in those days had had no business of his own, and should not have thought of such a thing!  In this way the mind of Michel Voss had been forced into strong hostility against the idea of a marriage between Marie and his son, and had filled itself with the spirit of a partisan on the side of Adrian Urmand.  But now, as things had gone, he had been made very unhappy by the state of his own mind, and consequently was beginning to feel a great dislike for the merchant from Basle.  The stupid mean little fellow, with his white pocket-handkerchief, and his scent, and his black greasy hair, had made his way into the house and had destroyed all comfort and pleasure!  That was the light in which Michel was now disposed to regard his previously honoured guest.  When he made a comparison between Adrian and George, he could not but acknowledge that any girl of spirit and sense would prefer his son.  He was very proud of his son,—­proud even of the lad’s disobedience to himself on such a subject; and this feeling added to his discomfort.

He had twice seen Marie in her bed during that day spoken of in the last chapter.  On both occasions he had meant to be very firm; but it was not easy for such a one as Michel Voss to be firm to a young woman in her night-cap, rather pale, whose eyes were red with weeping.  A woman in bed was to him always an object of tenderness, and a woman in tears, as his wife well knew, could on most occasions get the better of him.  When he first saw Marie, he merely told her to lie still and take a little broth.  He kissed her however and patted her cheek, and then got out of the room as quickly as he could.  He knew his own weakness, and was afraid to trust himself to her prayers while she lay before him in that guise.  When he went again, he had been unable not to listen to a word or two which she had prepared, and had ready for instant speech.  ‘Uncle Michel,’ she said, ’I will never marry any one without your leave, if you will let M. Urmand go away.’  He had almost come to wish by this time that M. Urmand would go away and never come back again.  ’How am I to send him away?’ he had said crossly.  ’If you tell him, I know he will go,—­at once,’ said Marie.  Michel had muttered something about Marie’s illness and the impossibility of doing anything at present, and again had left the room.  Then Marie began to take heart of grace, and to think that victory might yet be on her side.  But how was George to know that she was firmly determined to throw those odious betrothals to the wind?  Feeling it to be absolutely incumbent on her to convey to him this knowledge, she wrote the few words which the servant conveyed to her lover,—­making no promise in regard to him, but simply assuring him that she would never,—­ never,—­never become the wife of that other man.