She was looking round at her brother, and
was waiting with a bright, affectionate smile to hear his answer.
He nodded, as if to reassure her, before he spoke again to
Danville.
"You have rather romantic ideas about experiments in chemistry,"
he said, quietly. "Mine have so little connection with what you
call the occult arts that all the world might see them, if all
the world thought it worth while. The only Elixirs of Life that I
know of are a quiet heart and a contented mind. Both those I
found, years and years ago, when Rose and I first came to live
together in the house yonder."
He spoke with a quiet sadness in his voice, which meant far more
to his sister than the simple words he uttered. Her eyes filled
with tears; she turned for a moment from her lover, and took her
brother's hand. "Don't talk, Louis, as if you thought you were
going to lose your sister, because--" Her lips began to tremble,
and she stopped suddenly.
"More jealous than ever of your taking her away from him!"
whispered Madame Danville in her son's ear. "Hush! don't, for
God's sake, take any notice of it," she added, hurriedly, as he
rose from the seat and faced Trudaine with undisguised irritation
and impatience in his manner. Before he could speak, the old
servant Guillaume made his appearance, and announced that coffee
was ready. Madame Danville again said "Hush!" and quickly took
one of his arms, while he offered the other to Rose.
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