"You shall not," he said, promptly; but he himself was beginning to breathe more freely. "I will not allow you to see her until you are perfectly calm."
He put his hand on her arm gently.
"Natalie," said he, "you must calm yourself—for her sake. She has been suffering; she is weak; any wild scene would do her harm. You must calm yourself, my darling;
you must be the braver of the two; you must show yourself very strong—for her sake."
"I am quite calm," she said, with pale lips. She put her left hand over her heart. "It is only my heart that beats so."
"Well, in a little while—"
"Now—now!" she pleaded, almost wildly. "I must see her. When I try to think of it, it is like to drive me mad; I cannot think at all. Let us go!"
"You must think," he said firmly; "you must think of what you are going to say; and your dress, too. Natalie, you must take that piece of scarlet ribbon away; one who is nearly related to you has just died."
She tore it off instantly.
"And you know Magyar, don't you, Natalie?"