human
Stop there, said the old doctor, taking a pinch of snuff and smiling slyly.
gpt
Here is perhaps a clue. Your daughter may have fallen in love with this young rebel--girls cannot help such things, you know--and the knowledge that his heart is turned to another may be precisely the thing that has preyed upon her mind, bringing her to her present pass.
human
But she and Zulma Sarpy are intimate friends.
gpt
So much the worse. Her feelings would be the more acute and the struggle against herself all the keener on that account.
human
But Major Hardinge?
gpt
La, la, la! your Major. She may have loved him till she saw the other man, and then, _ma foi_----. From a Major to a Captain, from a loyalist to a rebel is rather a descent, _eh, mon ami?_ But what will you have? These things cannot be controlled. They happen every day. Do you know that she is plighted in any way to this Major?
human
She is not.
gpt
How do you know?
human
She told me so.
gpt
Under what circumstances? Excuse this freedom, my friend, but with the confessions of women everything depends upon circumstances. If it is under persuasion, a woman may tell you the truth, for their hearts are good after all. But if it is under compulsion, or threat, or by strategy, they are a match in fencing with the best of us.
human
It was under a sense of duty, and only a few weeks ago. I was annoyed at Hardinge's manner to me and even to her after the death of that servant of his who was killed, you remember. I told Pauline I would resent that conduct if it were repeated, and on the same occasion I asked her whether she had engaged herself to him in any shape or form. Her answer was a simple, straightforward negative, and the child is incapable of untruth.
gpt
This is very well. It removes one difficulty. Her mind does not suffer from any broken pledge towards the Major.
human
But her love for him must remain.
gpt
Not heaven or earth can dominate a woman's love. It is strong as death, immense as the sea, deep as the abyss, yet a glance of the eye, a wave of the hand, a smile, a toss of the head may change it for ever. Listen, Belmont. Your daughter loves the American officer. She grieves for Hardinge, she grieves for Zulma Sarpy. The diagnosis is complete. She is wasting away in a silent, hidden combat between herself and her friends. And I fear the worse.
human
You do not mean that Pauline is in danger?
gpt
It is the duty of friendship to be candid with you. If there is not a complete change, within ten days your daughter will be dead.
human
Gracious heaven!