What I did fear was to live, with him dead. Now--"
The mother had risen quickly to her feet also, and sought to hold her
daughter's hands.
"For the sake of Heaven, Natalushka!" she pleaded. "You are running into
a terrible danger--"
"Do I care, mother? Do I look as if I cared?" she said, proudly.
"And for no purpose, Natalushka; you will only bring down on yourself
the fury of your father, and he will make your life as miserable as he
has made mine. And what can you do, child? what can you do but bring
ruin on yourself? You are powerless: you have no influence with those in
authority as I at one time had. You do not know them: how can you reach
them?"
"You forget, mother," the girl said, triumphantly; "was it not you
yourself who asked me if I had ever heard of one Bartolotti?"
The mother uttered a slight cry of alarm.
"No, no, Natalushka, I beg of you--"
The girl took her mother in her arms and kissed her. There was a strange
joy in her face; the eyes were no longer haggard, but full of light and
hope.
"You dear mother," she said, as she gently compelled her to be seated
again, "that is the place for you.
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