Josephine assented warmly to this.
Was there not some reason to think they had saved their mother's very
life by these reticences? Josephine assented. "And, Josephine, you are
of age; you are your own mistress; you have a right to marry whom you
please: and, sooner or later, you will certainly marry Camille. I doubt
whether even our mother could prevail on you to refuse him altogether.
So it is but a question of time, and of giving our mother pain, or
sparing her pain. Dear mamma is old; she is prejudiced. Why shock her
prejudices? She could not be brought to understand the case: these
things never happened in her day. Everything seems to have gone by rule
then. Let us do nothing to worry her for the short time she has to
live. Let us take a course between pain to her and cruelty to you and
Camille."
These arguments went far to convince Josephine: for her own heart
supported them. She went from her solid objections to untenable ones--a
great point gained. She urged the difficulty, the impossibility of a
secret marriage.
Camille burst in here: he undertook at once to overcome these imaginary
difficulties.
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