"What you do not know is that my father-in-law, for the first time for many, many years, in his exasperation, in the excess of his grief, has spoken. He cried out to Jean: 'Go away! Go away!' I heard the words. I ran quickly. Well, sir, what moved me most was not seeing M. Philippe Oberlé senseless, stretched upon the floor; it was my son's expression, and it is my conviction that at that moment he resolved to obey and to leave Alsace."
He cast a glance at the fair Lucienne, and saw that she was shaking her blond head in sign of denial.
"Yes, bad," continued the mother without understanding in what sense Farnow used the word. "What an old age for me in my divided house--without my daughter, whom you are going to take away; without my son, who will have gone away. You are astonished, perhaps, that I should tell you an anxiety of this sort?"
He made a gesture which might mean anything.
"It is because," the mother continued more quickly, "I have no one to advise me; no help to hope for--under the circumstances. Understand clearly. To whom shall I go? To my husband? He would be furious? He would start to work and we should find that by his influence Jean would be incorporated in a German regiment in a week's time--away in the north or the east. My brother? He would rather insist on my son leaving Alsace. You see, monsieur, you are the only one who can do anything."
"But much. Jean has promised me that he will join the regiment. You can arrange that he shall be received and welcomed, and not discouraged. You can assure him protection, society, comrades--you have known him a long time. You can prevent his giving way to melancholy ideas, and stop him if he were again tempted to carry out such a plan."
The lieutenant, much disturbed, frowned, and the expression of his face changed at the last words. Then he said:
"Up to the first of October you have your son's promise--after that I will look after him."
Then speaking to himself, and again occupied with an idea, which he did not express entirely:
"Yes," he said, "very bad--it must not be."
"So much the worse," said she. "I betray my brother's secret, but he will forgive me when he knows that I betrayed him to calm mamma. You can be easy, mamma, Jean will not leave Alsace."