"God forbid that I should smile at anything threatening your whole life as this would do. I must think; but if you can bring yourself to consent, you must make your own conditions as to the time and place of the marriage."
"No. The marriage will not take place, because he dare do nothing against my will. Don’t lose heart for an instant."
"Tell me. You must see what it means to me, this suspense. You are in such danger--and Bessie."
"We were never safer. That I assure you. But trust me and have patience."
"You know I trust you"; and she laid her hand on my arm.
"Yes, I do know it. And bear this in mind. I am absolutely confident that we shall win. Remember that, and if you see me appear to be alarmed, and even panic-stricken, don’t believe what you see."
She let her eyes rest on mine. "I should never believe that," she said.
At that moment Bessie said her father was calling for her, and we parted.
I took my sister to my room and had a long talk with her, and in the end sent her out to make one or two purchases for the plan that had occurred to me, telling her to be very careful that she was not followed. I should have gone myself, but after von Felsen’s statement that the house was being carefully watched, she could do what had to be done better than I could.
When she returned, we two were busy together for two or three hours, at the end of which we had a little rehearsal.
"It is positively wonderful, Paul! Wonderful!"
"It will do in the dark, anyhow," I replied, quite satisfied with the result. "Say nothing to Althea about it; but if you can manage it, drop her a hint that I have had very bad news. It is so essential she should act naturally when von Felsen comes, that I must even venture to frighten her a little."
I would not trust myself to see Althea herself again before von Felsen’s visit, lest I should be led to tell her everything in my desire to relieve her anxiety. So much depended upon his being entirely deceived, that I dared not take the risk of her not being able to appear completely sincere in what she had to promise.
It was a hard task to mislead her even for so short a time; and twenty times I started off to relieve the suspense I knew was torturing her. But I did not go.