And she remained without speaking in the middle of the street, with vehicles all around her; then, fixing on him her wild-cat's eyes:
"I may rely on you, may I not? There is now a sacred bond between us. Do what you say, then; we'll talk about it to-morrow."
Frederick, in passing through the lobby, heard two voices responding to one another.
Madame Arnoux's voice was saying:
"Don't lie! don't lie, pray!"
He went in. The voices suddenly ceased.
Arnoux was walking from one end of the apartment to the other, and Madame was seated on the little chair near the fire, extremely pale and staring straight before her. Frederick stepped back, and was about to retire, when Arnoux grasped his hand, glad that some one had come to his rescue.
"But I am afraid——" said Frederick.
"Stay here, I beg of you!" he whispered in his ear.
Madame remarked: