"My child, my child!" cried she, tenderly. "As I do to this unhappy lady, so may others do unto you."
"Then you will not betray me!" cried Laura, joyfully. "Oh, good, good Marcella, may God bless you for those pitying words!"
Marcella wiped her eyes, kissed her baby, and, replacing it in its cradle, said, "Now, signora, that I consent to assist you, tell me at once what is to be done, for it must be done quickly."
"Give me these clothes and a little money; guide me out of the forest to a post-station whence I may travel to Turin; and for these services take the bracelet: it is honestly mine, and therefore yours."
"It is now four o'clock," observed Marcella, looking toward the east.
"And precisely at eight the marquis will visit my rooms and discover my flight. Come—come—we have indeed no time to lose."
"We can reach the station in an hour," replied Marcella, "and the postilions will start early this morning for—to what point did you say you wished to travel, signora?"
"To Turin."
"That is a pity," murmured Marcella.
"Why?" asked Laura, anxiously.