"When I think," she said, "that a great disaster might have happened to you just now! Ah! your poor mother—how she would have cursed me if I had been the cause—"
"No, madame, that could not have happened," replied Julien; "I had right on my side."
"And you believe that Providence interposes in such cases?"
"Yes, since Providence is with us. It gives us strength and presence of mind. A man who defends a woman's honor against scoundrels has all the chances on his side. Courage comes very easy to him; he feels that he cannot succumb."
"What faith you have!" exclaimed Julie, deeply touched. "Yes, I remember you said at my house the other day that faith would move mountains, and that you were faith personified."
"The other day!" Julien repeated ingenuously. "That was more than a month ago."
Julie dared not pretend not to know how many days and nights had passed since that brief interview. So she said nothing. Julien carried his respect for her so far as not to continue the conversation himself, and the longer the silence endured the less able was Julie to summon the presence of mind to break it without betraying the emotion she felt. At last they reached the pavilion.
"Do you not think," he said, "that you should take your arm from mine now, so that your people may not see me? then I will follow you at a little distance until I have seen your door close behind you."
"Yes," she replied; "but what will my people think to see me returning alone and on foot at such an hour? The best way is for me to go through the pavilion and through my garden; then they will think that Monsieur Marcel brought me back that way."
That seemed in truth the best plan. Julien had his key in his pocket.