“Have you been with Marie?”
“Yes.”
“And you will return to her?”
“I suppose I must.”
Here Hamilton precipitately left the room to summon Madame Lustig and Crescenz, but they were much too busily engaged in the manufacture of a complicated cake to follow him, so he hurried back alone to the drawing-room, and found Hildegarde——in her cousin’s arms. She was not struggling, she did not even move as he entered, while Raimund, not in the least disconcerted by his presence, passionately kissed her two or three times. At length she suddenly and vehemently pushed him from her, exclaiming, “Go, I hate you!”
“You hate me! hate me, did you say? Let me hear that once more, Hildegarde,” he said, losing every trace of colour as he spoke.
“No, no—I don’t hate you—but you have acted very—very ungenerously,” said Hildegarde, with ill-suppressed emotion.
“I understand you; but you will forgive me this last offence, I hope?”
“Yes, I forgive you, and will try to forgive you all you have done to worry and alarm me since our acquaintance began,” said Hildegarde, bitterly, “but this must indeed be the last offence.”
“It will be, most certainly,” said Raimund; and, taking both her hands, he looked at her long and earnestly, and then left the room without in any manner noticing Hamilton.