Blanche's accents were so sweet, her voice expressed so much anxiety of mind, that Villebelle felt profoundly moved, and for the first time, perhaps, experienced some remorse at the pain which he was about to cause the young girl. Blanche repeated her question in a supplicating tone, and the marquis answered, turning away his eyes,—
"I came alone."
"O monsieur, in mercy tell me what has happened to him!" exclaimed Blanche, approaching the marquis and extending her arms towards him in her anxiety.
Villebelle looked at her and in that moment the various feelings which agitated the charming child, rendered her still more seductive. Her eyes were more animated than usual, her lips, half opened, disclosed two rows of pearls, and her hair falling in disorder over her forehead, gave a new expression to her angelic face. The marquis felt his remorse vanish at the sight of so many charms. Habituated, besides, to treat virtue as a chimera and constancy as a folly, he flattered himself that he would soon be able to dissipate Blanche's grief, and now, wishing to undeceive her, he fell on his knees, saying,—
"Deign to forgive me, lovely girl; this château belongs to me. You are not in Urbain's house, but in the house of a man who adores you and will use every means to promote your happiness."
Blanche seemed as though she did not comprehend him; she looked at him affrightedly, repeating,—
"I am not at Urbain's house? But, monsieur, where is he then?"
"I'm not very uneasy about that, and I should advise him not to come here to seek you."
"But it is with Urbain that I should be, monsieur. They were mistaken in bringing me here, I said so at the time; I knew Urbain could not have such a grand house. You are going to make them take me away immediately, are you not, monsieur?"
"No, my dear child, it was I who caused you to be abducted and I will yield you to nobody."