him that she was not engaged to marry Adrian Urmand,--that she was
determined, if possible, to avoid the marriage, and that she had no
love for Adrian Urmand. Had she done so, she would in so doing have
asked him to come back to her. That she should do this was
impossible. And yet as he left her, some suspicion of the truth,
some half-formed idea of the real state of the man's mind in
reference to her, flashed across her own. She seemed to feel that
she was specially unfortunate, but she felt at the same time that
there was no means within her reach of setting things right. And
she was as convinced as ever she had been, that her uncle would
never give his consent to a marriage between her and George Voss.
As for George himself, he left her with an assured conviction that
she was the promised bride of Adrian Urmand.



CHAPTER VI.

The world seemed very hard to Marie Bromar when she was left alone.
Though there were many who loved her, of whose real affection she
had no doubt, there was no one to whom she could go for assistance.
Her uncle in this matter was her enemy, and her aunt was completely
under her uncle's guidance. Madame Voss spoke to her often in these
days of the coming of Adrian Urmand, but the manner of her speaking
was such that no comfort could be taken from it. Madame Voss would
risk an opinion as to the room which the young man ought to occupy,
and the manner in which he should be fed and entertained. For it
was thoroughly understood that he was coming on this occasion as a
lover and not as a trader, and that he was coming as the guest of
Michel Voss, and not as a customer to the inn. 'I suppose he can