(Signed) De Bourmont.
“What a fine, splendid, brave letter!” cried all the sisters, delighted; “and to think it should turn out that Sister Claire and General de Bourmont are old friends!”
Presently all went indoors, except Sister Claire. She remained, walking up and down, with her beautiful eyes fixed on the stars that shone with soft splendor. Heaven seemed very near to her.
Afar off, on the sandy plain, De Bourmont sat on his horse quite motionless, and looked toward the white-walled convent which held Sister Claire. His eyes were full of tears for the broken hearts of their youth; but he said to himself, “I would not have it different now.”
Transcriber’s Notes:
“Swiftnesss”, on page 118, has been changed to swiftness.
Illustrations have been moved up or down, where they interrupt the flow of a paragraph.
“Ladies-in waiting,” on page 70, has omitted the hyphenation, to match earlier occurrences in the book.
“Gentlemen-in-waiting,” on pages 64 and 75, have omitted hyphenation, to match earlier occurrences in the book.