”‘Forgive me!’ she said; ‘I have never forgotten you, though there are times my poor brain aches with remembering,’ and she passed her hand across her forehead with a gesture that reminded Pierre of what Edmée had said of her. ‘All is wrong,’ continued Marguerite; ‘there is no right, no good anywhere! But I waste precious moments. It is well you have come, for it is only just in time—they must fly; well or ill, they must fly at once. Tell me, how is the Countess?’
”‘She is dead,’ replied Pierre simply.
“One or two large tears gathered in the girl’s eyes, and slowly rolled down her face. But all she said was, ‘It is well.’
“Then Pierre stepped back to let her pass in.
”‘You will see Mademoiselle?’ he said.
“Marguerite hesitated.
”‘It is as I said!’ she exclaimed hurriedly. ‘She must start at once—at once, I say—if she would not share the fate of her uncle and aunt!’
”‘How can we persuade her to leave her—the Countess!’ said Pierre, in despair.
”‘Better leave her dead than dying,’ said Marguerite, and though the words were almost coarse, the intense earnestness of the tone made them not seem so. Just then a step made both Pierre and the girl look round. It was Edmée. Pale almost as her dead mother, she came forward.
”‘I have heard,’ she said. ‘I opened the door to see who it was. Marguerite, I trust you—she did. Is it really as bad as you say? Is the danger so near?’