‘Nothing; why should he? I am no relation of his or of Mademoiselle de Valogne.’
‘He might have done so; he was a long time alone with you. Perhaps he did not know it himself.’
‘Perhaps not.’
‘It seems a coup de tête. Madame de Vannes told me that he had only seen her cousin four times.’
‘That is three times more than is necessary.’
‘They say the girl is very much in love with him, and burst into tears when they told her of his proposals.’
‘Oh, my dear Platon! That the girl marries Othmar one understands; she would be an imbecile, a lunatic, to refuse; but that she weeps because she will enjoy one of the hugest fortunes in Europe—do not make such demands on our credulity!’
‘They say their acquaintance has been an idyl; quite hors d’usage; they both met in his gardens by chance, and he——’
‘Chance? I thought it was heaven? You may be quite sure neither had anything to do with it. Aurore is a very clever woman; she knew very well what she did when she brought her cousin down to Millo this winter; if the girl had been honestly vouée à Marie, would they have had her in the drawing-room after their dinner-parties? Ralph says he has seen her there.’
‘Well, if it were a conspiracy, it has succeeded.’