But we were all surprised by Eustace, when he bade my mother good-
night, quietly bending his dark curled head, ad saying: 'My mother, I
ask your pardon, I am sorry I offended you.'
'My son, my dear son,' she cried, embracing him. 'Never think of it
more, only if we never go home, I cannot have your sister made a mere
bourgeoise'
'How could you, brother!' cried Annora, waiting outside the door.
'Now you have owned yourself in the wrong!'
'I have not said so, Nan,' he answered. 'I have simply said I was
sorry to have offended my mother, and that is true; I could not sleep
under her displeasure.'
'But you do not care about ruining yourself with this perfidious
foreign Court.'
'Not a rush, so long as I do not bring Meg and her son into danger.'
Things were quiet that night, but every one knew that it was only a
lull in the storm.
I set off to morning mass with my son and little Armantine as usual,
thinking all would be quiet so early in our part of the city, but
before the service was over there was the dull roar of the populace
in a fury to be heard in the distance, and Nicole met me at the
church door entreating me to get home as quickly as possible.
To my dismay there was a large heavy chain across the end of the
street, not such as to stop foot passengers, but barring the way
against carriages, and the street was fast filling with shopkeepers,
apprentices, market-women, and all sorts of people.
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