"'Oh, yes, they can. They are coming for me. Don't let them carry me away.' I clung to her, and hid my face in her bosom. 'Oh, do stay with me, dear mamma, until I go to sleep! Don't leave me alone!'
"I felt her warm tears falling fast over my face. She kissed me over and over again, then tried to lay me down quietly in the bed. I did not want to go to bed, and I flung my arms round her neck, and held her with desperate energy.
"'Don't go! If you love me, mamma, don't go!'
"'I must go, my dear boy.'
"'What, to-night, mamma!'
"'Yes to-night, the carriage is waiting.'
"Her lips quivered, she wrung her hands with an impatient gesture. 'Don't ask any more questions, Gerard, I am going a long journey with a friend. Now lie down like a good boy, and go to sleep.'
"'And when will you come back?'
"She was weeping passionately, and didn't answer.