“You must seek Marie-Anne if you wish to find—my husband.”
The duke was of the same opinion, but he dared not avow it.
“Anger leads you astray, Marquise,” said he.
“I know what I know.”
“Martial will soon make his appearance, believe me. If he went away, he will soon return. They shall go for him at once, or I will go for him myself——”
He left the room with a muttered oath, and Blanche approached her father, who still seemed to be unconscious.
She seized his arm and shook it roughly, saying, in the most peremptory tone:
“Father! father!”
This voice, which had so often made the Marquis de Courtornieu tremble, was far more efficacious than eau de cologne. He opened one eye the least bit in the world, then quickly closed it; but not so quickly that his daughter failed to discover it.
“I wish to speak with you,” she said; “get up.”