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Mr Van de Werve gazed abstractedly as if in deep thought Then he said,

seriously: "You are truly unhappy, signor, and I commiserate your sorro can it

be possible? All is deceit and perfidy Geronimo seemed the soul of virtue

and loyalty; he lived with so much economy and conducted hiht have appeared either a

poor man or a precocious

-table ten thousand crowns, the property of his

benefactor! His laudable course of conduct was but a base hypocrisy!"

"And nevertheless," murmured the old Deodati, "ht not his blindness have been the effect of one

solitary and momentary error? Perhaps so Man sometimes meets fatal

temptations which attract him irresistibly, but to which he yields only

once in his life"

"Why then did he fly, and thus acknowledge his guilt? No, signor, no

excuse can palliate such ht

that such signal favors have ratitude The

idea of your affliction restrains hter Fortunately, the reputation and social position of my family is

such as to screen it fronor, I

hope you will agree with er be a question of an

alliance between hter and your nephew He e nor Geroniarded the irritated nobleman with tearful eyes, and seemed to