He recognised my step and with a whimper of pleasure, started up and rushed to me, fawning upon me with such delight that I had to check him.
But Mademoiselle turned pale as she saw me, her hands clasped quickly and tightly together, her lips parted and her brow drew together in a frown of dismay or pain.
Then I put the dog aside and went to her.
CHAPTER XII.
ON THE HILL AT SAMAC.
As I stepped forward two persons who had been sitting apart from her rose and came quickly toward me. In my abstraction I had not noticed them; but I saw now that one was a priest and the other a matronly woman of between thirty and forty years of age.
“What do you want? Who are you? This lady is in my care,” said the priest.
“You saw that the dog knew me for a friend,” I answered.
“That may be, but what do you want?” he asked again.
I looked across to Mademoiselle. She hesitated a moment and then spoke to the priest.
“It is all right, father. I wish to speak to—him.” There was just a suspicion of a pause at the last word as though she had been in doubt how to speak of me.