The light of the campfires
sent a glow through the open doorway upon the face of the sleeper.
She leaned over him. The look she gave him seemed to her anxious spirit
like a farewell. This man had given her a new life, and out of it had
come a new sight. Valmond had escaped death, but in her poor confused way
she felt another storm gathering about him. A hundred feelings possessed
her; but one thought was master of them all: when trouble drew round him,
she must be near him, must be strong to help him, protect him, if need
be. Yet a terrible physical weakness was on her. Her limbs trembled, her
head ached, her heart throbbed in a sickening way.
He stirred in his sleep; a smile passed over his face. She wondered what
gave it birth. She knew well it was not for her, that smile. It belonged
to his dream of success--when a thousand banners should flaunt in the
gardens of the Tuileries. Overcome by a sudden rush of emotion, she fell
on her knees at his side, bursting into noiseless sobs, which shook her
from head to foot.
Every nerve in her body responded to the shock of feeling; she was having
her dark hour alone.
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