"
"And when you thought of that other one? Ah, how he was an imbecile, that
other one! But thou wilt never think of him again; it is a dream that is
past," said M. Lenoble.
That self-confidence which was an attribute of his sanguine nature
rendered the idea of a rival not altogether unpleasant to him. He was
gratified by the idea of his own victory, and the base rival's
annihilation.
"Diane, I want to show thee the home that is to be thine," he said
presently. "Your Sheldon family must give thee at least a holiday, if
they refuse to let thee go altogether. Thou wilt come to Normandy with
thy father. He is coming for a week or two, now that his gout is better.
I want to show thee Cotenoir--and Beaubocage, the place where my father
was born. It will seem dreary, perhaps, to thine English eyes; but to me
it is very dear."
"Nothing that is dear to you shall appear dreary to me," said Diana.
By this time they had arrived at Omega Street. Again Miss Paget made tea
for her lover. Strange to say, the operation seemed to grow more
agreeable with every repetition. While taking his tea from the hands of
his beloved, Gustave pressed the question of Diana's visit to Normandy.
"About her Sheldon family she is adamant," he said to Captain Paget, who
sipped his tea and smiled at the lovers with the air of an aristocratic
patriarch. "There is to be no marriage till it pleases Mrs.
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