A long pause followed upon Lupin's words. He waited, with his soul torn with anguish. His whole destiny was at stake, in this minute which he had conceived and, in a manner, produced with such effort and such stubbornness, an historic minute, born of his brain, in which "his humble personality," for all that he might say, weighed heavily upon the fate of empires and the peace of the world.
Opposite him, in the shadow, Cæsar stood meditating.
What answer would he make? What solution would he give to the problem?
He walked across the cell for a few moments, which to Lupin seemed interminable. Then he stopped and asked:
"Are there any other conditions?"
"Yes, Sire, but they are insignificant."
"Name them."
"I have found the son of the Grand-duke of Zweibrucken-Veldenz. The grand-duchy must be restored to him."
"Anything else?"
"He loves a young girl, who loves him in her turn. She is the fairest and the most virtuous of her sex. He must marry her."