“Oh! she had a very urgent reason—her husband beat her.”
“Perhaps he was justified, monsieur.”
“Oh! Bertrand!”
“Why does she call you her dear friend so soon?”
“Because—because——”
“Oh, yes! because—I understand perfectly. But after all, monsieur, what do you expect to do with this woman?”
“I don’t quite know; but you must see that I can’t desert her here after being the cause of her losing the diligence.”
“I should say rather that she made you lose it by telling you fairy tales, and arousing your pity by adventures that never happened, I’ll wager. Besides, monsieur, a woman who takes up with the first man that comes along can’t be anything but an adventuress. I’ll bet that you don’t even know her name?”
“Faith, no. But what does the name matter? Can’t a person assume any name at pleasure? Whether this young woman has told me the truth or not, I won’t leave her penniless far from the place to which she is going.”
“Oho! she hasn’t any money, eh?”