"
"Ah!"
"I crossed the frontier in the night, and got to Bayonne; and thence,
day and night, to Paris. There I met a reward for all my anguish. They
gave me the epaulets of a colonel. See, here they are. France does not
give these to traitors, young lady." He held them out to her in both
hands. She eyed them half stupidly; all her thoughts were on the
oak-tree hard by. She began to shudder. Camille was telling the truth.
She felt that; she saw it; and Josephine was hearing it. "Ay! look at
them, you naughty girl," said Camille, trying to be jocose over it all
with his poor trembling lip. He went on to say that from the moment he
had left dark Spain, and entered fair France everybody was so kind, so
sympathizing. "They felt for the poor worn soldier coming back to his
love. All but you, Rose. You told me I was a traitor to her and to
France."
"I was told so," said Rose, faintly. She was almost at her wits' end
what to say or do.
"Well, are you sorry or not sorry for saying such a cruel thing to a
poor fellow?"
"Sorry, very sorry," whispered Rose.
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