"God be blessed! At last you are back, Du Buisson! Well, what news do you bring?"
"Bad news, my dear Marion. Bad news from everywhere!"
"Good God! Then Monsieur Nominoë Lebrenn, the poor young man—?"
"He must have fared like so many others. I found it impossible to discover any traces of either him or his father. Whether he is dead or alive, I can not tell."
"Oh, my poor Bertha! My poor Bertha! How much is she to be pitied!"
"Fortunately mademoiselle is a brave woman. Moreover, she entertained but slight hopes of my succeeding in the mission that she charged me with. I did my best. How is mademoiselle's health?"
"Excellent, my dear Du Buisson!"
"Every day mademoiselle takes a long walk along the seashore in the direction of the stones of Karnak. She seems to have taken a liking for the spot. When she returns home she takes up the manuscript of Colonel Plouernel, and starts to read. Especially in the evening, she remains for hours at a stretch in a revery, contemplating the sky. She looks sad every time the stars are veiled by the clouds."
"She must have been impatient to see me back?"