The Argosy — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

142 Monsieur Michaud’s Fiancée. * ‘You haven’t told her this?” ‘What do you take me for?” “ Forgive me! Only, Blaise, she loves another, not me nor you, but a man I believe to be a scoundrel. Be generous yet further, ‘ Blaise ; help me to find this out ; to unmask him, and Georgette will —I know her—she will herself recoil from him as a dove would from a snake.” Never before had Blaise Michaud had sucha struggle with himself. He had so far acted right nobly ; but how could he go further, and help to snatch Georgette from one she loved in order that his elderly cousin should keep her for himself? And yet surely this cousin was fond of Georgette and good. As to Georgette, would she not be happier with the worthy Michaud than with a villain? If she could be saved from such a fate would any sacrifice be too great, even if she never knew to whom she owed her happiness? And Blaise accepted the offer. ‘‘ Look here, Gustave, between us, as you say, we can find out this man, show her what her fate would be, and if it is as you think , ‘Then I hope Georgette may still be M. Michaud’s fianceé,” said the elder man wringing his cousin’s hand, ‘‘ Blaise, mon ami, I am glad you hunted me out when you came to Paris.” Blaise murmured an inaudible answer, but it certainly was not “So am J.” Rather he desired heartily that he had never cast his eyes on Gustave Michaud and Georgette, his fiancée. The world seemed suddenly convulsed for Georgette when she left M. Michaud’s side; but she knew she must try and set her ideas straight before the evening, when she should see Henri Delibes, to give him her final answer. Georgette had promised that, and though she had cried bitterly over the thought of asking for release, yet never for a moment had she believed M. Michaud would say ze. Now as she hurried along towards home she called him wicked, selfish, cruel ; and then again she looked back on his unvarying kindness, his patience, his goodness to her, and she was tortured by her ingratitude. If she had been like many girls, Georgette would have made very light of her promise; but she was true, and meant to be true, to her word. ‘Only it will kill me,” she murmured in her exaggeration of feeling. The public expects its entertainment punctually to the hour how- ever unhappy the actors may be; so Georgette drove off to the theatre as usual, not waiting for M. Michaud’s escort. ‘There was a small room behind the stage where idlers met their friends, and which was opened to those who claimed acquaintance with the director; it was nearly always empty before the play and full between the acts. Georgette hurried there now, wishing to have the pain over, and knowing Ae would be waiting for her answer. ‘‘T will be true to M. Michaud and to my mother,” she murmured as she pushed open the door; and, straightening herself to her full GEomicbooks.co