he had long since chosen. Francine interpreted his silence in her
own way.
"Won't you do anything for my sake?" she said in a tone of reproach.
At these words the Chouan cast a glance at his mistress from eyes that
were black as a crow's wing.
"Are you free?" he asked in a growl that Francine alone could have
understood.
"Should I be here if I were not?" she replied indignantly. "But you,
what are you doing here? Still playing bandit, still roaming the
country like a mad dog wanting to bite. Oh! Pierre, if you were wise,
you would come with me. This beautiful young lady, who, I ought to
tell you, was nursed when a baby in our home, has taken care of me. I
have two hundred francs a year from a good investment.
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