Conscience -- Volume 4

ised over him, yet the idea of making her his wife never occurred to him. He thought himself ill- adapte

east as much on account of the calmness he felt in her presence,

finity concerning which his studies told him nothing, but of which

and terribly heavy were those h

as in prison; Madame Cormier fell into a mournful despair, growing weaker each day; an

ld be changed if he marrie

recovered from her great

decide on th

tant that the idea came to him, exact enough and strong enough to give

ered it? Have you not yiel

in that without you I cannot be happy. Frankly, I acknowledge that I need you, your tenderness, your love, your strength

, in your position, above all in the position that you will soon occupy, is poor little Phillis worthy of you? You give me the greatest joy that I can ever know, of which I have only dreamed in telling myse

r than anything that I do not deceive myself. I

ld with happiness, but not more than I shall

hich you speak; it is more than probable that they will never be realized, for I am

ill c

ambition prefers to a fortune. For the moment this position will be modest; my four thousand francs of salary, that which I gain at the central bureau while waiting to have the title of hospital physici

a fortu

I thought I oug

wish our marria

ed in a new apartment; for you could not come here as my wife, where yo

put ourselves in the hands of an up

s with fierce energy, b

come; an office for me, which will do also as a lab

u w

hink that I would ask yo

ith a passionate impulse: "Oh, the

r to be left alone; she needs you, and I promise to help you to soften her grief. We will make her comfortable; and although my

satisfaction in talking of what he would do for Madame Cormier, in who

make her forget?" he a

our sorrow will be drowned in our happiness, and this happiness we

He had had so little opportunity until this time to do for others, that this was in some sort the revelat

f the satisfaction of ta

going this morn

elp my pupils prepare their

ge that we make use of is perhaps original, and conforms to the laws of nature, if nature admits marriage, which I

you will

ope

she does not know. And she has felt convinced that I should die in the yellow skin of an old maid. At last, this evening she will have the hap

r apartments, and found one in a quart

ormier's. As usual, when he called, she looked at

day," he said, without pronouncing any name, whic

dame Cormier said, who th

to speak. Do not be uneasy. I hope that what I am

thing to fear. We have been so

for these complaints

tenderness; I have not been able to see her so courageous, so brave in adversity, so decided in her characte

mier's hands began to tremble

to cry. "So great a happiness for my daugh

ove

rhaps I should hide my daughter's sentiments; but I cannot help telling you that this esteem, this tenderness of which you speak, is felt by

ly from an overflowing heart. B

or me not to yield to any impulse. We are unfortunates, you are one of the happy; you will soon

was Phillis's answer. He answered the

e. Is it certain that in the struggles of life you will never suffer from this marriage, not because my daughter will not make you happy-from this side I am easy-but because the situation that fate has made for us will weigh on you and fette

ature, it is not in mi

e, and when she understood that she was to liv

ken my son, how good tho