The cry, the look, the action of the girl were an eloquent commentary, and told more to Blondet and the abbe than Madame Michaud had told the countess about the passion of that strange nature for the bailiff, who was utterly unconscious of it.
“The scoundrel!” cried Michaud.
Then, with an involuntary and impotent gesture, such as mad men and wise men can both be forced into giving, he shook his fist in the direction in which he had caught sight of Nicolas disappearing with his sister.
“Then you were not playing?” said the abbe with a searching look at La Pechina.
“Don’t fret her,” interposed the countess; “let us return to the pavilion.”
Genevieve, though quite exhausted, found strength under Michaud’s eyes to walk. The countess followed the bailiff through one of the by-paths known to keepers and poachers where only two can go abreast, and which led to the gate of the Avonne.
“Michaud,” said the countess when they reached the depth of the wood, “We must find some way of ridding the neighborhood of such vile people; that child is actually in danger of death.”
“In the first place,” replied Michaud, “Genevieve shall not leave the pavilion. My wife will be glad to take the nephew of Vatel, who has the care of the park roads, into the house. With Gounod (that is his name) and old Cornevin, my wife’s foster-father, always at hand, La Pechina need never go out without a protector.”
“I will tell Monsieur to make up this extra expense to you,” said the countess. “But this does not rid us of that Nicolas. How can we manage that?”
“The means are easy and right at hand,” answered Michaud. “Nicolas is to appear very soon before the court of appeals on the draft. The general, instead of asking for his release, as the Tonsards expect, has only to advise his being sent to the army—”