Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 63: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LOST ILLUSIONS. 53 ‘Yes, monsieur.’’ The captain quitted his desk. If the voice of Belle-Rose had appeared altered to him, the expression of his counte- nance had astonished him. ‘‘What is the matter with you?’’ he said to him. ‘‘T must leave for St. Omer.’’ ‘To-day?’ “This moment. ’’ ‘*And if I do not wish to give you this leave?”’ ‘‘T would recommend my soul to God, my body to Mon- sieur d’Assonville, and would afterward blow out my brains. ”’ ‘‘There would perhaps be no great harm in that; it would be a task the less for my sapper.”’ ‘Tam waiting, my captain,’’ said Belle-Rose. Monsieur de Naucrais eyed him a minute; he was a man who knew something about faces. The expression of the sergeant’s made him comprehend that Belle-Rose had taken an irrevocable resolution, and that this resolution came from a violent shock. He loved the son of the old falconer more than he permitted it to be seen, therefore he came to an immediate decision. ‘‘But what, then, is taking place at St. Omer?’’ said he. ‘*Mademoiselle de Malzonvilliers is to get married.”’ ‘*Well! how does that concern you?’’ **T love her.”’ ‘*Ah! that is an excellent reason! Behind all the follies which men undertake, seek, and you find a woman. Come, Belle-Rose, what will you do at St. Omer?”’ ‘tT shall see her.’’ ‘*And if she does not wish to receive you?”’ ‘*It will happen as God wills.”’ ‘This is frenzy! My brother and you yourself have re- lated to me this story, but [had forgotten it. A soldier’s love is an autumn fliower.”’ Belle Rose looked at the clock; this movement did not escape Monsieur de Naucrais. ‘‘Kh! my boy, we have only been talking a quarter of an hour. What is that?”’ ‘Tt is an order.”’ The captain approached the table, wrote some words on a slip of paper, and signed. ‘*Go to the devil!’’ said he to Belle-Rose, giving him the paper. But as Belle-Rose started to withdraw, he took his hand: ‘You are the son of old Guillaume, my friend; do not (E(0) MmiGooo & 5}