"Oh! madame—Valentine—you utterly overwhelm me! How can I show my gratitude to you?"
"By accepting my offer!"
These words were accompanied by a look of ineffable tenderness and sincerity. They instantly brought hope to Zuleika's heart. She burst into a flood of tears, but they were tears of joy. Still, she hesitated. What would her father say if she accepted Mme. Morrel's generous proposition?
"Do you accept, Zuleika?" pursued Mme. Morrel.
"I thank you from the depths of my soul, madame; but I cannot accept the sacrifice you and your kind, manly husband would make for me! My father would censure me, would never forgive me for adopting such a selfish course!"
"Trust your father to me, my child."
"Oh! madame! Accept your offer without consulting him?"
"There is no need to consult him, there is no need for him to know anything whatever about the matter, for the present at least. It will be time enough to tell him what we have done when success has crowned our efforts. Should we unhappily fail, a thought that I cannot for an instant entertain, there will be no occasion to tell him anything at all."
At that moment a man's voice was heard calling at a distance: