"Come," he said, "speak, my worthy gentleman, no one will oppose it."
"Thanks," the Count answered hoarsely and approached Doña Clara, who watched him advance with an ardent gaze fixed on him.
"Clara," he said to her in a firm and deeply marked voice, "do you love me?"
She hesitated for a moment and bowed her head while heaving a profound sigh.
"Do you love me?" he repeated.
"I do love you, Ludovic," she replied in a faint and trembling voice.
"Do you love me, as your husband before God and man, as the father of your child?"
The young lady rose, her black eyes flashed fire, and stretching out her hands before her, she said in a voice choked by emotion—
"In the presence of my father, who is ready to curse me, before the body of my dead brother and in the face of the men who are listening to me, I swear, Ludovic, that I love you as the father of my child, and that I shall remain faithful to you, whatever may happen."
"Very good, Clara," he answered, "God has received your oath and will help you to keep it; remember that, whether dead or alive, you belong to me as I belong to you, and that no person on earth shall break the ties that unite us. Now farewell, and keep your courage."