Mlle. de Beanmesnil experienced a feeling of intense relief. Gerald had no intention of deceiving Herminie, then, and doubtless he was about to explain why he had not relinquished all pretensions to her—Ernestine's—hand.
"Do you know how an heiress is married off, mademoiselle?" asked Gerald.
And as Mlle. de Beaumesnil gazed at him in surprise, without making any reply, Gerald continued:
"I will tell you, mademoiselle, and this knowledge may serve to protect you from many dangers. A certain mother, my mother, for example,—one of the best women in the world,—hears that the richest heiress in France is in the matrimonial market. My mother, dazzled by the advantages that such a union would afford me, does not trouble herself in the least about the character or personal appearance of this heiress. She has never even seen her, for the rich orphan is still in a foreign land. But that makes no difference; this enormous fortune must be secured for me if possible, it matters not by what means. My mother, yielding to an aberration of maternal love, hastens to the wife of this orphan's guardian, and it is decided that, on the arrival of the heiress, an inexperienced child of sixteen, weak and defenceless, and ignorant of the ways of the world, she shall be so surrounded and influenced that her choice is almost certain to fall upon me. This shameful bargain is concluded; the way in which I am to first make her acquaintance, apparently by chance, is decided upon, even to the more or less becoming costume I am to wear on that occasion! Everything has been arranged, though I hear and know nothing about it. The heiress, too, who is still a hundred leagues from Paris, knows no more about it than I do. At last she arrives. Then, for the first time, my mother informs me of her plans, sure that I will accept with joy the piece of good fortune offered me. Nevertheless, I decline it at first, saying that I have no taste for married life, and that I should be certain to prove a bad husband. 'What difference does that make?' says my mother. 'Marry her, in spite of that—she is rich.' And yet my mother is as honourable and as widely honoured as any woman. But you do not know the baneful, yes, fatal, influence of money!"
"Can you hear what they are saying, my dear?" the duchess whispered to Madame de la Rochaiguë as this conversation was going on.
"No," replied that lady, likewise in a whisper, "but the child seems to be listening with a great deal of interest. I just stole a glance at her when she was not looking, and her face was positively radiant."
"I was sure of Gerald. He can be irresistible when he chooses!" exclaimed the delighted duchess. "The girl is ours. And to think I was simpleton enough to fly into a passion just because that miserable Macreuse asked her to dance!"
"As I remarked a few minutes ago, I acted the part of an honourable man and refused to think of this marriage at first," Gerald continued; "but unfortunately my mother's entreaties, my fear of grieving her, and last, though not least, my indignation on hearing of the nefarious schemes of an unscrupulous rival, and possibly my own unconscious longing for such colossal wealth, induced me to reconsider, and I finally decided to try to marry the heiress, even at the risk of making her the most wretched of women, for a mercenary marriage is sure to end disastrously."
"Well, monsieur, have you kept this resolution?"
"A subsequent conversation with two dear friends of mine, high-minded, noble-hearted men, opened my eyes. I saw that I was pursuing a course unworthy of me and of those who loved me. It was decided, however, that, out of consideration for my mother's wishes, I should meet the heiress, and if, after seeing her and knowing her, I loved her as much as I would have loved a penniless and nameless young girl, I would do my best to win her."