"I was determined to see you," he said. "They shall not kill me nor are you to sacrifice your father's domain. Worse than all, I feared that you might yield to Gabriel."
"Ach! You insult me when you say that! I yielded to Lorenz because I thought it my duty and because I dared not admit to myself that I loved you. But Gabriel! Ach!" she cried scornfully. "Grenfall Lorry, I shall marry no man. You I love, but you I cannot marry. It is folly to dream of it, even as a possibility. When you go from Graustark tomorrow night you take my heart, my life, my soul with you. I shall never see you again--God help me to say this--I shall never allow you to see me again. I tell you I could not bear it. The weakest and the strongest of God's creations is woman." She started suddenly, half rising. "Did any one see you come to my room? Was Quinnox sure?"
"We passed people, but no one knew me. I will go if you are distressed over my being here."
"It is not that--not that. Some spy may have seen you. I have a strange fear that they suspect me and that I am being watched. Where is Captain Quinnox?"
"He said he would return for me in an hour. The time is almost gone. How it has flown! Yetive, Yetive, I will not give you up!" he cried, sinking to his knees before her.
"You must--you shall! You must go back to the monastery to-night! Oh how I pray that you may reach it in safety! And, you must leave this wretched country at once. Will you see if Quinnox is outside the door? Be quick! I am mad with the fear that you may be found here--that you may be taken before you can return to St. Valentine's."
He arose and stood looking down at the intense face, all aquiver with the battle between temptation and solicitude.
"I am not going back to St. Valentine's," he said, slowly.
"But it is all arranged for you to start from there tomorrow. You cannot escape the city guard except through St. Valentine's."
"Yetive, has it not occurred to you that I may not wish to escape the city guard?"
"May not wish to escape the--what do you mean?" she cried, bewildered.
"I am not going to leave Edelweiss, dearest. It is my intention to surrender myself to the authorities."
She gazed at him in horror for a moment and then fell back with a low moan.
"For God's sake, do not say that!" she wailed. "I forbid you to think of it. You cannot do this after all I have done to save you. Ach, you are jesting; I should have known."