Father Antoine laid a heavy hand upon my shoulder.
"Be assured, monsieur, that madame is perfectly happy and contented with her friends," he said. "And no doubt she has already regretted her escapade. Did I not warn you in Quebec, monsieur, that your enterprise would be brought to naught? And now you will doubtless be glad of your lesson, and will abandon it willingly and return homeward. I have to depart at daybreak upon an urgent mission a hundred miles away, which was interrupted by your rescue; but I shall be back within a week, by which time you will doubtless be able to accompany me to the coast. Meanwhile, you will rest here, and my provisions and a few books are at your disposal."
"I shall not!" I cried weakly. "I am going on to the château!"
He looked at me steadily.
"You cannot," he said. "If you attempt it you will perish by the way."
"You cannot stop me!" I cried desperately.
"Perhaps not, monsieur; nevertheless, you will not be able to reach the château."
"Who are you that you should stop me?" I exclaimed angrily. "You are a priest, and your duty is with souls."
"That is why," answered Père Antoine. "You are in pursuit of a married woman."
"I do not know anything about that, but I am the protector of a defenceless one," I answered, "and I shall seek her until she sends me away. Do you know where her husband is?"