"Thank you very much for all your trouble," said Adèle as she disappeared through the doorway.
After having read the letter which she had fetched from the stable, Adèle smiled. "He will meet me near Jacques' cottage at six o'clock this evening," she said to herself. "I must try and hide my joy as much as I can, for my father will grow suspicious if he reads my happiness."
She had to keep a continual vigilance to prevent herself from smiling during the day. When evening approached, she dressed herself and proceeded towards the cottage.
The sun was setting beautifully in the west. When she reached the top of the hill, she could see him, gently sinking, as it were, into the sea, illuminating the horizon and the ocean in a flood of splendour. As it disappeared, the Hanois Lighthouse displayed its beacon light.
The visit to Mrs. Dorant was of short duration.
At half-past six, a young couple might be seen wending their way slowly through the beautiful country lanes. They talked in soft accents. Now and then Adèle's low, silvery laugh sounded on the tranquil evening air.
They wandered thus for two hours. "I thought we had been out only about one hour," said Adèle as Frank returned his watch to his fob.
"Love takes no account of time," he said. "Now, let us talk business. I profess to be a business man you know."
They talked about the obstacles to be vanquished, of Mr. Rougeant's wrath, of Tom Soher's jealousy.
"Be of good cheer. Amor vincit omnia," were Frank's last words to her that evening.