He prayed Heaven to bless her, and so the
affianced lovers parted for the night.
It was about nine o'clock. Edouard, instead of returning to his
lodgings, started down towards the town, to conclude a bargain with the
innkeeper for an English mare he was in treaty for. He wanted her
for to-morrow's work; so that decided him to make the purchase. In
purchases, as in other matters, a feather turns the balanced scale. He
sauntered leisurely down. It was a very clear night; the full moon and
the stars shining silvery and vivid. Edouard's heart swelled with joy.
He was loved after all, deeply loved; and in three short weeks he was
actually to be Rose's husband: her lord and master. How like a heavenly
dream it all seemed--the first hopeless courtship, and now the wedding
fixed! But it was no dream; he felt her soft words still murmur music at
his heart, and the shadow of her velvet lips slept upon his own.
He had strolled about a league when he heard the ring of a horse's hoofs
coming towards him, accompanied by a clanking noise; it came nearer and
nearer, till it reached a hill that lay a little ahead of Edouard; then
the sounds ceased; the cavalier was walking his horse up the hill.
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