Le looked at her wistfully.
“An old friend of your mother, eh?”
“Yes.”
“Rich? Of high rank?”
“I—I believe so.”
“Where is the man?”
“He is here at Mondreer, where he has been staying ever since he came down with us at my father’s invitation from Niagara.”
“And you are going to marry him?”
“Oh, yes,” replied Odalite, with a heartrending sigh. “It cannot be helped. It is all settled.”
“I see how it is! A friend of your mother, rich, and of high position; and so they have yielded to the temptation of wealth and rank, and they have forced or coaxed you into compliance with their wishes in consenting to this dishonorable marriage! I did not think so of my uncle and aunt. But this cannot, shall not go on! I shall insist upon my prior rights. Take heart, my precious. I shall not let them destroy our happiness by parting us. No, not for all the wealth and rank in the world!”