Suddenly afraid that his father might be hurt, Pierre forced himself to let go of Raoul. Every muscle in his body went rigid, and he trembled from head to foot.
"You must control yourselves," Elysée said. "Pierre, you raised your hand against your brother."
Pierre took a step backward, still shaking. How could this father reproach him, after what Raoul had just said?
The voice of Reason, Pierre thought bitterly. He does not know there are some feelings that cannot be reasoned with.
Pierre realized that he was still crying. Raoul, having let go of his arm, was looking at him with disgust.
"I loved Sun Woman," Pierre stammered. "For him to speak of her so—to speak so of our love—"
"Surely," Elysée said, "Raoul spoke in the heat of anger."
"I don't take back a word," Raoul said in a hard, flat voice.
But, though it was hard to read the features behind that fierce black mustache, Pierre thought he saw uncertainty in Raoul's face. As if Raoul finally understood that he had gone too far.
He drove me to try to hit him. He's never pushed me that far before.