“You shall understand, if you will do me the honor to hear me.”
“Would not M. le Comte’s advice be of more service?” she asked with a sudden trepidation which surprised me.
“No,” I said, decidedly, “not in this instance. I hope you will not refuse me.”
She glanced at my anxious face and smiled curiously.
“Very well,” she assented. “Proceed, then.”
“O, not here!” I protested, with a glance at the others. “Perhaps after dinner, mademoiselle, you will walk with me in the garden.”
“In the garden?” she repeated, in an astonished tone, and looked at me with lifted brows.
“I know that it is a great favor I am asking,” I continued hastily.
“Yes, it is more than that,” she broke in sharply. “It is not convenable. What strange customs you must have at Beaufort, monsieur! Are the young ladies there accustomed to grant such requests?”
“I do not know,” I answered miserably. “I have never before preferred such a one. I am not familiar with etiquette—with the nice rules of conduct. If I have done wrong, forgive me.”