She became embarrassed, and remained silent.
“See!” he exclaimed, “you dare not take the oath!”
“No; it does not suffice. But your silence says a great deal, I tell you! You are too frank, Reine, and you don’t know how to lie. I read it in your eyes, I do. The true reason is that you do not love me.”
She shrugged her shoulders and turned away her head.
“No, you do not love me. If you had any love for me, instead of discouraging me, you would hold out some hope to me, and advise me to have patience. You never have loved me, confess now!”
By dint of this persistence, Reine by degrees lost her self-confidence. She could realize how much Claudet was suffering, and she reproached herself for the torture she was inflicting upon him. Driven into a corner, and recognizing that the avowal he was asking for was the only one that would drive him away, she hesitated no longer.
“Alas!” she murmured, lowering her eyes, “since you force me to tell you some truths that I would rather have kept from you, I confess you have guessed. I have a sincere friendship for you, but that is all. I have concluded that to marry a person one ought to love him differently, more than everything else in the world, and I feel that my heart is not turned altogether toward you.”
“No,” said Claudet, bitterly, “it is turned elsewhere.”
“What do you mean? I do not understand you.”
“You are blushing--a proof that I have hit the nail!”
“Enough of this!” cried she, imperiously.
“You are right. Now that you have said you don’t want me any longer, I have no right to ask anything further. Adieu!”
He turned quickly on his heel. Reine was conscious of having been too hard with him, and not wishing him to go away with such a grief in his heart, she sought to retain him by placing her hand upon his arm.
“Come, Claudet,” said she, entreatingly, “do not let us part in anger. It pains me to see you suffer, and I am sorry if I have said anything unkind to you. Give me your hand in good fellowship, will you?”
But Claudet drew back with a fierce gesture, and glancing angrily at Reine, he replied, rudely:
“Thanks for your regrets and your pity; I have no use for them.” She understood that he was deeply hurt; gave up entreating, and turned away with eyes full of tears.