“Come on. Strike while the iron’s hot. I’ve just been getting the sad story of her life, and she is in a sentimental mood. Now’s the time.”
So I dragged him to Frosine’s door and pushed him in.
Then this was what I heard, for Helstern’s voice would almost penetrate a steel safe.
“You know, Mademoiselle Frosine, I—I love your daughter.”
“Yes, Monsieur Helstern.”
“I love her so much that I want to ask you if you’ll let me be a father to her.”
“But do you love me?”
“I—I don’t know. I’ve never thought of that. But we both love Solonge. Won’t that be enough?”
“I don’t know. Let us wait awhile. Ask me some months from now. Perhaps you’ve made a mistake. I want you to be quite sure. If by then you find you’ve not made a mistake, I—I might let myself love you very easily.”
“You’ve made me strangely happy. Everything seems changed to me. I may hope then?”